I’m So Glad The Gilded Age Dropped Season 1’s Most Annoying Character

HBO Max’s The Gilded Age has a lot of compelling characters, but there is one season 1 character that I am glad did not return. The Gilded Age follows several wealthy families on the Upper East Side of Manhattan during the period of the same name, as they fight for power and influence. More specifically, the series deals with the divide between the old and new-money groups and how newcomers to the city, like the Russells, hope to infiltrate high society.

While many of the characters are fictional, The Gilded Age was inspired by a true story and real events that occurred in New York at the time. Across the show’s two seasons, the characters maneuver themselves into increasingly powerful positions, culminating in The Gilded Age season 2’s ending where new money finally triumphs. Along with the race for power, The Gilded Age also emphasizes romance and proper courting, but there is one relationship and character better left in season 1.

The Gilded Age Dropping Tom Raikes After Season 1 Is The Best Thing For Marian And The Show

His Story Did Not Need To Be Continued

The beginning of season 1 introduced Marian as a young woman grieving for her father, forced to move to a new city just to have a place to live. As the season continued, Marian was introduced to New York high society, learning the ropes from her aunts while simultaneously continuing to break the rules in her own way. Louisa Jacobson has always played Marian in a confident yet slightly innocent manner, making her journey entertaining, though sometimes frustrating, to watch.

Where Tom Raikes is concerned, though, Marian’s story is brought down. Part of what makes The Gilded Age such a fun escapist watch is seeing the majesty and opulence of its characters’ lives, and Marian is seeing that for the first time too. Admittedly, part of her journey is learning how to find a relationship within the rules of society, but Tom’s pursuit of her felt too quick and too distracting. Her lawyer follows her to the city and proposes very quickly in the first season, despite Marian’s life being completely in flux.

As the season continued, Tom continued pursuing Marian, and the two planned to elope as Marian’s aunt Agnes did not approve of Tom. Throughout the entirety of the season, Tom Raikes’ intentions and whether he truly loved Marian were left somewhat unclear, making it hard for us to connect with the story. Because Tom eventually snubs Marian and marries for money instead, his story was finally closed, and Marian was left distraught going into season 2.

Why Tom & Marian’s Love Story Was The Gilded Age Season 1’s Weak Link

Their Story Did Not Live Up To The Opulence And Excitement Of Other Plots

Due to the time period The Gilded Age takes place in, it is somewhat unavoidable that its young women characters will likely have to go through the process of being courted and finding a suitable partner, but it is still the least interesting part of the series to watch. Especially with characters like Bertha Russell constantly trying to prove her worth through lavish displays of wealth, Marian’s relationship with Tom Raikes felt lackluster by comparison.

There are aspects of Marian’s personality that have the potential to be very interesting: her modernity, forward-thinking, and willingness to go against Agnes’ wishes could set her up to cause real change in a community staunchly rooted in tradition and hierarchy. Instead, her season 1 story with Tom Raikes really did not allow her to do that much, apart from Agnes not approving of the partnership. With Tom Raikes out of the way in season 2, Marian was able to grow a bit more and even began teaching, though a lot of her stories still revolved around romance.

Again, to some degree, this is expected, but at least season 2 did a much better job at showing Marian’s growth within that. Season 1’s Marian and her relationship with Tom Raikes felt a bit two-dimensional and forced. Luckily, season 2’s ending saw Marian finally take control in rejecting Dashiell and kissing Larry. While the other characters are still involved in far more drama in the social and personal spheres, season 2 improved Marian’s story without Tom Raikes, and The Gilded Age season 3 may see Marian enter a relationship with even better chemistry.