The Gilded Age Season 2 Review: Takes Us Once Again Into The Intrigues Of Nineteenth-Century New York High Society
Cast: Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Blake Ritson and Simon Jones
Created By: Julian Fellowes
Streaming Platform: HBO
Filmyhype.com Ratings: 3.5/5 (three and a half stars) [yasr_overall_rating size=”large”]
The Gilded Age Season 2, the series by Julian Fellowes (Downton Abbey, Belgravia) available, returns to immerse us in the wealthy New York of the 19th century. Amid a period that is certainly not simple for our contemporary world, this series, sumptuous, costumed, all in all, light-hearted despite some insights into topics that are still relevant today, offers a pleasant escape in an era in which problems were discussed while playing at tennis in Newport. In recent years, period drama has attracted more and more fans, from the iconic Downton Abbey to Netflix’s recent Bridgerton. In January 2022, a new series of this beloved subgenre made its debut, broadcast by HBO: it is The Gilded Age, created by Julian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler and Salli Richardson Whitfield. The Gilded Age Season 2, with its 8 episodes, gives a linear continuation to the main events that affected the first season, reserving the public with new intrigues and power games between the wealthy social classes of New Work.
Still, behind a brilliant image, they hide ups and downs. As we will see in this review of The Gilded Age Season 2, the protagonists of this story are still them: the members of those prominent families who controlled New York high society, both its historic members and the newcomers, those who with the progress they have enriched themselves, and now they demand a place at the table “among those who count”. Even in this “American-style Downton Abbey” the protagonists are not only the nobles (in this case the rich bourgeoisie), but also their servants, who observe the gilded lives of their employers from the heart – mostly the enormous kitchens – of the large houses at Sixty-first Street and 5th Avenue.
The Gilded Age Season 2: The Story Plot
At the center of the story, we still find the Russel family, made up of the very rich father George (Morgan Spector), the splendid and ambitious Bertha (Carrie Coon), and his children Larry (Harry Richardson) and Gladys (Taissa Farmiga). The goal of the Russel, especially the unstoppable Bertha, is to shake off the labels of “nouveau riche” and “new arrivals” and be definitively accepted among the most prominent families of New York society. The necessary entrance fee now appears to be a balcony at the Academy theater, but Bertha and her parents continue to be refused entry. The woman, therefore, decides to change strategy, and to finance the construction of a new theatre, the Metropolitan, with which to challenge the rigidity of the historic (but perhaps outdated) Academy. A risky move, which will start a feud between the supporters of the Academy and those of the Met, between those who are faithful to tradition and those who are open to change.
In this second season, we once again find the van Rhijn sisters, Agnes (Christine Baranski) and Ada (Cynthia Nixon), and their beloved (but far too rebellious for Agnes’ tastes) niece Marian (Louisa Jacobson). Upsetting the family balance is a new suitor for Marian but also one for Ada, who finally seems to have a taste of that happiness that she has always denied. Another of the most important turning points of these new episodes, then, opens us to the reality of social ferment experienced by the United States in that period, showing us the birth of the first trade unions, led by men willing to do anything to obtain greater rights for workers. However, these are changes that also put George in difficulty who, although devoted to progress, does not want to give in and fears losing the power he has worked so hard to gain. After her father died in 1882, Marian Brook – together with her trusted and cultured African American maid Peggy Scott, who dreams of being a writer – left Pennsylvania and moved to New York.
The girl has gone to live with her aunts, Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook, exponents of the old aristocracy of the Big Apple and at war with the new neighbors, George and Bertha Russell, very rich magnates’ symbol of change and of the bourgeoisie that advances with the ‘industry. In a city that oscillates between these two worlds, Marian remained in the balance, and the first season ended with Bertha who managed to organize the ball capable of consecrating the Russell family among the New York elite. The second season of The Gilded Age, however, opens with bad news. On Easter morning 1883 Bertha Russell discovered that her offer for a stage at the Academy of Music had been rejected. Her battle against Mrs. Actor and the “old system” that still sees Russell as an upstart is therefore only just beginning. Her husband George, meanwhile, is fighting the growing union at his steel mill in Pittsburgh. Marian is still looking for her path and decides to start teaching secretly in a girls’ school, but a new courtship will put her back against the wall. Aunts Ada and Agnes, however, argue over an unexpected love affair.
The Gilded Age Season 2 and Analysis
The Gilded Age has always had a less “fictionalized” character (as can be that of Bridgerton) and more sustained, even if this time there is greater attention to the sentimental affairs of some characters – perhaps to lighten the burden of the first season – however without forgetting the social issues that always act as a fundamental pivot. Having reached the second season, the public has certainly grown fond of the protagonists of The Gilded Age and their personal stories which, in one way or another, manage to entertain them. On the other hand, the cast chosen for the series manages to immerse themselves perfectly in the roles, in particular, the performances of Carrie Coon and Christine Baranski stand out as the two “matrons” of the Russell and van Reijn families. It’s a shame that, despite the search for new intrigues and secrets, the story doesn’t always prove to be so incisive, and some plot points appear hasty or even inconclusive.
Except for some male characters such as Mr. George Russell or Mr. Oscar van Rhijn, even in The Gilded Age Season 2, it is the women who obtain a stronger and more precise characterization. Ultimately, it is them that we want to talk about, not only about their condition at the time but also above all about their ambitions, dreams, and the strength with which they try to turn them into reality. This is the case of Mrs. Bertha Russell (played by Carrie Coon), George’s wife willing to do anything to win the favor of the most powerful, Miss Marian Brook (played by Louisa Jacobson), niece of Ada and Agnes with a progressive soul, or Miss Bonnie Scott (played by Danée Benton), a black woman who dreams of becoming a famous writer.
The enormous quantity of characters makes this TV series a particularly rich and complex ensemble work, and it is incredible how much study has been done to outline their different backgrounds, but the risk of such a wide sphere of figures is that of neglecting some interpersonal dynamics on which, however, it would have been interesting to dwell more (like some members of the servants, whose point of view is indispensable for a truly choral vision). In particular, The Gilded Age Season 2 focuses heavily on the addition of new figures, probably in the hope that these can give life to new plots, but it would have been enough to try to make the narrative dynamics more compelling rather than putting too much meat on the stove. Like the previous season, The Gilded Age Season 2 also demonstrates its value more from an artistic point of view than a narrative one, focusing much more on the image than on the story to tell. Watching this HBO series means vividly immersing yourself in a world now distant, full of hems and lace, sumptuous gates and large doors, laid tables, and sumptuous parties: everything capable of hiding broken dreams and blind hopes.
The meticulous and amazing work regarding costumes, settings, and above all the props design is undeniable. From this point of view, it is one of the best-studied costume dramas, but just as the new nobility of New York cannot hide its secrets for long behind a facade image, so too The Gilded Age Season 2 cannot disguise its artistic majesty those small flaws mentioned above which make this work highly ambiguous, capable of entertaining and exciting but, at the same time, not fully capable of emerging as it should. The more weight the series gives to these social subplots, the more it seems to strive to unify them into a coherent narrative. For example, Peggy’s parenthesis in Tuskegee, Alabama, and her clash with real racism, much less violent in the city than in the province, is paralleled with the quarrels of rich ladies for the favors of an important guest on the occasion of a gala evening.
A very daring association, almost jarring due to the juxtaposition of a real problem of racial violence and the frivolous attempt to grab the most distinguished guest. The second season also offers an evolution of the main characters. George Russell, initially portrayed as a ruthless manipulator, is made more complex and susceptible to the demands of the workers, to which he eventually gives in, after coming into contact with their humanity. The series tries to balance the conflict between labor and capital, but sometimes it seems that the events are diluted, to avoid a real conflict between the parties which, in the general tone of the series, would be out of place. In theory, The Gilded Age was conceived as a reflection on social change, but at times it seems that the conflicts between the characters are more a matter of narcissism than small differences.
The series tries to emphasize social mobility but seems to struggle in balancing its various elements, ranging between light distraction and historical teaching. Etiquette and inequality seem to have the same weight in the economy of the story, but the series could benefit from greater attention to the social dynamics of the time and the systems that perpetuated wealth. Faced with a very high production value, which manifests itself mainly in the costumes and scenography, The Gilded Age Season 2 offers a fascinating immersion in 19th century America, but at times struggles to maintain a coherent narrative between the different social and the romantic subplots. Finally, the nostalgia for Downton Abbey, Fellowes’ most successful show, is overwhelmingly felt some narrative, directorial, and musical choices echo the glories of the English show, which however does not find an opponent of the same level in its American cousin.
The Gilded Age Season 2: The Last Words
The Gilded Age Season 2 takes us once again into the intrigues of nineteenth-century New York high society. Behind an incredibly artistic and “image” work lies a discreet television product: The Gilded Age Season 2, despite trying to do more than the previous season, ends up confirming that it is a series that pays more attention to form and a little ‘ less to the content. Visually stunning and engaging, a must-watch for lovers of period dramas. Finally, the nostalgia for Downton Abbey, Fellowes’ most successful show, is overwhelmingly felt some narrative, directorial, and musical choices echo the glories of the English show, which however does not find an opponent of the same level in its American cousin.
