The Gilded Age (TV Series) In Terms of Winning and Losing (2023) User Reviews

What a GREAT Season Finale!

[djmrtwister-58807 · 10/10 · 18 December 2023]

I don't usually write reviews, but I hold out hope that writers and showrunners might come across this. I've noticed the show doesn't have as many viewers as it deserves. Why? Why do people overlook such a fantastic production? I'm in awe every week! The costumes, hairdressing, production design-all of it is A+.

I love the characters and their dialogues, as well as the setting and the life choices they navigate. But what I love the most is that the show doesn't fizzle out after the pilot; instead, it keeps getting better with each episode.

This episode should be part of a master class on how to conclude a season. All the story arcs are wrapped up, but they also leave room for us to be hungry for more!

Thank you! I'm sorry, English isn't my first language, but I'd rather be humbled than ungrateful.

Looking forward to news about Season 3.

She made him an offer he couldn't refuse...

[mdb-06530 · 9/10 · 18 December 2023]

I would have given this a 9.5 if I could, after all nothing is perfect and I was worried during this season. I didn't think the opera war was very compelling and a bit too high brow even for this show about being high brow. I mean, who really cares? I was more interested in the Russell railroad business and the social lives/interactions of the characters. Having said that, the opera war came to a wonderful conclusion and Bertha is more cunning then Al Pacino in The Godfather. Lets also remember what Agnes said back in season one about Gladys coming out to society. Something like "don't they just give their daughter's to the highest bidder" so in a sense Agnes hit the nail on the head.

Speaking of Agnes, she gets to keep her house and her life but being that Ada is now the new "mum" of the house. Can she get used to it?

I was a little disappointed that Marion was going to let Dashell down, but we knew she had to. We all know they are building to a Marion/Larry relationship. I mean Dashell is a nice guy but the show does a great job of giving Marion a good reason for breaking it off. So much to discuss, so much to like, but good going on the second season, which can be tricky. I had my issues with some of it but it came together nicely in the end. Looking forward to season three in late 2024? Geez.

The best final episode of any period drama series I have ever seen!

[Ruth_D6 · 10/10 · 20 December 2023]

From the first ten seconds to the final five, I was on the edge of my seat. If I could have jumped into the screen I would have. THE COSTUMES THE COSTUMES THE COSTUMES!!!!!!!! The witty entendres, repartee and meaningful exchanges are gold dust. The music lifts you and soothes you at just the right moments. The colours, the sets, the character developments and the way the entire episode builds to a crescendo is, I am sure, evocative of the opera storyline on which the episode is based. Brava indeed to the entire cast and crew. I am breathless awaiting Season 3. In the meantime I return to Season 1 Episode 1 to drink in the entire show yet again!!

Wrapped Up with a Bow

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 20 December 2023]

A nice Christmas present. The second season ends with just about every story line finished (and yet there is all kinds of possibility for growth from this foundation). We have no idea if the story will continue because there is a lot of animus out there and many explosive characters in the wings. The Astor/Russell thing, for one. The union issues. The conflict in the nearly bankrupt family, saved at the last minute. This was a nicely done effort. I'm no fashion guy, but I am in awe of the work that the costume department must do. The settings, the opulence, the entitlement, on and on. It is a feast for the eyes and the soul, even though we can hardly stand these people. We started watching this last year because of Julien Fellows and while there are some weak moments, it was well worth the trip.

Julian Fellows & Gareth Neame's Finest Hour

[rowdev · 10/10 · 29 December 2023]

At first I was apprehensive to watch the finale of The Gilded Age, Season 2 Episode 8, but after soaking in just shy of 60 minutes of enthralling character arcs, further story development and some cliffhangers I am sure there are some who were celebrating, others who were somewhat disappointed and many who would prefer the season to be longer.

I will not give away spoilers or for that matter deny those looking for great entertainment a chance to enjoy what can only be said is the best period drama produced for American & Global Television since Downton Abbey.

Ironically both are created by a man who requires no introduction and for many is loved and adored for his immensely immersive and captivating writing.

Lord Julian Fellowes (his correct title) is truly the Lord of period dramas and someone who cannot be matched at this point. Yes I am aware that there are great period dramas out there (Outlander, Sanditon, Bridgeton, The Crown, etc) but it is Julian and his partner in crime, Gareth Neame's, passion to historical detail, set design and costumes that truly make the story even more immersive.

Emmy & Golden Globe worthy in many respects.

Turning our attention back to the episode, one can say that it seems Julian is writing with sense of fear in his mind that he will fall foul of the American's love of cancelling popular shows purely on financial and viewership numbers alone. The Gilded Age is very much like Downton Abbey in the beginning of its development. Viewership numbers for Downton were low in the beginning and blossomed into its cult status by season 4 after it won countless awards and garnered attention globally as an escapist show of soft/heavy drama with a somewhat wide array of storylines to follow.

With this episode of The Gilded Age, everything is tied up in a tidy bow with some storylines ending, others taking a giant leap forward and subplot storylines developing into part of the mainstream. It is writing of the highest calibre and one that must be acknowledged and celebrated.

Thank you Julian and Gareth for writing and focusing on all the struggles faced by all classes, races and genders in that time, it was a great privilege to watch such historical depictions being done in a tasteful and acceptable manner whilst still being inclusive and correct historically.

This is a much watch but only for those who truly appreciate this type of drama and storytelling.

10/10 to the cast, crew, writers, producers and the entire team who makes this show possible. I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and look forward to many more.

A fan from South Africa! 🇿🇦

This review will also be posted on the main page of The Gilded Age.

Finale Season 2 is the strongest episode

[KRhea33 · 8/10 · 20 December 2023]

I agree with other reviewers that this season 2 episode is the strongest one. To me it's a culmination of exhausting dialogue about the Met versus the Academy. Finally, that's put to rest and it was visually beautiful.

Finally, Marion has someone actually interesting and talented... she's had little luck in the love department. First, her husband dies, the next suitor a jerk, then a nice boring fella, and finally!

Miss Scott is quite remarkable and I love her storyline. Keep giving her more time!

The shift from Agnes to Ada is also brilliant and while I was ready to give up on this show... I might instead stick around for another season. The first season I gave this show a solid 6, then continued on that track in season 2... but this finale gives me hope for this show. The set designs, the costumes, it's visually stunning... no question. Just looking for more compelling stories in the future.

Cliffhanger!

[Love_Life_Laughter · 9/10 · 11 January 2024]

It is interesting to see one of the leading British media moguls take on the history of the American upper crust. Pardon me for perhaps too hard on my own countrymen, but my impression is that they were not half so kindly (or THIN!! - especially those American steak guzzling men!) as portrayed. Sit next to any Harvard business school graduate on a plane in first class and the impression is a non-penetrable wall of self-satisfied, self-congratulary belief in personal superiority that evinces zero concern for anyone not of their class. Remember this is the generation of consultants that gleefully moved the salary inequality needle from the top 5% owning 98% of the wealth from 25 years ago to the top 1% of today with that percent. Perhaps that one episode regarding whites visiting a black restaurant, brazenly looking for trouble amongst the peaceful diners, was the closest this series came to revealing the mean underbelly of America.

My suspicion is that Mr.. Fellowes is just too nice a guy. The depiction of the real differences in wealth and lifestlye in this period of the US doesnt make for good TV storytelling, like not seeing too many depictions of the separation of infants from their mothers at the US border, perhaps never to be reuited. Puts a kind of damper on the whole mood in the room.

Having said that, what a great show and such a treat! Meticulous detail, and fully drawn characters, and compelling new storylines and background stories. Cant wait for the next season! I am reminded of another media leader, Seth MacFarlane, who similarly writes with such realism, wisdom, entertainment value, and faith in the better character aspects of humanity. What a collaboration that would be! At any rate, thank you Mr. Fellowes, for the wonderful entertainment, and the implied compliments on the American character!

An Exciting Blend of Drama & Truth - Season 2 Review

[JoshuaMercott · 9/10 · 19 April 2024]

New York high-society saw more than its fair share of politics and drama, as evidenced in "The Gilded Age". The series continued to impress with its extraordinary attention to detail and lush characterisation.

Season 2 picked up with all the main players resuming where things left off, particularly Bertha Russell scheming her way through and up the social ladder. Carrie Coon was amazing in the role. She already proved as much in the first season and didn't disappoint in this one.

New courtships, old rivalries, and industrial deceptions set the tone this season. Unions were in good focus. Those portions of the show truly conveyed the extent - which is still ongoing, in several regards - some companies would go to ensure their labourers didn't get equitable pay and decent working conditions.

I liked how adeptly they covered - nay, reminded us of - the racism angles at play. It was mindfully done. The show also focused a good bit on some non-aristocratic characters, highlighting their hopes and dreams in ways that were worth supporting. Case in point, Jack Trotter's (played by Ben Ahlers) alarm-clock invention.

They also covered some important ahead-of-its-time feminism through characters like Peggy Scott (an African-American journalist) and Emily Warren Roebling (the 'silent' engineer behind NY's Brooklyn Bridge).

Emily's extraordinary contribution to the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge is based on actual events and the historical woman herself. They didn't go into too much detail, but conveyed the essential points we already know about her work in finishing the iconic structure.

They also focused on how easily 'old money' can be stolen - the whole Oscar-Maud debacle was exceptionally thrilling. I especially liked the twist where Agnes Van Rhijn (played by Christine Baranski) lost her wealth thanks to her son Oscar's (played by Blake Ritson) investment blunder, and how her sister Ada Brook (played by Cynthia Nixon) came into money of her own.

The roots of The Metropolitan were duly dramatized too, including its in-parallel competition with the Academy of Music. Both Bertha Russell (played by Carrie Coon) and Mrs. Lena Astor (played by Donna Murphy) put on quite the show.

From rivalries to romances, ambitions to accusations, season 2 contained a little bit of everything fans of this series have come to appreciate. If "The Gilded Age" wasn't American TV's answer to "Downton Abbey" before, it most definitely made a case for that in the second season.

I await the third innings of "The Gilded Age" with much enthusiasm and not a small amount of expectation.