‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Episode 6 review: “If You Want to Cook an Omelette”

The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 6 takes us to New York, Newport, and the English countryside. Across classes, business deals, and personal blows (and the occasional triumph), there’s no sign of slowing down. HBO’s period drama gets better and better.

Oscar Van Rhijn and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

Oscar (Blake Ritson) has been sidelined for much of Season 3, but he takes center stage this week at last. He’s been slowly rebuilding his life after having his family fortune swindled away from him by con woman Maud (Nicole Brydon Bloom). Last week, Larry (Harry Richardson) spotted Maud working as a prostitute at the Haymarket, a scandalous club in the city. Having been tipped off by Larry, Oscar goes in search of Maud for answers about where his money went.

Ritson, a mainstay of British period dramas (BBC’s early-aughts Emma and Mansfield Park, anyone?), cements himself as a crown jewel of prestige television on this side of the Atlantic. Oscar’s sardonic wit and prior disinterest in work have often made him a comic foil to his mother (Christine Baranski), but only his former lover John (Claybourne Elder) has really gotten to see Oscar’s vulnerability. Oscar’s desperate, broken search for answers from Maud cements Ritson not only as the episode’s best performer, but one of the best in the series, bar none.

And as for Larry being the one to spot Maud in a “house of ill repute”? Larry’s away in Arizona on family business, and can’t clear up the misconceptions brewing in New York. His newly-minted fiancée Marian (Louisa Jacobson) concludes Larry was cheating on her. Larry’s loyalty—to Marian, to his family, to literally anyone on his good side—is one of his best qualities. Can Marian look past that and wait for an explanation? The miscommunication trope is a longstanding one in romance plots. Of course, it’s exacerbated here given that all communications happen through letters or telegrams. It could take days to clear it up, but Marian’s not sure she can wait for answers.

There’s a new head of the house now.

Oscar may have stolen the show this episode, but he’s rivaled by his neighbor Bertha (Carrie Coon), who’s across the Atlantic. After successfully marrying off her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) to Hector (Ben Lamb), Duke of Buckingham, Bertha’s in England seeing how the marriage is going. Gladys’ new status as a duchess makes her the most well-ranked woman in New York society. But with New York an ocean away, someone else rules the house.

The duke’s sister Lady Sarah (Hattie Morahan) doesn’t care that her docile brother is married. She continually demands Gladys get used to the customs of English aristocrats. Even so, Sarah runs the house despite now being outranked by Gladys. Bertha’s parenting has been unfeeling and opportunistic all season, but watching Gladys be Sarah’s doormat awakens something new in Bertha: actual good parenting. A pep talk with Bertha unlocks the classic Russell confidence Gladys needs to take her place as a duchess. It’s stellar character development. Bertha can finally be the good, attentive mother she believes she is—and Gladys finds her voice.

Can we get some good news for Peggy now, please?

Back in Newport, Peggy’s (Denee Benton) romance with Dr. Kirkland (Jordan Donica) comes to a head. The doctor is kind, gentlemanly, and admires Peggy’s independence and activism—his traditional mother (Phylicia Rashad) does not love this about Peggy. Their romance has been a highlight this season, as Peggy gains more professional experience as a writer and activist and finds love with someone who deserves her. (We are not talking about you, Mr. Fortune!) It almost seems like they’re ready to take the next step. But Peggy and Mrs. Kirkland’s inability to find common ground can only last so long. “When you marry, you take on the whole family,” Peggy’s mother (Audra McDonald) warns. “Are you ready for that?”

The class distinction between the Kirklands, who are fixtures of the Black elite in Newport—versus the working-class Scotts, including Peggy’s emancipated father and first-generation business owner, has been a highlight of The Gilded Age’s transition from soapy drama to serious historical series. The Gilded Age’s commitment to examining history from multiple perspectives is refreshing and necessary.

Must-see TV.

Only two episodes remain this season, though The Gilded Age scored a season-four renewal this week. With seasons-long story lines closing, new ones emerge. How much more drama can East 61^st Street endure in two episodes? Like any good Julian Fellowes series, drama can be created at the drop of a hat—or at the speed of a carriage barreling down the street. There can only be far more drama ahead.

The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5 is available now on HBO. 

Images courtesy of HBO

Claire Di Maio

Claire was once asked in elementary school why her go-to question was always, “Watch anything good lately?” It’s still her go-to question, because she loves hearing what other people are passionate about. She often sacrifices sleep in the hopes that she will one day clear her to-watch and to-read lists (a futile effort so far).