by Liz Kocan | Decider
The wedding of the century is finally here on The Gilded Age! But it’s hardly a happy occasion. Honestly, the only person who truly has something good going right now is Jack (Ben Ahlers), that guy just encountered a windfall of cash that will set him up for life (Honestly, $300,000 in 2025 money ain’t so bad, can you imagine what that would be like in 1880s money?).
In the days before Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) is to be married to the Duke of Buckingham, it seems she has taken to her room and refuses to come out. While pretty much everyone recognizes this as a cry for help, her mother Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), refuses to acknowledge that she has stripped her daughter of any autonomy or happiness, instead patting herself on the back for securing a “noble” (not “royal”) life for her child.
It seems like the only person who might truly be able to get under Bertha’s skin is the one person who reminds her of her own humble beginnings, her sister Monica (played by Merritt Wever, I’m not sure who I thought would show up for this cameo, but Wever was an subtle casting choice that left me wishing to see more of this tumultuous dynamic). Bertha certainly did not want her sister – from Albany – to come to the wedding, but she’s here at the invitation of Larry (Harry Richardson) who just loves his Aunt Monica. (Am I the only person who was confused at the announcement that Miss O’Brien had arrived? For a split second, I pictured O’Brien from Downton Abbey. Why not give people from your shows different names, Fellowes?) George and Larry are both happy to see Monica, but Bertha can’t hide her… I don’t know pick a negative emotion, she’s all of them. Sensing Bertha’s annoyance, Monica tells George, “I’m not convinced Bertha’s very pleased to see me,” to which George (Morgan Spector) hilariously tells her, “Nonsense! She’s delighted! Nobody loves family more than Bertha!” (George has a lot of dry, witty lines in this episode like later, on Gladys’s wedding day, when he announces, “Today I have to marry my daughter to a man she doesn’t like!”)
Larry also has a hand in securing Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) a spot in Gladys’s bridal party – this, too, is against Bertha’s wishes, but after George tells her, “Is it really that important? Bertha, don’t go to the stake for everything,” and so she acquiesces. It’s not like Marian wanted to be in the wedding, but this does help secure her an elevated role in Harry’s family life, ’cause he lurves her.
Merritt Wever isn’t the only guest star to appear this week, I would be remiss if I didn’t address the fact that living legend Andrea Martin appears in, I guess the only role I would ever want her to have on this show, as a medium named Madam Dashkova who’s trying to help Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon) communicate with her dead husband, Luke. Cynthia Nixon is giving big “Pee-wee Herman visiting the psychic to find his bike” energy in this scene as Madame Dashkova reveals, “I see a man… not young, not old!” and Ada clings to her every word. Their session is interrupted by Agnes (Christine Baranski), home earlier than expected and clearly not meant to see Ada hosting a psychic in their dining room. Agnes forces Madame Dashkova to leave, but as she exits she tells Ada, “We will meet again.” I hope so!
Read the rest of the recap HERE.
