We speak with so much praise that Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) mirrored Alva Vanderbilt, highlighting the tenacity and great victories of the millionaire turned feminist that we generally overlook the fact that, to ascend socially, Alva “sold” her daughter Consuelo in a loveless marriage to a British Duke. The matriarch regretted it years later and helped in the process of annulling the union, but this was after her daughter already had children and was living a relationship of pure unhappiness far from her country and friends. Consuelo never married who she originally wanted and although she was happy later in life, she certainly ‘wasted’ good years in a strategy that only served her husband (who got the fortune to renovate his palace) and her mother (who temporarily regained prestige at parties in New York). A trope in The Gilded Age makes us question: is Bertha a villain or just ambitious?

The signs were clear from the beginning, with Bertha’s arrival after building one of the biggest and most expensive mansions in Manhattan, showing off etiquette and trying to make new friends. George (Morgan Spector) does his wife’s bidding, without taking her dedication and focus to rise among the “old money” families, no matter the cost. She explains right away that she discarded all her previous friends because they were no longer “fitting”, wanting “new friends”. It seems little, but saying that friends are “useful” was always a relevant detail to contextualize Bertha’s relationships: they have a material purpose. Ever.

In the struggle of his rise, as always, George invests money and buys what is for sale, but in some cases, it is not enough. Caroline Astor (Donna Murphy), for example, didn’t need anything materially and only had to grant it when Bertha manipulated her daughter, excluding her from a party where everyone else was invited, to double as the matriarch of New York. This clash took over the first season and we were rooting for Bertha, after all, she wanted to be accepted, party, and be popular. The signs were there.

From the beginning, we are also informed that in the Russells’ house, Bertha is the one in charge of everything and everyone within the four walls. George may eventually try to argue in favor of his children, but she is the boss. Especially with Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) who “protects” from self-interested people and says she has big dreams for her. That Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) would never do, even we knew, but any other candidate, even with a surname or fortune, was also not up to Bertha’s secret plan. Not even George knows what she wants.

The parallel between The Gilded Age and the lives of the Vanderbilts follows almost step by step the real drama of Alva and Consuelo, so when the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) entered the plot, we already knew where we would end up. The thing is, somehow, no one has yet figured out what Bertha is doing and now we understand how a partnership so aligned with George will fall apart. It’s one thing to have parties while spending money, it’s another to promise your daughter to a bankrupt nobleman just because she wants to have prestige and titles. Well, if we continue with the series (it’s an almost safe bet that we will), we won’t be able to defend Bertha because she went beyond the limits of reasonableness. Do you know who looks sweet next to her? You’re right if you rethink Enid Turner (Kelley Curran).

So what’s next for Bertha?

Her fight with Caroline Astor will be the least of all headaches. In real life, Alva’s husband fell in love with another woman and she dared to ask for a divorce, only to discover that society supported him and she would have gone back to square one, without receiving any invitations for anything else. She reversed the situation by marrying Consuelo to the Duke of Malborough, creating an event that all New York society wanted to participate in. The girl did not easily accept the imposition, as she was in love with someone else. She went on a hunger strike, locked herself in her room, and refused until Alva claimed that she was sick and about to die, which made her daughter change her position and accept the marriage, crying profusely throughout the ceremony.

Married again, Alva eventually becomes involved in politics and becomes a defender of the Female Vote and other feminist causes, bitterly regretting what she did to Consuelo. His daughter’s life was marked by much unhappiness as the Duke used his fortune to restore the family palace and had a mistress with whom he was openly in love. Even with two children, Consuelo asked for her marriage to be annulled by the Vatican, so she could remarry. Alva testified on her daughter’s behalf, taking on the manipulative role and putting pressure on Consuelo to get married against her will. Only then did mother and daughter reconcile. In other words, material for two long seasons of The Gilded Age!

Another of Bertha’s “villainous” aspects was when she interfered in Larry’s life when he was in love with Susan Blane (Laura Benanti). From the second they met, Bertha noticed the widow’s eyes on her son and called her “old woman”, always making it clear that she was not approving of the relationship. For Larry, too, she was sincere about her regret about seeing him openly with a woman unfit for marriage. When it reached his ears that everyone was saying the same thing, before the scandal grew, he had a frank conversation with Susan where the widow chose to give in and move away from the boy. It doesn’t take much to know that Susan will still reappear in the Russells’ lives.

This is where Marian Brooks (Louisa Jacobson) comes in, with whom Bertha appears to have affection, but she is not close. Bertha knows that Marian was always one of those who supported her and faced the old guard to be with the Russells, but, when Tom Raikes was in theory committed to Marian, Bertha did not have the slightest pity or sorority in excluding the young woman and inviting the lawyer when I needed a man to leave the even numbers at an event. That’s how Raikes met the woman for whom he abandoned Marian, that is, via Bertha, who never showed any regret or even knowledge of what was happening. That’s because it was Marian who got the information that saved George’s business when he was accused of corruption. Even Marian, to Bertha, is merely useful.

In this second season, when she was being betrayed and losing the Duke of Buckingham, Bertha almost accused Turner, but it was Marian who revealed that Warden McCallister (Nathan Lane) was the one who was disturbing everything. Marian’s invitation to the Metropolitan box was probably what she thought was sufficient recognition. And in the third season, we will have to find out if she will consider Marian a good match for Larry.

That’s right, with our favorite couple’s kiss being a bit rushed for two people who had barely left the friend zone, Marian and Larry are the main focus of the romantic aspect of the story. Agnes would be against it because Larry is “new money”, but now her voice has no volume and she knows that Marian has already had two chances, the third is the last and she will have to accept it. As for Bertha, I thought she would think that Marian would be ‘little’ for Larry, but things changed. Not only does Marian have a name, but now with Ada rich, she is her aunt’s assumed heir. Being quickly engaged to Dashiell Montgomery (David Furr) isn’t necessarily a problem, but you never know. The fact is that Larry will hardly give up Marian, who is determined like Bertha herself and who has George’s support, after all, they were TWO direct contributions to helping the Russells. That’s why many think that Bertha will actually approve of the marriage. And I reinforce it, now that Marian is heir. Not before.

And who can stop Bertha Russell other than Enid Turner? The ex-governess is determined to beat her at the game, she has a supportive husband, and who knows, maybe he’s partnered with Susan Blane? There is no shortage of enemies, what Bertha has not yet realized is that she may soon lose the only person by her side: an increasingly suspicious George Russell…

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