The Gilded Age
Some Kind of Trick
Season 2
Episode 2
Editor’s Score
Picture: Barbara Nitke/HBO
Okay, I rewatched the primary episode of Downton Abbey to determine what Gilded Age is lacking, and the reply is LIFE. We’re caught in a stuffy, stultifying drama. Downton is lively, dynamic, and full of sunshine. Gilded Age is such as you’re beating the mud out of an outdated throw pillow.
That’s to not say there aren’t positives. Like, this week, we went on just a little journey! Everybody (largely) goes to Newport to be wealthy as an alternative of being wealthy in New York. Selection is the spice of life! This journey is all about romantic relationships and who’s into who, however the one couple with any actual chemistry is Bertha and George Russell, and we solely get to see them make out within the conservatory for like THREE SECONDS. Look, for those who’re going to have socially repressed characters in excessive society, we’re going to wish to see them bang towards a wall in some unspecified time in the future. The choice is intense and soulful staring in parlors, à la Mr. Darcy.
Gladys and Larry Russell are in Newport to please their mom and to assist Larry lean into his nepo child structure profession. Marian goes as a result of she’s being paired up with a Morgan, and he or she invitations Oscar as a result of he’s unhappy his empty marriage to Gladys didn’t work out after George nixed it. 4 for you, George, though I’m nonetheless involved Gladys goes to finish up a weeping Consuelo Vanderbilt on the altar. All these Newport guests are going to a tennis match after which to Ward McAllister’s massive get together.
Staying residence are Agnes and Ada, who’ve Robert Sean Leonard over for tea. The romantic pairings on this present are so apparent that I would like the characters to protest. Actually, Ada has spoken to this man as soon as earlier than, and now everybody’s like, so, you’re a lady, he’s a person, appears excellent. Was there nothing higher for Robert Sean Leonard and Cynthia Nixon to do on this episode?
Peggy is again on 61st Road! Her dynamic with Agnes is one of the best as a result of they each act like precise people and never like your drama trainer in a group theater manufacturing of Woman Windermere’s Fan. Agnes guarantees that Racist Armstrong must be much less racist this time. Given the nickname I simply now invented for her, it doesn’t look promising. Agnes does inform Armstrong that if she doesn’t deal with Peggy with politeness and respect, Agnes will get a brand new maid. When Armstrong argues, Agnes says, “I see you’ve gotten mistaken this for a dialogue.” NICE.
Armstrong is straight away racist and horrible to Peggy on a number of events. Damnit, Armstrong. Peggy is unnecessarily gracious in return and at last tells Armstrong that whereas Peggy doesn’t have any quarrel together with her (WHY?), “You don’t want one with me.” Appropriate! Armstrong, what the fuck are you doing? Are you one way or the other doubting you’ll get fired? There’s no ladymaids’s union, and if there have been, you wouldn’t have a case! I suppose we’re all ready for some inevitable second of reckoning between Armstrong and Peggy the place Armstrong tells Peggy some Defining Second from her previous about why she’s racist, versus her simply being shitty and selecting to not self-examine. Damnit, Armstrong.
The present remains to be attempting to make Marian and cousin (ew) Dashiell occur. I imply. Positive. He saves her from having to speak extra to that Morgan man, who could be very drunk. Meghan Trainor’s “NO” hadn’t come out yet, so Marian isn’t positive how one can cope with the scenario. They dance at McAllister’s enjoyable get together. Oscar meets a brand new woman named Maud Beaton, who has been dwelling in Paris. She has a paid companion, and I actually hope that’s code for homosexual. Then she and Oscar may be homosexual married, however not in the best way you’d usually suppose! Additionally, I might then quote, “Could Oscar and Angela be having a gay affair?”
I’ve gone this lengthy with out discussing the weirdly star-filled however musically barren Broadway forged. After we met Larry’s potential new employer in Newport, I YELPED, turned to my spouse, and stated, “WHO ELSE DO YOU THINK SHOWED UP?” She guessed Idina Menzel (incorrect, however truthful) after which appropriately stated Laura Benanti. One other Tony winner so as to add to the record! Laura Benanti, or “the Benans,” as most likely nobody else calls her, was actually the primary matter my spouse and I talked about on Tinder. Right here, she performs a love-starved widow able to intercourse up her new architect. And intercourse him up she does! Larry, to his credit score (?), could be very trustworthy about this together with his mom, and when Bertha questions why he’s doing it, he says he doesn’t wish to go to intercourse employees, and he can’t bang the never-married girls he is aware of. Okay, I get it, Larry, and if Laura Benanti was very clearly looking at me like she wished to bone me, I’d most likely get on board (on this situation, I, too, am a 20-something, single, nepo child architect). But in addition, there’s mainly no manner this ends nicely.
Bertha remains to be performing some behind-the-scenes wheeling-and-dealing concerning the new opera home. Ward McAllister needs her to fulfill the brand new younger spouse of an outdated wealthy man as a result of they could wish to purchase a field on the Metropolitan Opera. That is precisely why I’m giving the episode 4 stars. Bertha and George are at Ward’s get together, and so they meet the brand new couple during which the spouse is BERTHA’S FIRED LADYMAID. The woman who hit on George, and it appeared like he was possibly going to sleep together with her on the finish of final season. I hate this … but in addition, I’m very into it.
• Bertha Russell is likely to be allowed in now, however we’re positively not inviting the previous ladymaid, a minimum of not with out some sizable donations on her half.
• Larry Russell and that widow who’d most likely be good in The Sound of Music are positively banging.
• I wish to level out that on the tennis match, Laura Benanti is dressed like she’s attending the Ascot opening day from My Truthful Woman, and there’s no manner she didn’t additionally say this to somebody throughout filming.
• Talking of tennis match style, Gladys’s hat is insane. It seems just like the flower garland they current the winner of a horse race however with shredded carrots popping out the highest of it, or possibly some kelp forest or a sea sponge. I actually don’t know what she talked about whereas she was carrying it. It’s one of the best hat of all time. If somebody handed it to me, I might shriek with delight. I hope the hat designer stated “Sure, YES!” after they realized they might simply jam some orange wires into the highest. Trend!
• Why does nobody speak about barouches anymore when the phrase is so enjoyable to say? Can we blame the Russells?
