‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Episode 7 review: “Ex-Communicated”

The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 7 is the penultimate episode of this season, aka The Season This Became Serious Prestige Television. Gone are the days of drama derived from ruined soup or loyalty to different opera houses. We’ve got a death to mourn, we’ve got money on the line, we’ve got a mystery to solve!

Bad business and bad optics

George “Railroad Daddy” Russell’s (Morgan Spector) business is tanking, and he’s still hiding it from Bertha (Carrie Coon), who’s back from England. Bertha’s finally in the loop about her potential loss of fortune, but she’s already dealing with society scandal. Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane), once a society darling, publishes a book with thinly-veiled references to the scandals plaguing New York’s elite. Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), his former confidante, wants him barred from social events for life.

Bertha spent two seasons trying to get on Mrs. Astor’s good side despite being too “new money.” But bonding over vilifying McAllister? Mrs. Astor and Bertha are taking “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” to heart.

Oscar Van Rhijn can’t catch a break.

Last week’s carriage accident was no fakeout: Oscar’s lover John (Claybourne Elder) is dead. He’s, understandably, a complete wreck. Even a touching visit with John’s sister (Kate Baldwin) brings little peace. Cousin Marian (Louisa Jacobson) is the only member of the Van Rhijn family to suspect the truth of Oscar and John’s relationship beyond business.

Ever the progressive queen of East 61st Street, Marian promises Oscar she’ll be an ally and friend for life. It saves Oscar from coming out to his stern mother Agnes (Christine Baranski), but it can’t bring John back, all the same. Poor Oscar—left alone for most of this season only to get dealt the worst hand in the second half!

At least somebody’s having a good time.

Turns out marrying the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) might not have been the worst thing to ever happen to Gladys (Taissa Farmiga). Poor Gladys has been out of place at her new home in England, with her domineering sister-in-law Lady Sarah (Hattie Morahan) running the place. So much for the freedom Bertha insisted Gladys’ marriage would bring her. Lady Sarah chooses everything from Gladys’s clothes to dinner menus to when a meal is officially over! It’s been a lonely married life for Gladys, who finds a surprising ally in…her own husband.

The Duke’s been trying to find his voice, much like Gladys has. Having a common adversary in Lady Sarah, of all things, may lead to actual love in this marriage of convenience! It’s a cute development for Gladys and the Duke, who are perhaps the least complicated people on the show. Morahan’s Lady Sarah being put in her place adds some levity to this otherwise emotionally wrought episode. Can we keep her around, if only to be constantly one-upped by her brother and sister-in-law?

As Taylor Swift sang: miscommunications lead to fallout.

Gladys’ romantic happiness is a role reversal for the Russell siblings. Larry (Harry Richardson) returns from Arizona to find his engagement to Marian (Louisa Jacobson) over, and she won’t explain why. We learned last week that Marian is unhappy Larry visited a “house of ill repute” with friends, but she won’t give him the chance to explain. It all feels like overwrought drama just to give Larry and Marian something to do, but can’t they just be perpetually adorable and call it a day? They’re good-natured enough for it.

Even Peggy (Denee Benton) and Dr. Kirkland (Jordan Donica) can’t catch a break, either. They seem to be on the verge of a dramatic confession of love every episode, but being part of proper society, they’ve been relegated to expressing their fondness for each other tamely, like at picnics. Or, in Dr. Kirkland’s case, by getting in a fistfight with Peggy’s married ex-lover to defend her honor. Drama driven by Dr. Kirkland’s classist mother (Phylicia Rashad) at least feels like logical storytelling compared to Marian’s abrupt dismissal of Larry. Every time Dr. Kirkland gets the upper hand, his mother has to get in the way. Jabs about Peggy’s status as a lower-class woman than the established Kirklands haven’t been enough to get her out of Dr. Kirkland’s life. But when has that ever stopped the formidable, immovable Mrs. Kirkland?

Rushing towards the finale.

The Gilded Age’s greatest strength is perhaps its biggest drawback: by having a full cast of characters, some story lines get far more airtime than others. A charming mystery-solving subplot with several of the Russells’ servants (Jack Gilpin, Douglas Sills, Celia Keenan-Bolger) teases more fun than actually happens. For that matter, it barely had time to become truly dramatic. To quote another Julian Fellowes period drama, “I hate Greek drama, when everything happens offstage.” The trio suspects someone is leaking Russell family stories to the press, but their scheme, and its result, are barely given enough time to be considered hi-jinks. Let them have something to do! Give them the chance to be the Scooby Gang of 61^st Street!

Even the McAllister book plot is rushed; it serves as less of a dramatic point than an excuse for the Russells to host Mrs. Astor’s now-canceled annual ball. Surely a member of society publishing a scandalous book should hold far greater weight than getting a couple of scenes. Where’s the drama? We should be getting people on the verge of being stabbed with hatpins or smashing teacups in anger!

The series just scored a Season 4 renewal, so there’s more drama beyond next week’s season finale. Can it have enough time to breathe without wrapping up too neatly? Or at least enough time to give the Russell Servant Mystery-Solving Trio another case to crack? Here’s hoping.

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).