10 Things You Probably Forgot About The Gilded Age During the Long Wait for Season 3

After a year and a half, The Gilded Age is finally returning for its third season. The HBO period drama took a season to find its footing, but following its improved second season, it seems to have hit its stride. Now, viewers eagerly await Season 3, which looks to be diving headfirst into the changing social statuses and love lives of its sprawling cast. However, with such a long wait between seasons, fans might need a refresher before the new season airs.

The Gilded Age takes its cues from its predecessor, Downton Abbey, featuring an ensemble cast of wealthy, aristocratic families and the army of servants who run their lavish houses. As a result, it can be difficult to keep track of what everyone is up to as the seasons progress. From the epic opera war to the budding romances both upstairs and downstairs, here’s everything fans need to remember about The Gilded Age before the start of Season 3.

10. Mr. Watson Retired From Service

Why Mr. Russell’s Valet Won’t Be Returning in The Gilded Age Season 3

Mr. Watson was introduced as George Russell’s hard-working valet, but as viewers learned in The Gilded Age Season 1, he wasn’t always a servant. He used to be a banker named Collyer and was even married with one daughter, Flora, but when he went bankrupt in the Panic of 1857, they divorced. Collyer then changed his name, found a new job and kept tabs on Flora from afar, but as she and her husband climbed the social ladder, they were suddenly reunited.

Dismayed to discover his father-in-law’s occupation, Flora’s husband offered to pay Watson to retire in San Francisco if he agreed to never see Flora again. While Watson was willing to do so if Flora wanted it, she discovered her husband’s scheme and instead offered to help him retire in New York, so he could be a part of her life. He accepted, and it seems Watson will have left the Russell household by Season 3.

9. Romance Is Brewing Between Mrs. Bruce and Mr. Borden

How The Gilded Age Quietly Built Up Their Relationship

As the housekeeper and chef of the Russell household, Mrs. Bruce and Mr. Borden often have their hands full on The Gilded Age, but they still find a little time for themselves. The two have become good friends over the show’s two seasons, with Mr. Borden welcoming Mrs. Bruce when she first started as housekeeper and Mrs. Bruce standing by Mr. Borden when he revealed he wasn’t actually French. At the end of Season 2, their relationship took a big step forward.

Mrs. Bruce and Mr. Borden had already shared a few sweet moments, such as when they watched the Brooklyn Bridge fireworks from the roof together. When Mrs. Bruce got the chance to attend the opening performance at the Metropolitan Opera, she brought Mr. Borden as her plus one, and he kissed her hand. Although fans have high hopes for their romance, Mr. Borden is still technically married, which could spell trouble for the new couple.

8. Enid Turner Returned as Mrs. Winterton

How the Former Maid Drove a Wedge Between the Russells

The Russells thought they’d seen the last of Enid Turner after Bertha fired her from her job as lady’s maid. As such, they were all shocked to meet her again in Newport, now as the wife of the wealthy Josh Winterton. This put Bertha in a particularly awkward position since she needed the new Mrs. Winterton as an ally in the opera war, but things got even worse when she learned that Enid had previously tried to seduce her husband.

While Bertha believed George when he told her he rebuffed Enid’s advances, she was still upset that he’d allowed Enid to continue working for them. He had to secure a meeting with the Duke of Buckingham to get her to forgive him, effectively stealing the English nobleman from Mrs. Winterton. George even got the central box at the Metropolitan back from Enid’s grasp, but she’ll be back to cause more drama in The Gilded Age Season 3.

7. Jack Trotter Became an Inventor

The van Rhijns’ Footman Is Moving Up in the World

Despite his position as the van Rhijn family’s footman, John “Jack” Trotter has always aspired to more in The Gilded Age. Season 2 saw him experimenting with his alarm clock, which often failed to go off and made him late for work. After studying its inner workings, Jack created a new part to fix the problem, and the van Rhijn household banded together to help him get it patented. The butler, Alfred Bannister, even helped him join a horological society when his first application was rejected.

Marian Brook then introduced Jack to Larry Russell, who proposed a partnership after his patent was approved. As long as the patent clears, Jack could soon be moving up in the world, just as he hoped, and he might be bringing someone with him. Throughout The Gilded Age‘s two seasons, Jack has pursued both the van Rhijns’ maid, Bridget, and the Russells’ maid, Adelheid Weber, but has yet to get very far with either.

6. Peggy Scott Quit the New York Globe

The Gilded Age’s Resident Journalist Will Have to Find a New Writing Outlet

Peggy Scott has always wanted to be a writer in The Gilded Age, and she got her chance when she was hired to write for the New York Globe in Season 1. After learning that her son had passed away at the beginning of Season 2, she threw herself into work and decided to cover the opening of Booker T. Washington’s institute in Tuskegee alongside her boss, T. Thomas Fortune. The two ended up sharing a kiss while hiding from a lynch mob.

Although Peggy continued working with Mr. Fortune at the Globe for a while, things quickly got awkward as they danced around the kiss. After she ran into his wife and children, Peggy decided to quit her job before she and Mr. Fortune could make an even bigger mess of things. The Gilded Age Season 3 will be introducing a new love interest for Peggy, but it’s not yet clear how this will affect her writing career.

5. Marian Brook and Larry Russell Kissed

How the Neighbors Went From Friends to Something More

Despite spending much of The Gilded Age Season 2 entangled in other romances, many viewers have sensed something between Marian and Larry since Episode 1. He opened up to her about his desire to become an architect instead of taking over the family business, and she confided in him when she was jilted by Mr. Raikes in Season 1. While Larry had an affair with Mrs. Blane and Marian reluctantly became engaged to Dashiell Montgomery, they remained good friends through it all.

We know far too much about each other’s lives not to be friends forever.-Marian Brook, The Gilded Age

 

Larry’s affair came to an abrupt end when Bertha intervened, and Marian broke off her engagement upon realizing that Dashiell’s vision of their future didn’t align with her own. The neighbors then attended the opening night at the Metropolitan Opera together and shared a kiss. As excited as fans are to finally see them together in Season 3, they’ll probably still have some obstacles to face, particularly when their families find out.

4. Oscar van Rhijn Fell Victim to a Scam

How the van Rhijn Heir Lost His Family’s Fortune

Oscar van Rhijn has been on the hunt for a rich wife to support his frivolous lifestyle and hide his sexuality since The Gilded Age Season 1. While he thought he’d found the ideal candidate in Gladys Russell, he was brutally rejected at the beginning of Season 2. Then, Oscar met Maude Beaton, who appeared to fit the bill just as well, if not better, but not everything was as it seemed.

After hearing about her family’s business in railroads, Oscar decided to invest his family’s fortune and propose to Maude. However, much to his distress, Maude and the railroad company disappeared without a trace, along with his money. Agnes would’ve had to lay off most of her staff and sell the family’s brownstone if Ada hadn’t come into her own fortune. Without his own riches to bring to the table, Oscar’s search for a wife might be even more of a struggle in Season 3.

3. Ada Brook Found Love – And Wealth

How Mrs. Forte Became the Cornerstone of the van Rhijn Household

As the resident spinster aunt, Ada Brook was quite surprised to find herself being swept off her feet by the new reverend, Luke Forte. Their union caused some friction between Ada and her sister, Agnes, as the widowed Agnes had come to rely on Ada’s companionship, but she soon relented. Unfortunately, their marriage was destined to be happy but brief, as Luke was diagnosed with cancer shortly after their honeymoon and passed away before The Gilded Age Season 2 ended.

Ada was distraught to lose her husband, but she was also astonished to learn that Luke was considerably wealthier than she had realized. As his sole heir, Ada inherited enough money to allow the family to keep their home and all their servants. However, it also changed the household’s power dynamics, with everyone now taking their cues from Ada instead of Agnes. Audiences certainly can’t wait to see how this affects The Gilded Age going forward.

2. George Russell Chose Negotiation Over Violence

How the Robber Baron’s Change of Heart Could Affect His Business

George Russell might resent the “robber baron” label, but he spent much of The Gilded Age Season 2 trying to bust labor unions at his steel mills. Despite multiple attempts to bribe their leader, Mr. Henderson, the workers held their ground, and George prepared to subdue strikers by force. In the end, however, he told his hired guns to stand down after seeing his employees’ living conditions and learning that Mr. Henderson’s son was among the strikers.

I like to do the right thing. If I don’t lose any money by it.

-George Russell, The Gilded Age

Regardless of his apparent change of heart, George was still playing a bigger game. He granted the workers’ requests for safer working conditions and better work-life balance, but he also knew that doing so would drive a wedge between them and other laborers. George’s actions also angered his competitors since their workers would inevitably demand the same concessions. Although he didn’t seem too worried about them, they could become a problem if they try to exact revenge in Season 3.

1. Bertha Russell Traded Gladys’s Future to Win the Opera War

How Bertha’s Designs Could Cause Trouble for the Family

After being snubbed by the Academy of Music, Bertha Russell decided to back the new Metropolitan Opera House in the opera war. Furthermore, she worked tirelessly to bring new patrons with her and donated generously to the building’s construction to ensure her victory. Her ace in the hole was the Duke of Buckingham, whom she persuaded to attend the opera’s opening night performance in her box, but the English nobleman came with a price: her daughter’s hand in marriage.

Bertha is determined that her children should find suitable spouses, and she’d already been pushing Gladys and the duke together earlier in The Gilded Age Season 2. That said, George also promised Gladys that she could marry for love, regardless of what her mother wanted. With George and Gladys still in the dark about Bertha’s designs, the reveal is bound to drive another wedge between the family members in Season 3.