The Gilded Age Episode 3

The Gilded Age: Episode 1.03 Review

“This is called ‘the land of the free and the home of the brave’; it is called the ‘asylum of the oppressed,’ and some have been foolish enough to call it the ‘Cradle of Liberty.’ If it is the ‘Cradle of Liberty,’ they have rocked the child to death.”

– William Wells Brown

Quiet and simmering rage, tempered by expectation and often by necessity, perceived and real. Peggy sitting in a chair, her genuine excitement at becoming a published writer crushed by the oppressive weight of whiteness. That searing anger and grief is the most palpable The Gilded Age has been, the scene that more than any other lifts the series out of the annals of history and into the discomforting reality of now. That things have changed is undeniable. That things have not changed nearly to the degree they ought to have is also undeniable. 

Writers of Colour are viewed and policed through and by a white, heteronormative patriarchal American society in which whiteness is the default for every story, character, and journey. The coming of age story is centred on whiteness. The blossoming of romance in the rainy skies pouring above Central Park is centred on whiteness. The young woman reaching out to step her foot into a wide new world is centred on whiteness. Everyone, and everything else, is perceived as the anomaly.

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That’s what makes Peggy’s interview scene so heartbreaking. She has the merit to get the interview but as soon as her interviewer’s assistant sees her, he’s shocked that she’s a Black woman, which also goes to how much the concept of “merit” often serves to only benefit white people. The publisher even has the caucasity to ask “did you really write these stories?” and the episode doesn’t even have to make it explicit that a white writer would never be asked the same question. And the degrading nature of the final offer encapsulates the entire affair. Like so many writers before and after her, Peggy could be published but in exchange, she would have to erase her identity lest the white readership of The Christian Advocate be offended.

That the Statue of Liberty’s hand makes an appearance in this episode is no mistake. The symbolism of the torch has a story whose glimmer of hope is constantly overshadowed by the realities of how often that hope is nonexistent—and when it does exist, how often it gets snuffed out in a mere moment. Everyone has the chance to make something of their lives here, we are told. Everyone is equal here, we are told. Everyone is free here, we are told. But standing before that hollow hand is Peggy, who had to refuse an abhorrent offer to achieve her dream because she was expected to separate herself from her dreams in order to do so. The promise is golden and the reality is so ephemeral, hollow, and gutting.

The other striking piece of symbolism in the third and strongest episode of The Gilded Age yet is George Russell towering over a grovelling Patrick Morris with the map of New York firmly etched behind him. The corruption of the Gilded Age, which is making a spectacular comeback in modern American politics and governance, is enshrined here in one striking image.

That Patrick Morris has so far been portrayed as a snivelling bureaucrat who’s more than happy to engage in shady financial and legal dealings to make an extra buck here or there is of some consequence, but not a lot. While The Gilded Age has certainly presented George as a figure we should almost root for, this particular camera framing is important because it invites the audience to ask “should anyone have such power?” And the answer is an unequivocal “no.”

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That the aldermen tried to bankrupt George Russell and make additional fortunes in return was a neat plot development showcasing just how much the aristocratic old of New York are unable to face the realities of now. They could pull the levers of their position in government and simply wait for the windfall of gold to buoy their coffers and ensure their continued position in society. But now the levers have been pulled and it turns out that George Russell simply has so much wealth that those levers have been rendered defunct. The gambit fails spectacularly. The Russells have weathered a storm and as Bertha and George celebrate their new lease on life, Patrick faces the proverbial music and decides that it’s time to end his.

Best Quotes:

– “If everyone who claimed to be on The Mayflower was actually on it, it would have had to been bigger than a White Star Cruise Line.”
– “Perhaps I’ll take to it like a duck to water” had me cackling.

Best Outfit:

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– Marion remains a stunningly boring character, but her floral blouse at the beginning? Chic.
– Bertha’s smoky dark gray and golden floral gown – chef’s kiss.

Additional Notes:

– Mr. Raikes proposes to Marion in what is honestly the least interesting plot development yet.
– Carrie Coon’s little smirk after her conversation with Mrs. Morris? Exquisite.
– Welcome to the show, Clara Barton!
– Bertha and George’s partnership as a couple is amazing to behold.
– If Oscar isn’t careful, he might destroy his real relationship with his man for the sake of one that hasn’t even materialized as a reality yet.



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