The Gilded Age 3×1 Review: “Who Is in Charge Here?”

The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1, titled ‘Who Is in Charge Here?’, introduced several interesting storylines as our main cast began new chapters in their lives.

The Gilded Age is back! The stakes have never been lower! And you know what? That’s what makes this show so good to watch. We had three different conversations discussing the weather. AND I WAS INVESTED!

‘Who Is in Charge Here?’ opened with George arriving with his secretary somewhere in Arizona to buy the local land to expand his railroad. The issue was that the land had numerous coal mines. George had no use for the coal mines, but he needed to buy them off to own the land he required. His business dealings involved a nice little conversation with a bunch of coal mine owners. They knew who he was. And while they were okay with not becoming as rich as George, they still wanted to become rich off him. However, knowing George, I’m looking forward to seeing what the final deal will look like, considering he isn’t interested in the coal mines and isn’t a fan of giving others the power in a business deal.

But his in-person meetings will have to wait because he received a letter informing him about some shady banking dealings that could cost him a fortune. He had to return home ASAP. I highly doubt George will ever lose enough money to make his family homeless and lose a whole lot of standing in society. But it would be interesting to see how Bertha and the kids will react when faced with the possibility of George losing a substantial amount of funds.

Talking about Bertha, she continued her plans to marry Gladys off to the Duke. She invited the Duke to stay with them (he will be showing up soon) and even commissioned artist John Singer Sargent to paint Gladys’ portrait. And yes, the famous “Portrait of Madame X” was mentioned.

I understand Bertha wanting to marry Gladys off to someone as influential as the Duke. As she put it, their marriage would allow Gladys to change politics and fashion. Bertha’s all about pushing her family up the societal ladder. She’s come a long way compared to where the Russells were back in season one.

However, her determination to make Gladys and Duke happen was causing drama that will likely continue throughout the third season. Gladys didn’t want to marry the Duke because she was in love with Billy. I get that George promised he would support Gladys if she ever needed such support for someone she loved, but I don’t know how much of a say George will have in front of Bertha’s favor for the Duke. I can see the family drama becoming George, Gladys, and Larry vs Bertha. But, once the dust settles, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gladys does indeed marry the Duke. Whether it be due to breaking under constant pressure from Bertha or needing to protect her family from possible financial ruin remains to be seen.

Coming to Larry, I was surprised to learn that he and Marian were keeping their romance a secret. Apparently, Marian wanted to be sure about her third time falling in love. She also wasn’t ready to be scrutinized by society after only having broken off her engagement a couple of months ago. I have a feeling the writers are going to make Marian wait to go public with Larry because of something significant occurring down the line. And that particular development could involve Larry showing some of his father’s dark tendencies in business.

‘Who Is in Charge Here?’ had Larry continue to have discussions with Jack about marketing Jack’s clock in front of investors. However, Larry outright told Jack not to attend the upcoming investor meeting because Larry didn’t want to overwhelm those folks. I have a feeling Larry’s going to present the clock as his own idea. It wouldn’t be the first time someone’s idea got stolen by someone else with a lot more money and influence. I think Larry’s behaviour will drive a wedge between him and Marian. Larry might try to fix things to amend his relationship with Marian and Jack. But let’s see what happens. I wouldn’t be surprised if Marian thought Larry was a bit too late.

As for Ada and Agnes, the tension between the sisters was expected after Ada became responsible for paying the staff’s wages. Ada had understandably become a lot more vocal about how she wanted to run the household, and of course, her ways clashed with Agnes’s routine. The biggest issue was Ada wanting to use the house to host meetings for the charities and causes she believed in. Ada’s current focus was supporting the temperance movement.

I liked the conversation Ada had with Agnes about why she needed to support certain causes. Not only was it to honor her late husband’s memory, but it also gave Ada something to do instead of mourning in silence. Agnes felt for her younger sister’s emotional state, but it’s Agnes after all. She’s not going to sit down and allow Ada to do whatever she wants.

Queer character Oscar also appeared in the debut episode. He made it clear he wasn’t like Larry or some of the other business-oriented men out there. As Oscar put it, he was born to be rich. He needed money to make money. Marian did suggest he find and marry someone rich. So, yeah, I can see Oscar doing exactly that. His marriage might even help Agnes forgive him a bit after losing the family money.

Peggy gave me a scare after she fell seriously ill. However, then I remembered the promotional material talking about how Peggy will find a handsome man soon. So, yeah, she’s going to be okay. Her illness did allow the narrative to touch on how white doctors weren’t into treating Black patients back then, regardless of the Hippocratic Oath and Peggy’s connection to the van Rhijn family.

A surprising development involved Aurora Fane being asked for divorce by her husband Charles. I’m conflicted about Aurora’s storyline. I liked the two as a couple. They seemed quite happy, especially with how Charles seemed to treat Aurora, even though they didn’t have any children. But having said that, I’m also here for Aurora having an actual storyline instead of simply existing as a minor character.

I liked how Aurora stood up for herself and refused to divorce Charles. Why should she give him what he wanted while ruining her standing in society in the process? As demonstrated from Aurora’s conversation with Ada, Agnes, and Marian, even though it wasn’t Aurora’s fault, society didn’t care about logic where women were concerned (it still doesn’t, in a way). She would lose her entire standing due to being a divorced woman, while Charles’ standing would remain intact as he began his new life with another woman. I don’t see Charles backing down from forcing Aurora to divorce him. So, their situation is going to get messy. And I’m here for it.

What did you think of The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1, ‘Who Is in Charge Here?’

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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