Warning: This article contains spoilers for The Gilded Age's second season finale, “In Concerning Winning and Losing.”
The Season 2 finale of “The Gilded Age” brought many of the show's central conflicts to a head, including whether the Academy or the Met would win the opera war, who the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) would choose, whether Armstrong (Debra Monk) would ever stop being a pill – and especially if Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) and Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) ever got together.
In the final scenes of the season, the moment finally arrived, and it wasn't just a chaste touch from a gloved hand, either. Larry stood at the front door of the Van Rhijn household, walking Marian home from an evening at the opera in the early morning light. She promised that she would stay in touch with Larry even if there was an upcoming move. Larry's reaction was to kiss her, which earned Marian a shy, pleased smile.
Louisa Jacobson and Harry Richardson on “The Gilded Age.”
Barbara Nitke/HBO
Executive producer and writer Sonja Warfield tells EW that the romantic moment came after she reached out directly to creator Julian Fellowes. “Julian had been planning to get them together for a long time,” she says. “Everything was very chaste back then. You didn't really kiss anyone, you shook hands or something like that. So I really wanted Marian and Larry to kiss, and I asked Julian if they could please kiss at the end of the season. “He told me fulfilled my wish.
Although Warfield warns that it won't just be a smooth ride through the tunnel of love if they secure a third season (HBO hasn't ordered another season of The Gilded Age yet). Although Marian will now have a newly empowered Ada (Cynthia Nixon) on her side, to whom Agnes (Christine Baranski) will undoubtedly object. “Relationships had their challenges in 1884, and they still do today,” she says. “Modern challenges are not much different from these challenges. Yes, we cheer them on. But everything will be complicated.”
EW got Warfield to talk more about the finale, including Peggy's (Denée Benton) decision to leave the newspaper, Ada's sudden new wealth and its implications, and the possibility of Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) selling her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga). ), to a duke, only to win a social war with Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy).
Cynthia Nixon on “The Gilded Age.”
Barbara Nitke/HBO
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: They all gave Ada some romance this year, only to promptly kill poor Luke (Robert Sean Leonard). So I have to ask, why are you so mean?
SONJA WARFIELD: Because this is drama. And back then, if people were in pain, it usually meant death. I wanted to disrupt the status quo with Ada. I just adore Cynthia Nixon and her performance fascinated me, so I wanted her to have the strength to feel love. Agnes is oppressive, and so I wanted her to have love and feel loved and understand how that helps her in the world. The core of the show is about the warring classes and Ada and Agnes represent that old money and therefore they must remain intact. That's why he couldn't stay.
Peggy decides to leave Fortune (Sullivan Jones) newspaper. What will this mean for their future? She's talking about a novel, but being a journalist seems to be a central part of her identity at the moment.
During this time, many women wrote serial stories for newspapers, so Peggy did some of that too. Her writing and work are characterized by versatility. Listen, Fortune is great, but he's a bad influence. He drinks a little; He is married. Peggy has a whole future ahead of her, wherever she wants to be. That's why I'm happy for them.
Will she still manage to stay away?
We will see. He's pretty sweet.
Denee Benton on “The Gilded Age.”
Barbara Nitke/HBO
Watson (Michael Cerveris) gets this happy ending by actually going and having a life with his daughter. Will we continue to follow him and how will this develop in the future? Or will we not actually contact him when he leaves the Russell household?
Now he will live as a gentleman. We've already seen Turner (Kelley Curran) transfer. In America back then, anything was possible.
Speaking of Turner, in the climax of the finale we learn that both Bertha and George have been doing her dirty behind the scenes, both with the opera box and when they learned that Bertha had written to Mrs. Astor to become the new Mrs. Winterton to be thrown out of the academy. If there is a third season, how could this come back to bite them?
Listen, she's going to be sneaky to take Bertha down. Turner or Mrs. Winterton will be in their orbit. There are crimes of opportunity that Turner will look for wherever she can catch Bertha. And remember, she was the maid and the maids know everything.
You have to assume she's already blaming the Russells for everything.
Oh, absolutely. She's a smart cookie. She knows what's going on.
Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector on “The Gilded Age.”
Barbara Nitke/HBO
Season 1 ended with this very short-lived triumph for Bertha as her party came to an end. But it wasn't enough. If there was a third season, would it be similar? She won this fight. Are there any more battles she can win?
The thing about power is that it is indelible. You get a taste of it and want more. Bertha's goal is to conquer American society.
There is a strong suspicion that Bertha won the Duke of Buckingham by betraying her own daughter. Is that a fair interpretation of this scenario?
I think you're a smart woman, and that's a smart interpretation. Unfortunately.
George also seems quite worried about what might happen to the Duke. And we saw him promise at the start of the season that he would support Gladys marrying someone she truly loves. So is he also suspicious? Is he still determined to stay true to that promise?
This is being tested and we'll have to see where George and Bertha end up. This season was great because it was probably the first time we saw them with their marriage in real danger that they hadn't experienced before. What I liked about it is that they still turned out to be a strong couple and we'll see if they can keep this up and how much their marriage can take. Parents often want different things for their children and that can be challenging.
We've seen the servants really branch out a lot more this season, whether it's going to the opera or that overarching storyline with the alarm clock. Is there perhaps a situation in which staff are leaving their jobs or their power dynamics are changing?
That's the difference between America and Britain. You're born into a position there, but in America it's supposedly the land of opportunity. Turner married; We need to see what happens to Jack and how he fits into this new world, or if he returns to his old world and what really happens to it. Companies go bankrupt, anything is possible.
So far we've seen that Larry is almost exclusively interested in architecture. So what would it look like for him to get into the alarm clock business?
Money. He is young and can explore many things because his father is a mogul.
Christine Baranski on “The Gilded Age”. Barbara Nitke/HBO
At the last moment, Ada warns Agnes that things could be a little different. Historically, Ada is quite good-natured. How do you imagine her being in charge? I feel like we're gearing up for the fight of the century between these two sisters.
Here's the thing: arguing with a sibling is so different than arguing with someone else. You can go in, go deep and go back. It's so charged and full of conflict. At the same time, you can be at each other's throats and then hug the next moment. What I love is that Ada didn't just get a lot of money. She really had the strength to be independent in this relationship with Luke. So the performance dynamics, it will be fun to watch what happens.
Does she hold any grudge against Agnes because she was so dominant as we saw?
Listen, Agnes is pushing people. Even if you forgive and don't hold a grudge, she could fuel your anger again.
This cast is known for its outstanding cast of Broadway talent. Who would you dream of joining the cast next season?
Sutton Foster. That would be great fun.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
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