The following review contains spoilers for all eight episodes of The Gilded Age Season 2
The Gilded Age soars to spectacular heights in Season 2, concluding with the kind of jaw-dropping ending that’s likely leaving fans in a frenzy. (I sure am.) There’s no sophomore slump for Julian Fellowes and Sonja Warfield’s shining period drama as it continues to dive into storytelling that feels thoroughly refreshing, even through familiar themes we often see. (Tried and true cliches work for a reason at times.) The season’s pacing is one of the most substantial moving beats I’ve seen in years, driving the story along in a way that makes it masterful. How a show with maybe too many characters and theatrical plot points manages to stay on the right path is no small feat.
For writers to conclude the season’s primary arcs with the kind of astute progress we get is a feat in storytelling that delivers artistic choices that feel earned. There’s nothing in the second that’s questionable—even when it’s heartbreaking, and we wish it weren’t the case—but the narrative decisions feel essential to propel both the characters and the plot forward as the show continues exploring the complicated dynamics that make the low stakes drama so engaging.
The Gilded Age Season 2 Finds Intricate Balance Between Characters and Plot
Very rarely does a show do both the characters and the action justice by creating something that continues to run toward the end goals even while the players continue to grow and evolve. The narrative is shifting rapidly in every episode, but the characters don’t feel like they’re floating through, which is precisely what makes the season feel so nuanced. There’s something to break down in every single episode, yet it never feels overwhelming or convoluted; instead, we have storms that have been brewing for days and months, rushing forward to cause drenches during the right moment.
Whether it’s the van Rhijn family or the Russells, where each character begins and where they end up is the fulfillment of quietly daring storytelling that’s both bold and simple concurrently. The cards are finally flipping over for the characters on the sidelines while others continue to rise and rise to peaks that could potentially destroy them. There’s no shortage of uncertainties after The Gilded Age Season 2, and yet, somehow, that’s okay, too. It’s the chaos that feels addictive on the show, taking us through one affliction after another with small glimmers of hope to hold onto until the next crash and burn.
Where the Season Ends and How We Move Forward
The Gilded Age Season 2 is nothing short of exceptional regarding where it leads the characters. Agnes van Rhijn quickly goes from rich to poor to rich again, but this time, it’s through Ada’s money. Ada finds love, loses it, and then discovers that she inherited a fortune from her now-late husband. George Russell comes under fire and comprehends the importance of unions while simultaneously continuing to do everything for his wife, and Bertha continues to shove everyone else’s happiness aside for her position at the center.
Bertha Russell’s characterization and, in addition, Carrie Coon’s performances remain marvelously astounding. How many of us find ourselves rooting for this capitalist white family is genuinely beyond me, but goodness—she’s a mastermind. In every sense of the word, there’s a reason people like her find themselves winning at every turn, and if she were a Roy sibling, no other character would stand a chance at taking the crown. But does Bertha Russell take it one step too far in Season 2 while she secures her standing with the Duke by clearly sacrificing her daughter’s happiness? We know she is based on Alva Vanderbilt, who does the same thing, but how far are we headed toward becoming everything we know history to be and the series taking more unique steps? Only Season 3 can tell how this will change everything in the Russell household while it challenges the characters to maybe (hopefully?) learn. Yet, even if they don’t, the show still manages to make them thoroughly intriguing, and that alone is an accomplishment.
The Romance Is Once Again Done Right
If there’s one thing we’re always going to praise at Lady Geeks, it is how a series handles romantic arcs and where it stands on the scales with the greats. Is the show a romance? No, not in the slightest because with Fellowes’ history with Downton Abbey, there’s no happy ending we can guarantee until the very end, but the setup promises so much more than just love stories, and that’s where we’re choosing to stay for a little while longer.
The Gilded Age Season 2 moves Larry Russell and Marian Brook’s relationship so slowly that the kiss we get in “In Terms of Winning and Losing” is genuinely shocking. Based on how the series carries both characters through different relationships, albeit toxic for them in every way, it’s easy to assume that their romance wouldn’t even begin to sparkle until maybe sometime in Season 3. Yet the finale does something surprising as it allows Larry to take an instrumental step, showcasing that he is very much both the polar opposite of his father and a Russell still. George Russell might be a baron robber and a crook in more ways than one, but he is, indefinitely, a man who loves his wife to unspeakable heights. And in this regard, though he is an unmistakable businessman, Larry Russell is a gentleman through and through with far more to offer in areas other than wealth. He realizes she’s no longer engaged, understands that the detail scared him a bit, and makes the necessary to move to cement his spot as someone who cares deeply for her.
Related Content: Scene Breakdown: Larry and Marian’s First Kiss in The Gilded Age
We have a ways to go still with Marian and Larry, but it’s clear as day in the season finale that they’re it—the ship who could even outdo his parents when the time comes because the friendship they’re strengthening and building their relationship upon is one of the most transparent connections they both have.
The Rich Aren’t the Only Ones Sparkling
In a boldly accumulated season, The Gilded Age pulls another win, placing Jack Treacher in a uniquely wonderful position where his intellect shines gaily. Jack’s character journey is one of the most refreshing details in the latest season and another reason we need a renewal to see where the patent and the partnership with Larry takes him. There’s a rich, indescribably wholesome heart in this storyline alone that makes Season 2 more riveting and rewarding.
At the same time, while it feels like Peggy’s career as a journalist is seemingly coming to an end, it’s clear as day that we’re only in the early stages of her words getting to a place where more and more people read them. She makes the necessary decision to step down from the paper, but she doesn’t do it without the vision for something more. This is only the beginning of the places Peggy will go and the road she’ll carve for other Black women and men with stories to tell.
Of course, we can’t not talk about the new mistress of the van Rhijn/Brook/Forte house and how dynamics can shift now that Agnes is no longer the rich one. Ada Forte is now in command, and as a character with more grace in her finger than anything else, it’ll be riveting to see how dynamics shift within the household. People are used to Agnes giving orders (and rightfully looking out for those she cares for), but Ada always puts emotions above money, yet how that can flip will make Season 3 deliciously exciting in more ways than one.
In a nutshell, The Gilded Age Season 2 is an impressive spectacle in storytelling, brimming with thoroughly distinctive relationships, low yet impactful stakes, and spectacular performances from the whole cast. It’s a striking series in more ways than one, but especially for how it continues to add dazzling splendors to our small screens through production design, writing, directing, and everything in between. If Season 1 was good, then Season 2 is truly—utterly great.
The Gilded Age Season 2 is now streaming exclusively on Max.