r/thegildedage

Does anyone else think Mrs. Winterton represents Gladys Deacon (or will represent Deacon in the coming sessons?) If Gladys Russell is supposed to be consuelo vanderbilt, I think maybe 👀

Is anyone else so incredibly excited to see the story that develops for Jack and Bridget in season 4? I think they're so sweet and wholesome. I'm excited for all of season 4, but especially Jack and Bridget's love story.

There is of course Risley Sage and Richard Clay who would want to get rid of competitors. Clay worked for George Russell for a long time, so he probably felt lots of anger when he got fired, meaning he has a personal motive. The Merricks also might have felt they were losing control over their Chicago railroads, so viewed killing George as a way to regain power.

The next most likely suspect is Anne Morris. She seems to be the vengeful type on top of her pre-existing biases. She has nothing to lose after fading into obscurity for having no more house money. The shooter may be Will Morris or just a random man she hired.

There is also Miss Ainsley. She probably felt the same sense of resentment for getting fired after working for George so much as Clay felt. Also, lower-class jobs in Manhattan at the time were both very damaging to the body and the mind, so being rejected from comfortable jobs because George keeps telling the companies about what Ainsley did is also a factor in her feelings. She may not have had enough money to hire an assassin, but the attacker could have been Ainsley's close friend or family member that would do it for free.

Archie Baldwin was likely also very resentful of George barring him from Gladys under threat of losing his job in finance, so he is a possible suspect. After accepting the deal to leave Gladys alone, George has agreed to make Archie very rich, so there is plenty of money to hire an assassin. I don't think Billy Carlton did it because he saw his inability to marry Gladys as his own failure.

It could be the union leader Henderson or one of Henderson's supporters who still had many demands, such as higher pay. He was probably tired of the cruel factory conditions that still continued even after the successful strike in S2E6. It could also have been a Morenci miner or railroad construction worker in the brutal conditions. It could have also been a random anarchist not related to George's businesses.

Some people online say that Bertha might have hired someone to shoot George so she can play the hero in his most physically vulnerable moment to fix the marriage. But I think this is unlikely, as Bertha loves George too much to do this.

Here is a crazy theory I thought of as one possibility, and I have not yet come across anyone else saying this: Lady Sarah Vere. Hector seemed to just want a good wife to be with and saving Sidmouth seemed secondary to him, in my opinion. Sarah's main motivation was very obviously to save Sidmouth. I know she got kicked out and is probably moving to London, but I don't think Hector can bring himself to fully not allow any money going to Sarah. If George dies, his children, including Gladys, inherit a massive amount, so even a small percentage of that going to Sarah would allow her to continue living lavishly. Sarah also seems to resent the Russells, as seen in how she treated Gladys and her comment about sending Gladys back. Sarah probably feels an inferiority complex about the fact that her ancient British lineage now has to be saved by cash from self-made Americans.

I keep thinking about how unbelievably strong-willed Marian is but also … how can she be so reckless? If her aunt Agnes ever has enough of Marian’s sharp tongue, this young woman will be in serious trouble. Yet she continues to act like nothing bad can ever touch her.

How is this even possible? She arrives at her aunts’ doors as a poor young relative who’d be out on the streets and most likely working them in real life if she didn’t have Agnes and Ada. There’s no one else in the world who cares about her. She has no money. She lives in their house, does what she wants, eats and sleeps well, gets a load of beautiful dresses (quite an expensive thing at the time) and an allowance. She is invited everywhere, courted and fetted, a nobody who is so incredibly lucky to have a rich AND well respected aunt.

Anyone with half a brain would understand all of this is because of her aunt only, but Marian just keeps on doing and saying whatever she feels like. Whether her aunts like it or not, whether the society considers it appropriate or not doesn’t seem to bother her at all. It’s not like she’s testing her aunt or anything. She is just oblivious to what could happen to her if Agnes ever snaps!

This is the Gilded Age in America we’re talking when any young woman without money or connections in a new city would be at the bottom in two seconds flat. I’m thinking The House of Mirth realities.

So, what’s up with Marian? Is she unbelievably strong or unbelievably stupid?

I’m rewatching the series for the umpteenth time. And I’m nearing the end of season three again. So many people blame Bertha for ALL the problems in their marriage. Her social climbing, her ruthlessness and her steamrolling everyone in her family. But our sexy railroad daddy has always given her free rein previously. He’s used her brains, ruthlessness and wiles to push his agendas as well. Now we’re pushing towards the end of the season when his choices in business have pushed them to the brink of extinction, he blames her when things aren’t going perfect with Gladys. She straightens it out but he chooses not to believe her. He flies off into a tirade when she’s telling him her concerns over the book Mr McAlistair has written but has he even hinted towards their careening towards bankruptcy? NO! Is she supposed to be clairvoyant now? NO! Granted in the end it takes her a bit to warm to having Marian as a potential daughter in law both he and Larry blame her for her cold feet. Though I thought Marian was an idiot not waiting for Larry to come back from Morenci to talk to him first. That’s a discussion for another post. Everyone blames Bertha for everything. But in this instance, I blame GEORGE!

Goodness, we need a musical episode

I’m SOOOO excited about this upcoming season!!! What are you all most excited for?
For me I’m looking most forward to:

1. A George and Bertha reconciliation and seeing them madly in love again.
2. Peggy and William’s wedding. Peggy deserves all the happiness in the world and I can’t wait to see her as a beautiful bride.
3. ANY and ALL of what Agnes has to say, do, or breathe or just her being in the room lol!! She’s my absolute favorite!!!

I genuinely liked their dynamic in the later episodes of S3 and I hope they‘ll stick together in S4. (I loved Gladys as a character and I hope they won‘t go with the full story of Consuelo Vanderbilt for her. She deserves some happiness.)

While I understand how terrible it was for Bertha to force her into this marriage (and Bertha definitely deserves the consequences of it), Bertha was ultimately right: Gladys and Hector are well suited for each other. But probably not in the way she originally thought. I believed both are content with being mid- Gladys doesn‘t seem to have much interest in being „at the top“ and good for her! I also don‘t think Hector had much experience before her, he seems really awkward and unexperienced when dealing with women other than his sister.

I also liked them both getting more comfortable with each other and I hope they‘ll form a genuine love along the way. (However, I have an odd feeling Gladys‘ pregnancy will end in miscarriage and they‘ll either use that to go the divorce/seperation route or it‘ll end with them moving closer together)

Anyone attending this year? I just got my ticket, first time seeing TGA panel, but I've seen other Paley Fest events.

https://www.universe.com/events/paleyfest-ny-2026-the-gilded-age-tickets-W9KJ6L?unii-trigger-open=W9KJ6L&unii-access-key=GENERALPUBLIC&_ga=2.115625798.1784373468.1786496686-1053502058.1786496686&_gl=1*1ftcn2r*_gcl_au*MjA1NTEzMjI0OS4xNzg2NDk2Njg2*_ga*MTA1MzUwMjA1OC4xNzg2NDk2Njg2*_ga_W11YJH193B*czE3ODY0OTY2ODUkbzEkZzEkdDE3ODY0OTcyMzYkajYwJGwwJGgw

Looking for recommendations for books similar to The Gilded Age or set at the same time.

As much as I adore Pumpkin (I have a Cavi of my own) that dog would not have been there.

The original Cavaliers of King Charles time were cross bred with pugs, and thus became what we know now as the King Charles Spaniel. Smaller, flat nose and flat skull. After that the original dog was almost non existent.

In 1926 Roswell Eldridge offered a reward to breeders to bring back as he put it "Blenheim Spaniels of the old type, as shown in pictures of Charles II of England's time, long face, no stop, flat skull, not inclined to be domed, with spot in centre of skull."

This wasn't achieved until two years later.

The little dog should have been a King Charles Spaniel