Gilded Age Recap Episodes Six and Seven

It seems the Gilded Age is hitting a “messy middle” or sophomore slump. While there were engaging tidbits in both episodes six and seven, I didn’t find them quite as engaging as earlier episodes.

In episode six, we see Bertha revert back to her one dimensional quest for entrance and respect in society. She has a minor victory as she pushes out bitter Mrs. Morris from the Red Cross board as she walks in on Mrs. Morris smack talking her in front of Clara Barton. However, Clara Barton knows the assignment is to secure the bag for the Red Cross, and Bertha has the money, and Mrs. Morris is just a crabby society widow without cash.

Bertha scores again when Aurora Fane let’s her know that Mr. McAllister was sufficiently impressed to want to have “luncheon” at Bertha’s fabulous house. Mr. McAllister has to be served in the English style, so Bertha reaches out to the Van Rhijn’s butler, Bannister and she pays some serious cash to do it, too. Bannister will make nearly $3,000 in today’s money to ensure the luncheon is pulled off English style! However, someone has alerted Agnes Van Rhijn, who promptly marches across the street and interrupts the luncheon. Aurora and Marian try to cover for Agnes’s bizarre interruption, but Agnes awkwardly stares at the luncheon party and then hisses “heads have rolled for less,” at Bannister, before angrily marching out.

Okay, here is why this episode fell flat for me. It seemed so out of character for Agnes, especially after all of her vows to never darken the Russells’ door, that she would march over there to confront Bannister. Everything about the “old society” elites rest so much on covert rituals and a “never complain, never explain” type of existence. Agnes would never have marched over and had a confrontation with her staff, especially in front of Bertha Russell.

In episode seven, we discover that Bannister’s punishment falls far short of the guillotine, he still has his job and Agnes is childishly not talking to him by forcing her long-suffering sister, Ada, to give Bannister instruction. Again, if there were any consistency to Agnes character and if it were true to how someone in her position would behave in this circumstance, Bannister would have been fired without a good reference, making him basically unemployable.

In other betrayals, Marian had a clandestine meet-up with Mr. Raikes at the home of the controversial (but fabulous art collector) Mrs. Chamberlain. The chemistry between Marian and Mr. Raikes is fairly non-existent. I’m not sure if Aunt Agnes is right and that Mr. Raikes is playing with her emotions, or if he genuinely is interested in her. I wonder if Mrs. Chamberlain senses the tepidness of this romance as she gives a stern speech about not giving up your position in society unless you’re really, really in love.

In another awkward scenario, Agnes asks Marian to ask Bertha to fire her lady’s maid, Turner, because grumpy Mrs. Armstrong saw Turner touch Oscar Van Rhijn’s sleeve on the street! In broad daylight! From which she and Agnes conclude a tawdry affair must be occurring. Marian accepts this assignment and at this meeting Bertha rudely does not invite Marian on the carriage excursion to see the electric lighting of the New York Times building. Again, this seemed very incongruous in a show about manners. Not only does Bertha not invite Marian, she makes it clear that Mr. Raikes will be invited. Talk about pouring salt in the wound.

Poor Marian has serious FOMO the night of the electric lighting, the slow moving close-up suggest that she has some intuition that Mr. Raikes head might be turned by his carriage companion, Miss Bingham, who, unlike Marian, has lots of money.

Meanwhile, Peggy is covering the electric lighting event with her editor, Mr. Fortune. In the ultimate understated romantic move, Mr. Fortune guides Peggy through the crowd by protectively touching the small of her back. He bought her snacks as well! I think a romance is brewing there.

Aside from some stilted “we are living through history” dialogue, I thought the scene of the electric lighting was very exciting. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to experience that.

A few closing notes - Even though Turner was fired, we haven’t seen the last of her or her schemes. I curious to see how things develop for Gladys’ debut and Larry’s longing to be an architect. I’m wondering if the fractures we see in the Russell’s marriage will develop into to a deeper chasm between them…