It's so hard to watch various actors on this show. I want to love it, but whenever she comes on, I think "there's Christine Baranski."
HBO's The Gilded Age by creator of Downton Abbey
- Thread starter melissatrv
- Start date
I never had time to look at everything. Glad there is a YouTube "open house".
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
now that I'm watching Downton Abbey I can see how some of you feel it's better. But I like this show too.
Wow. Episode 3 blew me away. No spoilers. But now I’m officially a fan! 
People that read this thread know that we are discussing the show. But if you are really worried, there is an option to addWow. Episode 3 blew me away. No spoilers. But now I’m officially a fan!
example
Directly from Vulture because I can't digest and regurgitate the plot like a professional. These things surprised/ saddened me:
https://www.vulture.com/article/the-gilded-age-season-one-episode-three-recap.html
The plot threads on this episode are
(1) George Russell fights with other rich people about money,
(2) Ada almost has a boyfriend,
(3) Oscar searches for a beard,
(4) Marian and Tom, etc., etc., and
(5) Peggy gets excited that people aren’t going to be racist and then they are racist. Oh! And
(6) Irish Maid and Younger Butler go on a date.
I wasn't expecting violent death so soon on a period drama, but I guess they are moving at HBO speed. This show is brutal and cruel and sick, and thrilling!
https://www.vulture.com/article/the-gilded-age-season-one-episode-three-recap.html
The plot threads on this episode are
(1) George Russell fights with other rich people about money,
(2) Ada almost has a boyfriend,
(3) Oscar searches for a beard,
(4) Marian and Tom, etc., etc., and
(5) Peggy gets excited that people aren’t going to be racist and then they are racist. Oh! And
(6) Irish Maid and Younger Butler go on a date.
I wasn't expecting violent death so soon on a period drama, but I guess they are moving at HBO speed. This show is brutal and cruel and sick, and thrilling!
I knew that Mr. Morris was headed down that dark route because of how his interactions were prior to it. I liked the other episode storylines. The show has definitely picked up quite a bit from the long and somewhat dull first episode!
Historical filming in Troy NY:
https://www.pbs.org/video/the-gilded-age-in-troy-ny-0nvntx/
https://www.pbs.org/video/the-gilded-age-in-troy-ny-0nvntx/
Last edited:
I believe some if the series is done at Newport. I have been there, and the 3 homes supposedly used are breathtaking. The Breakers is the biggest. It has hot and cold running salt water, but a musty smell so I don't believe it had heat in the winter. My favorite was Marble House. Stunning pink marble everywhere and the ballroom is gorgeous. This is the house Alva Vanderbilt built ( whom Mrs. Russell is based on ) She expected her daughter to marry English nobility ( she did and became the Duchess of Marlborough ) Alva decorated her daughter's bedroom in dark wallpaper and woods so she could get used to English decor. She also put and iron rod down her spine when she sat down, so she had excellent posture. Poor girl. It was a wonderful trip and well worth your time.
The Elms was the third house I visited and the most livable of the three, All the help slept on the third floor and it was so hot I could not imagine sleeping at summers peak.
We also went to Hammersmith Farm. A very livable summer home where Jack & Jackie Kennedy were married.Another musty home, both worth it just to walk down the same stairs Jackie did on her way to wed JFK.
The Elms was the third house I visited and the most livable of the three, All the help slept on the third floor and it was so hot I could not imagine sleeping at summers peak.
We also went to Hammersmith Farm. A very livable summer home where Jack & Jackie Kennedy were married.Another musty home, both worth it just to walk down the same stairs Jackie did on her way to wed JFK.
Per the credits at the very end of the show, they thank Newport and I think Troy, and somewhere else.
I'm really liking this show; the most boring part is the Marian and Mr. Raikes part. Now that I know Streep's daughter is supposed to be portraying a MUCH younger woman, I just see horrible miscasting. Plus she and her storyline is as dull as dishwater.
Cannot wait to see the repercussions from last week's episode, I'm sure the Russells will be skewered and won't care, money is all for this group.
How old is Marion supposed to be? The behavior and confidence of the character doesn’t seem to be that of a teenager, so I am confused that she is supposed to be much younger than the actress appears to be.
Episode 3 is about shorting a stock: betting money on the crash and burn of a particular holding, rather than the regular buy and hold, hoping for a company to do well. I didn't know you could short a stock BACK THEN.
This is why the Russells were particularly enraged. They are the newcomers trying to blend in and all the while the existing aristocracy wagers a scheme to bankrupt the duo. This is why George didn't forgive Morris or the others at the meeting.
But he did say to Bertha at the end of the episode that he would let this one go. But too bad Morris went and killed himself too soon because he couldn't meet margin call. "Face the Music": Morris faced the consequences of his own actions. But ironically everyone will hold the Russells accountable for Morris' death.
Oh, and I don't like the lawyer. I don't buy the blossoming romance. I think he's an opportunist.
This is why the Russells were particularly enraged. They are the newcomers trying to blend in and all the while the existing aristocracy wagers a scheme to bankrupt the duo. This is why George didn't forgive Morris or the others at the meeting.
But he did say to Bertha at the end of the episode that he would let this one go. But too bad Morris went and killed himself too soon because he couldn't meet margin call. "Face the Music": Morris faced the consequences of his own actions. But ironically everyone will hold the Russells accountable for Morris' death.
Oh, and I don't like the lawyer. I don't buy the blossoming romance. I think he's an opportunist.
Before I started the Guilded Age, I watched "The Men Who Built America" available on Amazon Prime and well worth a watch. Focuses on Cornelius Vanderbilt (the man who made the fortune), John D Rockerfeller, Andrew Carnegie, JP Morgan, and Henry Ford. The series shows the crazy things these men could do to move the stock market in one direction or the next. There were essentially no laws around the market or standards of business then. Rockerfeller's Standard Oil was what we would now call a monopoly now.
Last edited: