The Gilded Age Has a Marriage Problem
Bertha Russell has conquered society, and George has left her. As The Gilded Age returns for season four, that split is the story I want it to stay with. Getting our favorite scheming couple back together would be satisfying. Getting them back together too quickly would let Bertha off.
HBO's new synopsis puts the consequences of her rise at the center of the season. There is plenty to work with. Bertha is used to treating resistance as something she can overcome. A husband who knows her perfectly is a much more awkward opponent than a hostile hostess.
Why George left
After surviving a shooting in season three, George walked away from Bertha. He had had enough of her using their children to advance her social ambitions. That makes the separation harder to dismiss as a misunderstanding. He objects to something she considers part of the job.
Carrie Coon was disappointed by the split, too. In her January 12 interview with Broadway.com, before she had read the fourth season's scripts, she put it plainly:
That affection is exactly why a reconciliation needs time. We know what these two can be together. Now George needs room to explain what he can no longer accept, and Bertha needs to hear him without immediately preparing her rebuttal.
I want them reunited, but only after she gives up the idea that deciding for her family is the same as looking after them. Let her remain ambitious and difficult. Making Bertha meek would be a terrible bargain for the viewer. Making her ask what somebody else wants could give Coon something much more interesting to play.
Agnes has an opening
Agnes ended season three accepting Ada as head of their household, helped by her own appointment as vice president of the New York Heritage Society. The new synopsis gives her a chance to recover her standing. I hope the show remembers what it took for her to give Ada that seat at the table. A renewed social life should not erase the concession.
Peggy and William are engaged, with his family's approval still a problem. Her prospective in-laws feature in HBO's synopsis, alongside a new path for Marian. Peggy should have more to do than win their permission to marry. As for Marian, her restored engagement to Larry is the relationship to keep in mind before following wherever she goes next.
Before the premiere
Returning viewers should revisit the season-three finale. Watch the Russell split and the two engagements: those changes will do more to refresh the stakes than a list of society feuds. Newcomers should begin with season one. You need to see why this marriage was worth rooting for before the separation can hurt.
The eight-episode fourth season begins Sunday, November 1 at 9 p.m. on HBO in the US, with episodes also streaming weekly on HBO Max. In Finland and Iceland, the HBO Max premiere is Monday, November 2.
