r/thegildedage

But don't ask how many times I HAVE REWATCHED IT. I don't keep count.

I’m almost floored everytime a character says they are in love with another character.

I’m on season 3 when >!Larry tells Marian he loves her!<. I thought he >!just got out of a fling with Susan Blane in which he said he loved her??!<

I’m not sure if it’s because we don’t see every interaction and I’m binging this show, but when a character says they love another character, doesn’t it always seem a little… premature?

>!I can accept Ada and Luke because they bonded over common interests and Gladys and Billy seem to be spending a lot of time together that we don’t see.!<

Other than that, the characters that we do see and know seem to profess their love entirely too quickly… is it just me? I feel like you need time for love to cultivate, especially if you just got out of a relationship but it seems like it’s not the case in the 1800s.

Cora Crawley, the Countess of Grantham, from Downton Abbey would have been a teenager at the same time the Gilded Age is taking place. And she would have been living in New York. I would SO LOVE to see a little cameo of a young Cora. It would be such a fun crossover.

I don’t see how she’d be entitled to any of Ms. Winterton’s/Turner’s money, but it seems unfair he lost most of his mother’s fortune only for him to be able to marry back into money and none of it trickle down to her.

I don’t think Bertha will let it happen! Once she finds out she’ll cook up something…probably not as simple as just telling Agnes… but I mean this is the woman who engineered the Metropolitan AND the Duchess of Buckingham, amongst other things (including her own social status)!! If anyone can bust it up it’s her. (if not Agnes herself)

Do you think Agnes will ever find love again? Ada got her great love affair now I want it to be Agnes turn. Of course he would have to be from old money for her to even consider…!

I love this show! And I'm also a history buff from Chicagoland, so have some biases. Nonetheless, here are some of my hopes:

1. Larry & Marian go to the Middle West & set up a company town on behalf of George's company. This would nicely link George's business ventures with Larry's architectural aspirations plus Marian's ideals.
   1. Company towns were a response to management wanting a better, more controlled, & more patronizing relationship toward their workforce. These company towns were usually built in remote areas by business owners to include churches, stores, town halls, social areas, parks, streets, & so forth, plus factories. Homes & streets were set up based on profession, so managers lived on one street, supervisors another, frontline workers another. Classic examples include Pullman Town, built in the early 1880s. These towns conveniently were fenced in to keep rowdy (AKA union) folks out.
2. Bridget encounters anti-Irish prejudices, which makes Armstrong rethink her prejudices toward Miss Scott & improves John & Bridget's friendship.
   1. Anti-Irish thought was common in America. Remember when Bridget said she heard "they" were taking all the jobs in New York? It would be interesting to see "NINA" (No Irish Need Apply) signs, or others see her hair color + freckles & reject her outright. John could then accompany Bridget out as a gentleman with a guest to stick it to the bigots.
3. If Larry & Marian go to the Midwest, they encounter the American Protective Association.
   1. Similar to #2, but the APA collapses IRL after the 1896 election, being shown to be a paper tiger.
4. To help with her stresses & with her grief, our queens Bertha & Peggy start consulting with the occult.
   1. This was a common pasttime amongst the wealthy of the time. The Lincolns were famous spiritualists who utilized their practices to speak with the dead. I could see Peggy consulting one to speak with her deceased son, while I could see Bertha doing similar to seek divine advice for reconciling with her family.
5. Our new administrator Gladys encounters the Great Fern Felony Wave in rural UK. Back then, ferns were the orchids of our time, but the fern craze had been going on for decades, so wild ferns were in short supply. Florists started hiring thugs to strip rural estates of any ferns they could find to resell them as massive markups.
   1. I suspect Gladys would be outraged to find fern poachers on her property *and* would be outraged to find out how much they were spending on fern arrangements at the dinner table.
6. To continue #5, the fern craze briefly reaches America after Gladys and other "dollar princesses" inform their American families about the craze, bringing it into style for awhile in New York.
   1. Suddenly, confused household servants start harvesting ferns in Newport. Bertha tells them to throw out floral arrangements for fern arrangements. We see Mr. Church take off his shoes to venture into the mud & pull ferns from Central Park.

I don't know why but in the past 4 months I've re-watched the entire show 4 times. And I had tried this last time to wait until closer to November 1st. But all together I've watched season 1 eleven times, season 2 ten and season 3 nine times. Each time I pay attention to the set and see something new.

Who is your favorite character and most hated?

Hello! I am very excitedly beginning this show tonight. Is there anything that you think I should know about, perhaps something you wish you knew before diving in? Thanks!