The stakes of The Gilded Age season 2 are not as high as those of season 1. It is still entertaining, but it doesn’t give the audience a feeling of indignation or anger, along with the laughter that was so consistent in season 1. Maybe it is a sign that the atmosphere of the Gilded Age’s New York has become chill, or even worse, that this is a sign that there will not be season 3 of this show. It remains too early for such a judgment because this is still the fourth episode of the season, and tempers have just started flaring. Additionally, the dresses have just gotten better, though Peggy is still being given drab prints. Maybe there will be an all-out war motivated by people’s pettiness that will end up shaping modern-day New York.
Spoiler Alert
Does Marian actually like Mr. Montgomery?
He seems to be a strong contender for Marian’s romantic interest this season. He was there with her in Newport; he has also been approved by Ada and Agnes, and even Marian is enjoying his company. It is also safe to say that Dashiel’s interest in her seems to be a little bit more than that of a cousin or the father of Marian’s student. People have certainly noticed their closeness and have, at times, mistaken Marian for Mrs. Montgomery. Even Dashiel’s daughter is a little over-smart and is acting as if Marian is already her mother. Marian should reject this family for this very reason, but that is a personal belief. The fact of the matter is that it hasn’t been addressed whether Marian is over her ex. She had always said that she wanted to be on her feet, and while her job has given her that, it is time to acknowledge that it is a lot more than just a way to get over the man. Currently, Marian has been asked to expand her teaching responsibilities, and she is happy about it. Maybe Dashiel will ask to marry her, and she will say no, saying that she is enjoying the life of a single, independent woman a little too much, as she should.
Is Maud Beaton interested in Oscar?
We would like to use a word to describe Oscar, but that would get this article censored. However, we will leave a clue, and that is Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives season 1. He wants to be with Maud Beaton for her money, and she is innocently reciprocating his feelings. Maud’s problem is that her father uses her name for business, and she is not fond of that. Oscar promises to help her from his position as a banker. While he is doing what suits him, Marian surprises us with her naivete and the fact that she hasn’t noticed that Oscar is not that sincere after all in regards to Maud Beaton. She shouldn’t be getting the other woman’s hopes up this way.
Do Larry and Mrs. Blane break up?
Larry and Mrs. Blane are going strong, and the gossip columns in newspapers have caught wind of it. There was an article written that hinted at this relationship, and Bertha was asked about it. She revealed that her son was working as an architect for Mrs. Blane, but anything more than that was just a scandal. In some ways, Bertha’s integrity is to be admired because she did not even attempt to tear down Mrs. Blane’s credibility or reputation, which is the exact thing that makes us believe that she did not reveal Enid’s (Mrs. Winterton’s) truth to Mrs. Astor. However, Bertha makes sure to express her disapproval to Mrs. Blane in very clear terms. In a manner of speaking, she could have let her son’s relationship run its course. But this is old New York we are talking about, and scandals had ramifications that money could not make up for, like what happened to Enid.
Did Bertha tell Mrs. Astor about Enid?
Before talking about the politics of the Metropolitan, it is important to address the issues that Peggy and Mr. Fortune are covering, which are the real struggles of the world. They have gone to the South to write about a university, and Mr. Fortune has a difference of opinion with the founder. Both of them have been former slaves, but their approaches to the New World are vastly different. Perhaps this was a way to address the privilege of geography because both men want the same thing, which is for black people to have equal rights and opportunities in the world, but they are unable to go about it the same way. While Mr. Fortune is able to run a newspaper in New York on his own terms, the other person has had to play up to white people’s approval to open a university in the South. Mr. Fortune believes that if they don’t have all rights, they have none at all, whereas the founder acknowledges that sometimes the middle ground is the only way towards progress. Even Peggy points out that New York doesn’t treat them like equals, but this has been a discussion for days. She and Mr. Fortune decide to go to the university to get a real account from the students for their papers.
Meanwhile, George is doing all he can for Bertha’s forgiveness. He has arranged for them to be invited to a dinner where the Duke is going to be, and Bertha thinks fast and manages to change the seating arrangement to suit her. So far, she and Enid Winterton are not openly fighting, though the latter’s loyalties lie with the Academy of Music. At the dinner, Bertha manages to get the Duke to agree to stay with them in Newport.
Back in New York, Mrs. Astor meets Joshua Winterton and tells him that she won’t be able to let them continue their affiliation with the Academy, considering Enid’s past profession. Joshua promises Mrs. Astor that this will mean that many of his people will be following him to the Metropolitan. When he tells this to Enid, she is sure that this is the work of Bertha. At the end of The Gilded Age, season 2, episode 4, Enid is absolutely furious with the news of the Duke staying with the Russells and promises to get revenge for this. As for Bertha, she reconciles with George after he promises never to keep secrets from her again.
Final Thoughts
So far, it has been the new rich against the old rich in Season 1. Is season 2 going to be about the affiliations and wars of the new rich amongst themselves? How will this be used to comment on the classism of the era? These are the important questions right now.
