<i>The Gilded Age</i> Season 3, Episode 4 Recap: Gladys Makes a Choice

Spoilers below.

Three years is all Bertha Russell needed to go from obscurity to being the mother of the bride at the society wedding of the decade. However, the victory almost doesn’t come to fruition as Gladys continues to resist the path to becoming a duchess. In the lead-up to the big day, the Russells deal with leaks to the press, obstinate family members, and a reluctant bride. Bertha is betting big, but it is unclear until the last minute whether Gladys will walk down the aisle.

Divorce also continues to be a focus for The Gilded Age’s third season, as Mrs. Astor deals with a scandal enveloping one of her daughters and Aurora now ensconced in Newport as part of her soon-to-be ex-husband’s plans to marry his mistress. The Scott family is still spending time in the seaside town, with Peggy getting to witness Elizabeth Kirkland’s prejudice first-hand. Elsewhere, Ada attempts to contact her husband from beyond the grave, and Larry and Jack receive an extremely enticing offer. However, Jack must now contemplate what his future looks like without the family he has made for himself at the Forte-Van Rhijn residence.

The Russell household has hosted many lavish events, but a wedding to a duke is a whole new ball game. Bertha is on top of everything, except getting her daughter to leave her bedroom. Bertha also contends with her son Larry, who is making a case for Marian to be a bridesmaid because she is the same size as Leonie Jerome (who is too sick to attend). Bertha doesn’t think Marian is prominent enough for this event. George asks his wife if she must “go to the stake for everything,” causing Bertha to back down in this one instance. Not that Larry will walk with Marian down the aisle anyway; the bridesmaids will walk behind Gladys, which is the British way.

Larry is on a roll in making requests as he wants to know if Bertha has invited her sister, Monica (Merritt Wever) to the nuptials. Bertha claims she doesn’t want her sister to feel overwhelmed by the city, but Larry knows she is trying to hide any link to her past. “Is the house too small?” Larry asks when Bertha acts like Monica will have nowhere to stay. George finds the whole conversation amusing as his son continues to poke and prod.

One other thing that Bertha cannot control is the constant leaks to the newspapers about Gladys’s bridal attire (down to the monograms on her undergarments), and the staff members are concerned that one of them is responsible. Adelheid pushes the theory that it must be someone in the dressmaker’s team, and her insistence makes me wonder if Adelheid is the one selling stories to the tabloids.

Despite Bertha’s unenthusiastic response to her sister attending the festivities, Larry has gone ahead and invited Monica, who is at least a welcome presence for George. “Nobody loves family more than Bertha,” George quips. But even Monica’s arrival is not enough to get Gladys to leave her room.

Quickly, we understand why Bertha wanted to keep her sister away. Monica has no grand designs or desire to embrace an extravagant lifestyle. On a regular day, Bertha changes at least three times (sometimes four if she is going to the opera or another event). Meanwhile, Monica travels light, only packing a single (rather unattractive) evening gown that she will wear to dinner with the duke and to the wedding. Bertha is horrified. Wever is perfect casting opposite Carrie Coon as their light sparring is pointed yet playful.

Monica is not the only sibling who has come to town for the nuptials. The duke’s sister, Lady Sarah (Hattie Morahan), has made the trip across the Atlantic, and the first impressions during the dinner with the Russells are less than glowing. George refers to Sarah as a “cold fish,” observing that she plays a pivotal controlling role in Hector’s day-to-day living. Sarah is single, which made me wonder if something a little Game of Thrones was happening at Sidmouth Castle, but this doesn’t feel like the kind of show to take that particular incest path.

After dinner (which Gladys does not attend), Bertha takes the opportunity to resolve the issue with the ugly dress as she gets Church (Jack Gilpin) to serve lukewarm coffee in a cup with a loose handle to Monica, causing it to spill down the front. Now, Monica will have to borrow something from Bertha’s extensive closet. Later, Bertha reasons it was to save her from sartorial embarrassment. “We’re a pretty ruthless pair,” George observes. However, Bertha doesn’t view it as a negative; she likes things to be right.

George can’t help but address his concerns about Betha’s relentless ambition for their daughter. He would have been content with their child marrying a banker who owns a house on Fifth Avenue and a cottage in Newport. If it's enough for Gladys, then it should be enough for them. “Go to bed, George, and wake up sensible,” Bertha snaps. Add it to the long list of perfect Gilded Age line readings.

Money remains a point of contention between Agnes and Ada, with the latter now handling the dress bills. After the fitting for a new frock for the wedding, Agnes has a charity committee meeting, giving Ada time to host a seánce. Ada knows her sister would disapprove. Unfortunately, Agnes comes home early due to her new financial arrangements—Ada is welcome to attend those meetings. As expected, she is hostile toward Madame Dashkova (Andrea Graham), suggesting that the medium is exploiting grieving women, such as Ada. Madame Dashkova gives Ada her card so they can resume contact with Luke at a later date.

Despite this, the mood in the Forte home remains upbeat. Agnes even asks Marian about Larry, as Marian only confides in Ada, but Agnes can see that something is going on between the pair. Agnes still has misgivings about the nouveau riche Russells, but is lapping up all the gossip in the newspapers and the fact that she is still on the invite list.

Downstairs, the staff are left wondering what happened in Jack’s second meeting with the clock manufacturer. Jack is at a loss for words during the negotiations, which Larry handles coolly as Mr. Weston wants to buy the idea outright. Jack’s eyes bug out as they throw figures around, especially when he realizes that Larry has sold it for $600,000. Jack thought he would be working on this horology project for the rest of his life, and now that he has sold his invention, he has no idea what to do.

Rather than tell the other staff, Jack doesn’t elaborate, other than to say he thinks the meeting went well. Later, when he can’t sleep, Jack confides to Mrs. Bauer that they sold the clock. Mrs. Bauer believes it is reasonable that he wants to continue working to add to his nest egg. Jack tells her that he is $300,000 richer, causing the cook to drop the bowl she is holding. His hesitation might seem unexpected, but it is grounded in sentiment, as before coming to work for Agnes (and now Ada), he didn’t have anywhere to call home. The staff at 61st Street are his family, and by quitting, it means he loses access to his nearest and dearest. Mrs. Bauer promises to keep his secret for now.

Peggy and Dr. William Kirkland continue their light flirtation. Still, William’s mother, Elizabeth, can’t help but roll her eyes and make remarks at Peggy’s politics, such as her support of suffrage. Discrimination is a theme in Peggy’s talk to the wealthy Rhode Island residents, which causes more raised eyebrows from some. The Kirkland matriarch makes some offhand remarks about Peggy’s father (who is at work in Brooklyn), saying he is “not a Newport man” whose history makes him different from the rest of their group. The comment is brimming with so much judgment and disdain that Peggy now knows what her parents were arguing about in the previous episode.

One New York society figure attending Peggy’s talk but not the wedding is Aurora Fane. After her husband humiliated her at the charity benefit they were scheduled to host together, Aurora relocated to Newport to begin the divorce proceedings. Aurora tells Peggy that she is doing as well as she can, but is still reeling from the recent bombshell that has rocked her life.

Considering how Mrs. Astor immediately shunned Aurora after learning of the impending divorce, it appears the queen of New York is getting some karmic payback. An item in the newspaper on the day of the wedding is interpreted by all to be about Mrs. Astor’s daughter Charlotte (Hannah Shealy), whose husband, J. Coleman Drayton, challenged Hallet Alsop Borrowe to a duel in Paris after suspecting his wife of having an affair. It doesn’t matter that the duel never happened, the story is already spreading like wildfire.

Mrs. Astor insists that Charlotte stay home. While she dislikes Bertha, it would be unforgivable to “bring a note of scandal into her daughter’s wedding.” Charlotte doesn’t let her mother leave without spilling some home truths, like how her mother’s “terror of divorce” means she cannot live a life free from a bad marriage. Mrs. Astor lives a separate life from her husband, but without the paperwork that would ruin the illusion—Charlotte mentions her father is living it up on his yacht with younger women.

At the church, it doesn’t get better for New York’s queen bee. The entire congregation is whispering about her daughter’s antics, which have become the day's hot gossip. Ward McClalister (Nathan Lane) is on hand to be Mrs. Astor’s buffer, including to Bertha (who has not read the news), and is on the receiving end of Mrs. Astor’s short fuse. The true-to-history salacious news is the perfect pre-wedding conversation starter.

Another potential scandal is brewing, as few people attending the wedding are aware that the entire event might be called off. Despite reservations about Marian being a bridesmaid, Bertha calls on her neighbor to coax Gladys from her room. Or at least to encourage Gladys to begin getting ready. Marian is in the crosshairs between her friend and potential future mother-in-law, so she treads carefully. Marian mentions that she is not a great heiress like Gladys, so she doesn’t have the same responsibilities. Plus, sometimes a bride and groom can be head over heels for each other (Marian uses Charlotte Astor as an example), and it spectacularly falls apart.

It might be George’s daughter’s wedding day, but JP Morgan has pressing business to discuss with the robber baron. JP tells George that he is pulling out of their railroad deal because it is far too risky. Not what George wants to hear, yet he insists on pressing forward with these risky financial plans.

Next, George must negotiate with Gladys about her next moves. Despite his misgivings about the entire arrangement, he tells his daughter that the time to back out is no more. If she doesn’t make it to the altar, she will be haunted by this stain forever. George thinks he has failed Gladys, but can’t conceive a way out. George won’t drag her down the aisle, though, giving her 10 minutes to decide if she wants to come down from her room or not.

The whole Russell house is aflutter, waiting, and when Adelheid comes downstairs with the veil, she signals that Gladys is on her way. George looks relieved that his daughter made this choice. Before they go into the church, Gladys says she knows they are at the point of no return. Underneath her veil, the tears flow. Larry looks nearly as sad as his sister that this is happening. Bertha is also crying, but with pure joy that her project has come to fruition. “I pray you are right about this,” George whispers to his wife. Bertha has no time for his naysaying, telling her husband to let her enjoy this moment.

By the time we see Gladys on the boat to England (sadly, there are no scenes of the lavish celebrations after the ceremony), she has stopped crying and has dressed for bedtime. On their first night as a married couple, Hector asks Gladys if she knows what other duties a wife is expected to fulfil. While his behavior isn't outright predatory, it is rather awkward, as he admits that the first time will be embarrassing for both of them. While Hector admits he is tired, he doesn’t want to wait. With the Brooklyn Bridge now in the distance, Gladys is embarking on her new role as a duchess, and Bertha will have to find a new ambitious project to ensure she continues her ascent.