you can call me meg. she/her, 20s. not new to tumblr, not new to gilded age, but i needed a new outlet to post about the series as we head into season 3.
i’m sinking into a larry/marian hole - hence my blog name. that tiktok ad (shared here) was too cute! clocked their potential relationship when pumpkin ran across the street and i have not. looked. back. 👏🏼
i’ll be attempting to get back into gifmaking on here - it’s been a few years since i’ve made gifs on photoshop, so it practically feels like i’m starting from scratch! bear with me, please.
that’s all for now, folks. bring on season 3 - counting down the days until sunday!
Alright, strap in, folks. Compiled hints and spoilers for Gilded Age Season 4 under the cut.
Generally speaking, I'd bet money we start in late winter/early spring 1885. (Season 3 ended in September(ish) of 1884.) All three prior seasons have started at that time of year, and Sonja is on record saying that the season will take place in 1885 and a bit of 1886, so I'm guessing there's no 1884 in Season 4 at all.
Two bits that don't obvious fit elsewhere below. The Statue of Liberty ticker tape parade has been widely leaked. According to this flyer it happens in show-land in Oct 1885, so I'd guess it's near the end of the season? And there's some orientalism afoot. Doubtful that they'll engage with it much beyond aesthetics, but there are opium dens and the rampant abuse of Chinese immigrants during railroad construction to engage with should they choose to.
Now for the characters:
Bertha
We get one shot of Bertha entering 61st St and preparing to greet someone with seeming warmth. This looks like a traveling cloak to me, though lots of speculation that it reads like maternity wear. I'd say that it's her returning from England where she's been for Gladys's birth, but then who is she greeting so warmly?
Then we get a series of clips with this dress
Agnes says, "Please tell me who did you buy to get them over to your side?" and Bertha says "Life's meaning isn't where we came from, it's where we're going." Definitely in the same scene but not necessarily in that order, though if I had to guess I'd say it would be and it relates to Agnes's new VP position preserving the city's history.
Christine says she gets to go "head-to-head" with Bertha which implies this could be an actual plotline.
Possible casting notices related to that plot:
Mrs. Knapp Curtis, the trailblazing editor of the popular periodical The Ladies’ Home Journal -> maybe part of one of their campaigns to build/preserve whatever it is they're fighting about
Lee Klein, an artist who sells his first painting at an unforgettable Society event, and an apprentice to the famed artist William Merritt Chase -> "unforgettable society event" feels quite Bertha
Nurse Virginia Saville, a kind nurse who works at the Neighborhood Settlement House in the Lower East Side -> more doubtful, but perhaps related to whatever area will be torn down/preserved?
Same dress as before, but Bertha's looking back over her shoulder now with some real foreboding. George returning to 61st St? Who knows.
In terms of plot beats I'd bet: ep 1, in England with Gladys; ep 2-4, in NYC estranged from George, striving and fighting with Agnes; then some version of reconciliation/need a united front against enemies to round things out.
George
We've got two clips of George from the leaked upfronts BTS. In neither does he appear to be doing particularly well. "Things have changed, keep up!" could be being said to just about anyone. Worth noting that he's saying it from his home office, so he does pop up there at least at some point. Perhaps he's back at home, or maybe he just works from there sometimes. He also is drinking, and seems a little unkempt and tired also in bts stills, so odds are up on an addiction storyline.
Possible casting notices related to this:
Grover Cleveland, the 22nd President of the United States, who comes to New York to curry favor with the elite class.
Daniel Manning, a seasoned politician and Secretary of the Treasury under President Grover Cleveland.
(Casting calls for presidential entourage, featured dinner guests and presidential dinner guests)
John D. Rockefeller, the famed businessman and oil tycoon. A thin, self-made man of humble origins, now one of the richest and most powerful in the world. A devout Baptist and philanthropist, he does not always see eye to eye with his fellow robber barons
Dr. Reginald Harris, William Kirkland’s mentor, who visits New York to fundraise for the Freedman’s Hospital in Washington, DC, and makes a surprising connection
Ok, so (at least) two sets of plot lines hinted at here. Cleveland is in town and appears to come well before the ticker tape parade that's leaked to try to "curry favor". There's going to be some kind of dinner while he's in town and some political plot lines. It's worth noting that Cleveland famously screwed over men like George by, you know, actually applying a regulatory framework to the railroad industry which was a bit of a financial wild west at the time. No idea if they'll get into this, but could be fodder for Morgan's quote that "things aren't getting any better for George" in addition to the addiction possibility.
Second plot relates to Rockefeller. I've speculated that post-shooting George will want to make his life "meaningful" and rich people often do that by giving money/naming things after themselves/getting legacy. Rockefeller certainly did, so maybe he helps George see there's a better way to robber baron?
Biggest speculatory swing is that the "surprising connection" for Dr. Harris is George. If they really do an addiction storyline, maybe he helps George recover? If they don't, maybe the doctor's fundraising solution is George? Not a crazy leap given that he's Kirkland's mentor. Could easily be a "I know a handy robber baron who owes me one, want me to send him a note" kind of moment. (If George does get sober with help of a Kirkland-adjacent Black man, I will take my royalties in the form of bts Carrie Coon content pls, HBO? Jk...but also, please?)
Larry and Marian (and Jack)
First we get a pair of scenes with Marian in this blue dress. She and Larry are out dancing and then she looks shocked. No engagement ring on and she's not in a tiara so they're definitely not married/engaged yet.
But we do have Bridget seemingly overseeing them put out an awful lot of white flowers. Could be for Oscar's wedding celebration? Though I kind of think Oscar/Enid will tie the knot off-screen and already be married by the time the season starts. If so, maybe this is to celebrate a re-engagement?
Jack and Larry are still hanging out (possibly working together?) though Larry also has a new job as the producer of Pirates of Penzance. He also, at some point, runs through the ticker tape parade for the Statue of Liberty looking concerned.
Possibly cast related:
Nurse Virginia Saville, a kind nurse who works at the Neighborhood Settlement House in the Lower East Side -> lots of speculation that Marian will want to get into nursing post-saving George, so perhaps this is related to that
Porter, a young gentleman of Society with an Ivy League education and money to invest in exciting new ventures -> plausible that Jack's looking for investors (with or without Larry) and bumps into him
Fiona Summers: cousin to the prominent Astors, Fiona is a free-spirited young woman from a good family who is not afraid to explore the limits of convention -> feels like she's most likely to crop up with Larry and Marian?
Peggy and Kirkland
I don't have screenshots, but from the synopsis and leaks so far it seems they are not married yet at the start of the season. I'm guessing they justify the longer engagement because Mrs. Kirkland is continuing to be a pill about everything. There were casting calls for Black elite "event guests" in Troy which strongly seems like it would be for Peggy's wedding. (Troy is Black Newport, which will never not be funny in a very dark way to me.) So I'd guess, a couple of eps of lead-up wedding drama, then a fairytale wedding and then...? No obvious hints so far.
Gladys and Hector
Both are notably absent from any of the footage out so far. I'm guessing this is because the footage of them is all more heavily spoiler-y so they're avoiding including it.
This casting call seems very likely to be for Gladys's baby. (Newport is where they film Devon as well.) If so, perhaps the main scenes they've shot of either of them so far involve Gladys very pregnant (which would spoil how big of a time jump we have) or Gladys with a baby (ditto).
As for plot lines, no hints. If I had to guess, they'd turn up in the states again at some point (maybe towards the end of the season) but who knows. I assume we will never get closure on how George found out Gladys was pregnant (and happy) and why that failed to remove the stick up his ass, but perhaps miracles do happen.
Oscar (and Enid) + Agnes and Ada
Oscar has some fun new facial hair. Agnes is fighting with Bertha. Agnes and Ada are still fighting for dominance at home. Nothing major to report.
There are also a few shots of Bridget in out-of-work clothes, so presumably more of her going out and about (with Jack?) in our future.
As always, watch this space (or twitter) for more of me losing my mind. <3
can i speak my truth and say the likelihood of marian becoming a nurse is slim to none?
like, yes, she did her part for train daddy, but that was very much a high-pressure, fight or flight sort of situation. at the end of the day, she’s still a gently-bred young lady from a well-respected old money family, and is unlikely to face the reality of a guy literally bleeding out in front of her ever again. i don’t think it was meant to be an easter egg about her future, it was a way of showing how much she’s willing to do for the russells.
if she wanted to make a respectable contribution to nursing, she might attend a red cross meeting again, like in season 1, or, later on, follow in the footsteps of alice vanderbilt, who in 1903 donated a building to the newport hospital and created the first children’s ward.
i do think marian intends to make something of her life and make a difference, and she will come to learn that the combined resources of respectability and money can make a big impact, as shown with both agnes (the historical society) and bertha (the red cross and the met). she can certainly get her hands dirty but being in the room with those who move society along can do a lot.
What’s your take on everything that went down with Larrian?
“can you two just kiss already” is what it boils down to for me.
but, honestly - i keep coming back to marian’s conversation with ada before the wedding to luke, and after marian broke things off with dashiell in season 2. she needs to be absolutely sure of what she wants, and that’s always been difficult for her to understand and accept and let herself fall into. i understand her hesitancy and her panic, and how her feelings on that matter differ from larry’s, who does indeed come from a life of inherent privilege that’s afforded to him not only as a man, but as the son and heir to one of the richest men in the country.
i think there was so much going on in the final episodes of season 3 (especially episode 8, obviously) that they didn’t have a lot of time to hear each other out or have an honest-to-goodness serious sit-down conversation about their feelings and how they’ve changed over the course of being friends to having a romantic relationship. and i mean that not in the sense of “they’ve both had a change of heart” or whatever, but rather that your feelings and thoughts for someone you consider a friend are naturally very different from how you view someone who you want to be partners with. i think it’s difficult to navigate that in any era, but particularly in this era, especially given marian’s history and everything going on with the russells, where private conversations are harder to come by. marriage is truly a gamble in the sense that you really don’t know what your partner will be like once you’re alone with them, and imo that’s what scares marian most, and it’s why she crashed out.
i’m in agreement with harry richardson when he said they both need to kind of let their defenses fall and fall into each other instead of holding back. obviously, that’s easier said than done, given the limitations of the era and the strain that larry sees in his parents’ marriage, but it’s like george said: they need to weigh the pros of marriage against the cons, and see if they can build a reliable, steady partnership out of the relationship that they already have. they are learning to trust each other again, which is a good thing, and hopefully, they can come back stronger and willing to rely on each other when necessary. not materially or monetarily, because i’m not sure marian would be accepting of that, lol, but emotionally.
overall, i think they both got caught up in the throes of young love - not unlike that of gladys and billy (god rest his soul) - but they’re learning and growing and figuring out what they both need to bring to the table to make a marriage work. i think they’re up to the challenge.
i did see it more as a “right person wrong time” situation, just as marian told aunt ada in episode 2 - they’re waiting for things to calm down in his family before they make a move. unfortunately, things have not calmed down, and i don’t see them calming down in the future, which brings me to aunt agnes’s speech from the season 2 finale, about trying not to waste your life away. marian needs to take that in stride, and she and larry need to decide to weather the storm together.
I can't wait to hear how Marian will be introduced as Mrs. Lawrence Russell in s4, when she will attend one of Mrs. Fish's next dinners, when Bertha will be present as well.
i HOPE something like that happens!
there’s also the unintentional comedy of referring to both of them as “mrs. russell” while they’re in the same room (even though, logically, marian would probably be referred to as “mrs. russell the younger/the young mrs. russell” in the same way they refer to larry being the younger mr. russell to avoid mixing him up with george).
putting my absolute hatred of br//idgerton aside, i do love the moment with the mother and daughter-in-law, where they’re both referred to as “lady bridgerton” and they both respond with “yes?” because they don’t know which one is being spoken to! i could see a similar situation happening with bertha and marian come next season IF JULIAN ACTUALLY LETS THEM GET MARRIED…
Julian Fellowes saying Marian’s more at fault and Sonja Warfield implying the same... Like, damn, the actors had way better takes on that plot. It was so nuanced when Louisa & Harry discussed it…
