‘THE GILDED AGE,’ SEASON TWO: A GORGEOUS DRAMA WITH WONDERFUL CHARACTERS
It’s long overdue (I know), but adding The Gilded Age season two to our period drama archives is a must. The season, which is eight episodes, picks up where its debut season leaves off, and gives us new drama (while still threading through the old) to love or loathe.
The Gilded Age, Season Two (2023) TV Review
Fighting her way into society is still the sole goal of Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). She is determined to break walls and find her place among the old money wealth that rules the East Coast. Her husband (Morgan Spector) has a fortune, which buys then anything nice, but his new money doesn’t really open the doors she wants so that her children will meet the best and make good matches. Her newest project is to get a box at the Academy of Music, though on this morning in 1883, she learns this is rejected. Similarly, her husband George is dealing with strike talk and unrest at his steel plant…
Across the street, their neighbors encounter new challenges of their own. Matriarch Agnes (Christine Baranski) expresses displeasure over the charming courtship her sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon) is welcoming while their young niece Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) steals away to help with something she finds worthwhile, even knowing her stern and traditionalist aunt disapproves. All of this she does while building a friendship with someone who perhaps could be something more…
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‘THE GILDED AGE,’ SEASON TWO: A GORGEOUS DRAMA WITH WONDERFUL CHARACTERS. Review of the #HBO drama with Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon and Carrie Coon. #TheGildedAge #PeriodDrama Share on X
Photo: HBO / Universal Pictures Television / Album
I’m 99.9% sure the only reason I picked up the Max (or rather HBO Max as is the name it’s officially returning to) streaming app was to see season one of the Julian Fellowes created The Gilded Age. Now, well over a year after that, I still have the service and am only just watching season two. This just barely ahead of its third season drop. While imperfect in some ways, this HBO original quite transfixes me.
As an aside, and perhaps unimportant, I have to note that the opening of this second season is pure delight. Seeing everyone open and pin on their best hats helps put us in the era right off! It also adds a touch of elegance. The characters stack up and are many. Some of which I forget about which doesn’t even bother me. Others are easy to love and I adore them, one of whom is Ada. This season, she gets a charming story. But then writers do her an extreme disservice by writing the end of her seasonal story in such a terrible way. I can respect how this same story shifts Agnes (in good ways) and what it provides, but sadly, I still don’t agree with the sadness. It feels like a “convenient” ploy to keep Ada as a primary.
The show has a great cast, and of course, stunning costumes. I also appreciate that this one seems to make its characters look like they are living in the 1800s with the styling and costumes. Everything looks stunning and while I do have qualms with the show (here and there), I do admire the show. It’s got interesting characters and compelling stories, and if you aren’t fond of gratuitous content, season two seems to back off that to an extent.
Photos: Alamy
Stream, at publication, The Gilded Age season two on HBO Max
Content: A couple, who causes scandal (for their age gap) are in bed together (presumably post sex); legs entwined (he’s nude but sheets cover him), and there is barely avoided full frontal female nudity in this same scene. A character likes the same sex and there are longing glances between two people (we assume they aren’t lovers now). Compared to most, this show is really not deserving of its TVMA rating.
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