The Gilded Age

[GreekGod]

Anyone watched the first episode ? The US Downton Abbey set in New York in 1882.

Everyone keeps calling it the "US Downton" I loved it. I think possibly even more than Downton.

I would if it really was like that then in New York ie Old Money - v - New Money and the snobbery that came with that

Watching now. Are we getting a hint of a future laudanum addiction for George Russell?

I’ve watched the last episode now. The ball I went to was considerably less elegant than that. There was a very sweaty disco for a start!

Great episode.
Real feel good episode….. until the end ……..

Yes, I clocked that too.

I agree it was a great episode of tying lots of strings together until the ending (although yay for Gladys, she seemed delighted for her news. I would have lived to see a smidgeon of her being delighted to now hold a position of social importance, greeting all the guests sling with her mother as the host of the ball too, though!)

I felt that the end of the ball was inconsistent with the very last scene.
At the end of the ball everything was coming together - George could see that his daughter was happily married and said he’d reassessed everything. That made sense in light of his near death. I know that in hindsight of the last scene, he meant in a negative way about Bertha, but that didn’t add up for me. The ball had been a real success with Larry looking like he was back with his fiancée, the success with the divorcees and Mrs Astor and Gladys being so happy.
And the very next sentence was him leaving her. Felt odd.
But apart from that it was a lovely last episode with Peggy’s mother calling out Dr Kurkland’s awful mother and them being reunited.
It was nice that Dr Kirkland got to save George. But I do find the attempts to have racial unity such as that incident and Oeggy in the van Rhin house just v unrealistic for the time and pandering to what the modern audience want. It’s like the writers can’t help themselves and the story tells us more about our values today than the past.
Still enjoyed it lots. And glad the Duke turned out okay - although it was a massive character change as he was a nasty snooty snob in the last series.

Yes, I'd have liked for Gladys to come more into her own. She's so young. Perhaps there's scope in future series.

And I did wonder where the cliffhanger would be, as they were neatly tying up loose end after loose end, so I guess it had to be the George and Bertha. Although I'd say Marian and Larry are not fully out of the water - there was some vagueness and room for more drama there next season.

What shamelessly feelgood joy, though. I actually teared up when Lina Astor showed up!

Did anyone get the vibe that George maybe being written out? If they go down the Vanderbilt route then the Russells may end up divorced.

It’s almost like they shot two endings - one which tied it all up with a wonderful feel good factor bang (just in case the series wasn’t renewed) and one which suddenly had George deciding he was still cross with Bertha after all - to keep us all on tenterhooks about whether their marriage will survive (which was tacked on the end when the next season was confirmed).

Yes, I think you’re right. The last scene did feel tagged on and didn’t quite fit with feel of rest.
i suppose it’s difficult for script writers. They have to complete a story arc due to the uncertainty of if they will be renewed, but need to leave scope for future story line and a cliffhanger if it’s continuing. Not easy to do both.

I’m looking forward to Oscar’s story line in the next season, what a clever story arc.

I really enjoyed the ending - not too twee, but enough feel good factor plus a cliffhanger.

Loved the finale! Enough happy stuff and some loose ends still for season 4. Carrie Coon is so great - in fact I absolutely love how many fabulous parts there are for women of all ages.

My only criticism is they should have been allowed to extend the episode. They used to for Downtown Abbey. The ball seemed rushed. The abrupt swerve to the morning after a jolt. I actually rewound to make sure.

I’m surprised at how many of you were surprised at George saying that he was still leaving. I definitely felt that vibe at the ball but maybe I was looking for it having read that the Vanderbilts split up. I’m glad that was the ending, it would have been too happy and neat otherwise.

I felt the whole last episode seemed rushed. An extra 30 minutes would have really improved it.

It often seems abruptly edited with sharp moves between scenes that jar rather. It’s not helped by the adverts I get with my package which interrupt scenes.

I do wonder if they added the last bit when they knew it was being renewed

We've just watched.

I thought it was a great finale, gave us some happy endings but left some great story arcs for series 4. Looking forward to it already!

I found the whole season rushed. There are so many great storylines, as there always are with Julian Fellowes who’s brilliant at creating a vast dramatis personae and pulling out separate but connected plots. But this show now needs as much time devoted to it as Downton Abbey received. I want to see more of everyone, and more depth with everyone!

I finished this last week. Great storylines that needed some fleshing out. I wanted to see more about the suffrage movement as well. Very compelling though.

Looking forward to Oscar’s lavender marriage and the Russell reconciliation/divorce story in S4. Would also like to see more of the clock inventor’s life as a “very new money” citizen of New York. Will he marry the loyal Bridget, or one of the higher-status, educated women who may now be interested?

I’d like Ada to find love again. Her relationship with Luke was so horribly short. And she was forbidden to marry a lad she loved when she was very young. But a marriage proposal for Agnes instead would provide some excellent comedy facial expressions for Christine Baranski!

Not terribly interested in Miss Brook and young Mr Russell. I’m not sensing much chemistry, whereas with Bertha and her husband it’s off the scale.