Julian Fellowes’ high-society period drama, The Gilded Age, has returned for a fourth season. The show, which has previously secured Emmy recognition, continues to center on the lives of the wealthy elite in late 19th-century America, despite persistent criticism regarding its writing and reliance on narrative tropes. According to when this many cliches assemble so quickly, it can only mean one thing: Brownstone Abbey – AKA Julian Fellowes’ Revenge, AKA What Did We Do to Deserve This?, AKA The Gilded Age if you insist on its official title – is back for a fourth and, no one has, Let alone promised, final season. So do hold on to your hats, all signs point to it being the equivalent of the opera house wars from season one.
The season opens with familiar dramatic flair. Gladys, the daughter of the nouveau riche George and Bertha Russell, is now married to Hector, the 5th Duke of Englandshire. Her labour complications provide an early plot point, characterized by the show’s signature heavy-handed dialogue, with characters exclaiming, “She’s bleeding!” and “I fear we should have sent for you sooner!” as a doctor rushes to their stately home. According to a doctor with a fully qualified moustache races up a carriageway towards an immaculate stately home. “I fear we should have sent for you sooner!”, The lady who greets him on the doorstep as the screams of a woman in drug-free labour rattle the windows in their frames. Oh, ya think? is not Dr Moustache’s reply. Daughter of the nouveau riche Russells of Fifth Avenue and now married to Hector (Ben Lamb – I’m sorry, actors, it’s Guardian policy to identify you), 5th Duke of Englandshire and living in England Hall in England after some plot last season. “She’s bleeding!” cries an astute maid, staring at a blood-soaked bed. “What’s wrong?” cries someone crackingly stupid. “She’s, the labouring woman is Gladys (Taissa Farmiga). Been spooked by the storm!”, fealty to the dialogue promise rewarded by later nakedness with Marian.).
Meanwhile, the Van Rhijn family grapples with its own domestic shifts. Oscar, the son of Agnes, has married Enid, a wealthy widow and former lady’s maid to Bertha Russell. The marriage is established as a pragmatic arrangement of convenience, acknowledging Oscar’s homosexuality. Agnes, portrayed by Christine Baranski, remains focused on social standing, including plans to host President Grover Cleveland at Brownstone Abbey. Meanwhile, back in America, the costume budget is assembling in church for the wedding of Oscar (Blake Ritson – again, I’m sorry but I don’t make the rules), scion of the old-money Van Rhijn family, and Enid (Kelley Curran), wealthy widow of Mr Winterton and former lady’s maid to Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). Enid has mastered the constipated diction of the US aristocracy enough to fool Oscar’s mother, Agnes, into thinking that she is a suitable wife for Oscar. (Agnes is played by Christine Baranski, whom one imagines praying nightly before a shrine to Maggie Smith, the patron saint of actors’ retirement funds, begging for a sign that she has done the right thing.). And soon I shall entertain the president of the United States. He is a dedicated homosexual; theirs is a marriage of convenience and much the healthiest setup of the bunch.
Subplots continue to weave through the household, often with mixed results. Ada, now a wealthy widow following the death of her reverend husband, remains a central figure, while her niece Marian finds herself in a precarious situation with Larry Russell after a carriage accident results in an overnight hotel stay. Elsewhere, Peggy’s engagement to William faces friction from his mother, Phylicia Rashad’s character, as the show attempts to navigate turn-of-the-century social issues with what critics describe as limited subtlety. Daughter of Meryl Streep and honestly, family Thanksgivings must be so awkward whenever this is airing) is still yearning after the Russells’ (heterosexual) scion Larry (Harry Richardso, her niece Marian (Louisa Jacobson. Since her rich reverend died, but she remains in constant facial rictus, a smile-thing happening beneath a permanently wrinkled nose so she looks as though someone has stuffed a slowly rotting rat up her bustle, cynthia Nixon’s Ada is wealthier than Agnes now.
Financial and professional stakes remain high for other characters. George Russell, defined by his prominent beard, continues to face challenges involving his railroad investments and an ongoing investigation into an attempt on his life. Below stairs, the maid Bridget continues to navigate her role, while the inventor Jack pursues a new project involving an electric mixer, following his earlier success with alarm clocks. Such a beard!) is still in financial difficulties: “And if I deal with him, I have to pay most of the transportation costs of the oil?” “Without his business, your railroad cann, george Russell (Morgan Spector plus beard. Bridget, the Irish maid (Taylor Richardson), still hasn’t mastered her accent (“Halp me get the kek!”) and is still pining for Jack, the young inventor (Ben Ahlers).
The season persists in its established style, with Gladys facing a significant medical crisis and characters navigating various social entanglements. Despite its continued production and industry accolades, the series faces ongoing scrutiny for its repetitive structure and dialogue. For viewers, the fourth season offers more of the same high-society melodrama that has defined the show since its inception.
