Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Gilded Age season 2, episode 1!
Summary
- Marion discovers that her former love interest, Mr. Raikes, got married to someone else, but she finds support from her aunts and friend Peggy.
- Marion’s cousin Dashiell moves to New York City, potentially becoming a new love interest for her.
- Mr. Russell considers busting the union his laborers belong to, and tensions rise as soldiers aim firearms at striking laborers.
The Gilded Age, Julian Fellowes’ American answer to Downton Abbey, has returned for a second season overflowing with social subterfuge, emotional tumult, and some shocking story reveals. In the bombastic first episode of the season, Easter Sunday has brought the wealthiest members of New York City’s society into the streets for the holiday, with many revelations to be shared amidst the pageantry.Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), armed with her newfound fortune from her husband’s railroad empire, continues to maintain a strained friendship with Mary Astor, hoping to finally secure her place among the old guard of society by scooping up a box at the opera.
The eddy of economic activity of the era, which caught Marion Brook (Louisa Jacobson) in its flow and delivered her to the highest heights and lowest lows last season, is forced by a suitor’s fickle affections to cling to the patronage of her aunts Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) and the imperious Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski). Her friend Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) receives some closure for the death of her son and makes an important decision about her future, while Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) finally considers taking his responsibilities as the head of the household seriously in the intriguing premier of The Gilded Age season 2.
8 Mr. Raikes Gets Married
Marion discovers that the man she loved in The Gilded Age season 1, the charming and appropriately named Mr. Raikes, got married to Mrs. Bingham. While he’d been eager to marry Marion just a few months before, she soon realized that their engagement was simply a way for him to attend fashionable parties with the rest of society, and once he found a partner even more suited to his Machiavellian social climbing than Marion he broke it off. While she’s hurt, her intrepid spirit is not completely smothered, and she leans into the comfort of her aunts and her best friend Peggy for their support.
7 Cousin Dashiell Comes To New York City
While it’s not seen onscreen, Marion’s cousin Dashiell moves to New York City and sets the scene aflutter. Said to be widowed and handsome, it’s possible that he will be poised as the next love interest for Marion in season 2 given how ardently Agnes stresses that they are related by marriage, not blood. After everything Marion has gone through with Mr. Raikes, a new gentleman caller could be just what she needs, and next week’s episode will involve a tea luncheon that’s sure to set hearts racing.
6 Mr. Russell Seriously Considers Busting The Union
While meeting with other significant titans of industry, Mr. Russell seriously considers busting the union that his laborers belong to. Unions are seen as anathema to capitalism among his wealthy cadre, and each powerful business person is wondering how to deal with the effect they will have on their resources. When one cavalierly remarks that they should set one group of workers against the other until they kill each other and the ones left standing get the privilege of gainful employment, Mr. Russell seems to seriously consider this option, and a preview of next week’s episode shows soldiers loading firearms and aiming them at striking laborers.
5 Peggy Attends Her Son’s Funeral
It was revealed back in season 1 that Peggy had a child who was put up for adoption by her father, something for which she can’t bring herself to forgive him. When her little boy dies from scarlet fever along with his adoptive mother, she’s invited to attend the funeral, where his adoptive father treats her with empathy and respect, even going so far as to give her a beloved teddy bear of her son as well as a photograph. Realizing she cannot remain living in her parent’s house after the ordeal, she asks Marion if she can move back in with her despite the tensions she experienced thanks to Agnes van Rhijn’s attitude.
4 Oscar Van Rhijn Proposes To Gladys Russell
Keeping his secret life as a gay man under wraps has proven difficult for Oscar van Rhijn, and after a period of self-destructive behavior, he decides to finally take his position as head of the van Rhijn household seriously. His longtime lover has broken things off with him, and he decides to propose to Gladys Russell in an effort to mask his true self and appear acceptable by societal standards of the era. Gladys, who wants nothing more than to be rid of her mother’s dictatorial rules, seriously considers accepting his proposal to get out of her mother’s house and on with her own life as a grown woman.
3 Mrs. Russell Purchases A House In Newport
Intent on doing everything she can to be accepted by the old guard of New York City’s elite, Mrs. Russell purchases a grand house in Newport to rival the Astor’s. Her eldest son, a burgeoning architect, completes the renovations and it will be ready to receive guests in time for a lavish party. Due to the fact that she and Mr. Russell are “new money” and don’t have the birthright and pedigree of the other families, she constantly feels inferior to them and takes more drastic measures to be included in their cohort without scorn. She won’t be satisfied until she has beaten them at their own haughty game.
2 Famous Opera Diva Christina Nilsson Performs At Mrs. Russell’s Dinner
Mrs. Russell throws a strategic party for opera lovers, extending invitations to both those members of the old opera guild and those in favor of the Metropolitan Opera House, at this point a new and racial institution that threatens the old guard’s foundation of established excellence and taste in matters of culture. In a coup de grace, opera diva Christina Nilsson performs at the end of the night, completely shocking Mrs. Astor and making her appear behind the times for not supporting The Met. Mrs. Russell has won her first battle in a very long war.
1 Oscar Gets Beaten After A Secret Hookup
Even though he’s still entertaining the notion of becoming the responsible patriarch trope that his mother demands, Oscar still has a tendency to cavort at bars known to cater to gay men. After seeing his former lover strolling in the park with another man seemingly enjoying himself, Oscar gets drunk one night and gets propositioned by a man who takes him into the alley behind the bar and beats him. Knowing he cannot press charges without outing himself, this act becomes the final straw in his decision to marry a woman and start a conventional life in one of the more tragic moments in The Gilded Age season 2.
