The Gilded Age’s “His Grace the Duke” Spoilers Ahead
The Gilded Age is full of elaborate, morally grey characters and relationships, with the Russells at the top of the list. But what isn’t complex or even a little grey is their adoration for one another, proving that it could be deeply memorable if the show continues exploring and establishing their marriage with as much care. The drama is addictive, yes, but there are few things more captivating than a “my wife” man (romance genre readers know). However questionable George Russell might be in every other area, the staunch loyalty to his wife is undoubtedly his best trait.
Season 1 proved this fact unabashedly when George Russell refused a naked Miss Turner in their bed, showing absolutely no signs of temptation alongside his rejection, but we knew that the aftermath of his secrecy could cause strife. And The Gilded Age Season 2 handles this surprisingly well, bringing outstanding performances from Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector and the kind of substantial reunion that feels earned in The Gilded Age’s “His Grace the Duke.”
In the world of romance, there are often tireless debates about the miscommunication trope and what it usually entails when it comes to the third-act breakup. Sometimes it’s unwarranted, but carefully crafted angst fortifies trust and nudges characters (men, especially) to grovel and understand the profundity of their wife’s value. Now, George Russell isn’t a man who needs to learn this lesson, but he is certainly one who should understand the importance of transparency and how it could feel like a betrayal from the one person who matters most. And building up their tension with heavy arguments leading to a quiet, gentle reunion makes for the most evocative type of storytelling. Plus, the season doesn’t drag it on longer than necessary, yet it holds on just enough where their emotional distance feels discernible.
Further, there’s much significance in the choices writers, directors, and actors make in The Gilded Age’s “His Grace the Duke,” which is why it’s crucial that George whispers the words, “I’ve missed you so much, my darling. You can’t know how much.” It marks a moment that is theirs and theirs alone, and it also hits harder because it’s equivalent to releasing the breath caught somewhere deep inside of him. In the same space but farther than ever, when George and Bertha clash against each other again, the weight of his understanding is palpable. The depth of her pain, too. He knows, with everything in him, that if he keeps something from her again, she’s dead serious about her refusal to forgive. His declaration is laced with both relief and real, agonizing fears. It comes across as such an intimate and raw scene that watching it almost feels like we’re invading their most sacred space. It’s both a contained scene and an all-encompassing one at the same time. The full range of emotions Coon exhibits tells us much about how hard this has stung Bertha. It’s all palpable in a way scenes like this rarely are because executives don’t give characters the space to have such moments.
At the same time, sometimes a hug is more needed than a kiss, and these two are equipped with both on the series, as well as hand holding, which adds to the lingering bouts of longing they still experience after all these years. Spector and Coon are such magnetic scene partners that they can take a beat as delicately quiet as this and make it significantly loud. The warmth we catch in their embrace and the tension that lifts brings a sense of balance back to their give-and-take that feels right. He can keep groveling (and he does with compliments left and right in the next two episodes), but this is essentially how to overcome challenges like adults. It’s a moment brimming with all the beats of longing that make love such a messy yet worthwhile waltz in a world where trust isn’t easy to give.
There are a lot of stories left to be told, but The Gilded Age’s “His Grace the Duke” cements their romance as the endgame in such a way that if the series pushes against it, then it will be fabricated and inorganic. Drama for the sake of drama and nothing more. In a show full of uncertainties and slow, slow burns, George and Bertha Russell are (and should be) in it to the very end, conducting with every calculated move they make that their love for one another is the one wholly effortless thing. The music, the sincerity in his desire to fully earn her forgiveness, the hurt and reassurance in the performances—it all adds up to reaffirm how deep-seated their love for one another is.
The Gilded Age’s “His Grace the Duke” is now streaming exclusively on Max.