The Gilded Age Season 3 Review: Weakest Season Yet is Still Entertaining Enough
The Gilded Age has always been a show that’s lived in the shadow of its far superior forbearer, Downton Abbey. That’s never been more evident than with this current season, which though completely watchable and mostly entertaining, is the weakest season of either series.
Both The Gilded Age and Downton Abbey were created by Julian Fellowes, an actual member of the British House of Lords, who’s official title is Lord Fellowes of West Stafford. Perhaps as an actual member of the British upper class, Fellowes just has a little more passion for British history as opposed to American, and I think that shows. Because while The Gilded Age is a well put together production with outstanding costumes and quality writing, it lacks that special something that made Downton Abbey great.
Part of this has to do with the very nature of the shows. Both feature large casts of characters, but the far majority of those important on Downton Abbey reside in the titular family estate. On that earlier show, the abbey is also the location where most of the action takes place. This all enforces the notion of how important and grand Downton Abbey is – it’s the title of the show and it is the show.
In The Gilded Age this is starkly contrasted as our story features characters from several different families and spends time in many locations throughout both New York City and Newport, and even time this season overseas at the home of the duke. The Gilded Age is less laser focused on a specific place and the people who live there; it’s more about showing how the upper-class lived in New York City during the time period.
Notice I said it’s about showing how the upper-class lived specifically. That’s because while we get a lot of the upstairs/downstairs dynamic on Downton Abbey, on The Gilded Age the staffs (of both the Russell and van Rhijn families) are more of an afterthought. We’re shown some of the goings on amongst staff members, but it’s always a weaker side storyline. The Gilded Age feels both more spread out and spread thin than Downton Abbey did.
*I want to get into more specifics about Season 3 of The Gilded Age now! Spoilers ahead!*
What Works in Season 3
Let’s take a look at the positives first. You can’t deny that The Gilded Age is a quality show. There’s so much TV out there these days and most of it is junk. The Gilded Age isn’t. The costumes are great, the locations are grand, and the acting is (overall) top-notch.
On the topic of the acting, Carrie Coon, as Bertha Russell, and Morgan Spector, as George Russell, are the highlights of the show. This husband-and-wife pair are as ruthless as they are entertaining.
Season 3 depicts how both work to further their power in different ways – George with his railroad expansion and Bertha with gaining more influence in society by doing things like matching her daughter with the duke. None of the scenes with either of these characters on screen ever feels boring.
Carrie Coon, specifically, is certainly one of the better TV actors of the modern day. She was great on The Leftovers, and on Fargo Season 3, and also a bright spot on the most recent season of The White Lotus. What’s more, all the roles she plays always feel incredibly different from one another, yet she pulls them all off.
A specific storyline of Season 3 that I enjoyed was the one involving Peggy Scott. Peggy served mainly as Agnes’ secretary/Marian’s friend early in the series but has become one of the more fleshed out characters on The Gilded Age.
Peggy’s relationship with Dr. Kirkland felt less shallow than many of the others we’re shown on the series. Dr. Kirkland’s mother also provided a fun villainous character on a series where much of the conflict seems to arise from misunderstandings.
What Doesn’t Work in Season 3
Speaking of misunderstandings, one major plot point that didn’t work for me was Marian calling off her engagement with Larry because he lied to her about where he was going the night he proposed to her. Marian is typically shown to be a level-headed character, but her reaction here feels like overkill. She doesn’t even talk with Larry to see what’s really going on.
Then, when Marian realizes her error, it’s Larry who won’t forgive her. Much of the conflict here just feels manufactured in that typical rom-com way. Also, I don’t necessarily mind the Marian-Larry coupling, but the entire beginning of their romantic relationship happens between seasons and isn’t shown to viewers, something I feel the series suffers for.
The entire clock storyline, which involves Jack, a footman, creating an improved alarm clock and selling it for $600,000 is pretty ridiculous, and is my least favorite part of Season 3. The idea that Jack is able to invent, patent, and sell the clock (fairly quickly) for a sum that’s equal to around $20 million in 2025 money is far from believable. It all works out way too easily and quickly for Jack – simply because the show’s writers want it to.
In fact, the show’s writers have a habit for bailing out characters by rewarding them with large sums of money. When the van Rhijn fortune is lost at the end of Season 2, it suddenly (and almost magically) turns out that the man Ada married for a few episodes (before he quickly died) was rich.
In Season 3, when George is having trouble finding money and it seems like his business might go under, Larry magically discovers that they overlooked millions of dollars in copper in the mines. The writers handing characters basically infinite money when the going gets tough, feels like a bail out that short-changes the audience out of potentially interesting storylines.
What Sort of Works/Is Just Alright and Some Overall Thoughts
I’m honestly lukewarm about much of Season 3. I think most of it sort of works but isn’t great. The entire storyline with the duke and whether or not Gladys will marry him is fine. The two van Rhijn sisters and their sort of power struggle over who’s head of the family now is also fine. Marian doesn’t have as much to do this season as she did in seasons prior. However, I’m alright not concentrating on her as much since even though she’s been through some bad relationships at this point in the series, as a character, her personal growth feels pretty stagnant, and she can be somewhat boring as a result.
I found the debate over whether or not to allow divorced women to go to the ball to be a potentially interesting plot point, but the characters who are divorced (or are going to be), Aurora Fane and Mrs. Astor’s daughter, Charlotte, are such secondary, non-important characters that it feels hard to care about them no matter what happens. It all fits with the notion of the show being too stretched thin by having too many characters occupying different places in society (compared to everyone under one big roof on Downton Abbey).
The Gilded Age has already been renewed for a fourth season, and despite not loving this season, I’ll still watch it when it comes out. Sure, it might not be as good as what came before it, but The Gilded Age still scratches the itch of a melodramatic, quality period piece.
Grade: 7/10