Look, Game of Thrones fans are still complaining six years later about how rushed the final seasons were. I’m starting to think Julian Fellowes borrowed that “accelerator.” Even with a one-hour final episode, so much happened that we got dizzy in The Gilded Age.

George’s shooting: Marian and William to the rescue

Okay, it’s true that Carrie Coon spoiled it a month ago, so we knew “Dr. Kirkland would save George.” Still, it was intense, graphic, dramatic — and yet I laughed a little. You see, Marian taking the lead and snatching the doctor’s bag from Peggy to be the one helping with the surgery was almost comically desperate and swift. “I need to be with Larry. I need to be with them,” she said.

Then, once inside, she climbed onto the table so quickly to help Kirkland that the doctor’s surprised looks seemed more about seeing her there and so helpful than finding a millionaire shot on a dining table the very night he came to confront his girlfriend about lying to him.

In the end, George was saved, escaped infection, and Bertha — still clueless — as soon as possible was already talking about parties and society… exactly what a man near death didn’t want to hear. This sets the stage for what’s coming.

Larry and Marian: The Danger of a Tiresome Back-and-Forth

Larry “was at the club,” and no one told him what happened, so he only showed up to see his father the next morning, finding Marian still around, waiting to talk to him. She increasingly confirms herself as Bertha 2.0, but when Larry thanks her for her effort in regards of his dad, she takes the chance to apologize for her breakup with him. But both really still have trouble with words.

Now, Larry is upset because instead of believing him, Marian first believed Jack. When she explains she was suspicious because she’d been deceived before, Larry dismisses that as no excuse.
Just so is clear: Larry, you messed up first — and you’re messing up again.

Bertha is now on Team Marian, but That Might Backfire

There’s a passage of time, and we see George improving, Larry still not talking to Marian, and Marian crying quietly every night. As expected, George is extremely grateful to Marian and calls her to thank her personally, in front of Larry, who keeps snubbing his ex-fiancée even after that very public support. George expresses his opinion as Team-Larian with Bertha now fully on board.

On that note, Bertha personally apologizes to Marian for not being at her side first, also says she sees herself in her, and is absolutely sure Marian is the right woman for her son. Too bad Larry is determined to disobey his mother, so Bertha wanting “Larian” is now a disadvantage. Since she doesn’t know “that”, Bertha asks Marian not to give up on Larry, but Marian says the decision is his — and it’s her son who doesn’t want to reconcile.

The Secret of the Investigation

I don’t know how it’s possible to keep the shooting secret, with George shot in his office, taken home, treated by a Black doctor, with all the Russells and Van Rhijn servants knowing… but that’s what we have. Luckily, Mrs. Andre has been dismissed.

The police were only called days later, with Clay as the main suspect, but nothing was confirmed. The poor George’s employee that was also shot is never mentioned (did he die?), and he disappears from the story, so when Bertha faintly says she’ll cancel the Newport ball, but doesn’t insist when her husband advises against it, it’s another missed red flag. But let’s give Bertha her due: George argues that if the truth gets out, it will hurt business, and Bertha hears it as if he’s on her side. She goes back to the McCallister and Astor talk, and George rolls his eyes — a detail only the attentive notice. She certainly missed that.

Sisters Switching Positions

At the Van Rhijns’, Ada and Agnes talk about Marian. Agnes celebrates Marian not joining “that family,” but Ada confronts her: Larry and Marian love each other (or loved each other), and that matters. When Agnes says love isn’t security, Ada reminds her that the financial security of her marriage to Arnold Van Rhijn didn’t prevent unhappy moments.

Peggy: The Past Catches Up

William finally talks to Peggy about the past. She says she was waiting for a better moment that never came — the secret was too painful to share.

He listens calmly but warns that his mother opposes any relationship between them. Peggy realizes it’s goodbye and breaks down in tears. Dorothy finds her like that but convinces her to go to Newport and face the Kirklands.

Oscar: Marriage in Sight

Oscar regains his spirit — without John Adams’s support, everything became uncertain. He runs into Enid Winterton, now a widow, and they not only have chemistry but truly understand each other.

Without a husband, Enid has money but closed social doors, so Oscar spots an opportunity and makes a deal with Bertha: he’ll convince Marian to go to the ball if Bertha invites Enid. Since Bertha is eager to win back her son, she agrees. Proof of love? She was celebrating her enemy’s defeat, and now brings her back into the social circle, let us remember that in the future.

At the ball, Oscar offers the Van Rhijn name and management of Enid’s fortune in exchange for a marriage of convenience. They can see whoever they want outside New York and pose as a happy couple at parties. Of course, she accepts. They’re going to be so much fun together!

Jack and Bridget: Everything Can Change

Jack isn’t invited to a party yet, but Bridget visits him and is less resistant to his attention. Everyone roots for them, but I haven’t forgotten how badly she treated him in season one. Still… romance is in the air.

The Divorced Women’s Ball

In Bertha’s main business, it’s all about the Newport Ball and confronts Lina because she decided to include divorced women in the guest list. Mrs. Astor is adamantly against it.

When she gets her own invitation, Aurora hesitates, but Marian, Ada, and Agnes promise to attend too, so she won’t be alone.

Dorothy Puts Peggy’s Mother-in-Law in Place

The unbearable Mrs. Kirkland questions the Scotts’ presence in Newport. Dorothy loses patience and says everything Mrs. Kirkland needed to hear. Not that it makes her back out, but there is no shame in Peggy’s past (well, there is, but the Scotts are over it), so Mrs. Kirkland may as well shut up.

We learn later that William is also furious with his mother for spreading Peggy’s past around town. His father cuts through doubts: if he loves Peggy, then he should forget the past and marry her. And that’s exactly what William does, asking for her hand at the ball in front of everyone. She says yes. At least one of our girls gets to celebrate.

Duke and Duchess love

Bertha is confused by George still resenting Gladys’s marriage to the Duke of Buckingham because Gladys and Hector are happy and in love, but George thinks it might be too late. I fear we might not see the noble couple as much in season four since traveling by ship with a newborn isn’t easy. Yep, sorry, later Gladys confirms what we all foresaw: she is pregnant.

A Night to Remember

The ball is a hit: Agnes is there, Mrs. Astor is there, the Duke and the Duchess, but it’s when
George shows that Bertha is happy. The couple agreed to make an appearance at the party to keep the shooting secret and not meddle in his business, but here she goes and celebrates that they’re aligned on “showing a united front” — oh, Bertha… watch his reaction when you say that.

Before coming downstairs, George is alone with Larry and defends Marian, advising his son not to drag out problems with her because she IS special. “Life is full of misunderstandings; you’ll have many.” Don’t lose her. But Larry is not making it easy for Marian.

Marian sees Larry chatting happily with other girls and fights back tears. When he goes after her, she is relieved, but when he starts to talk, and still insists his lie was “to protect her,” not admitting her past traumas put him on the same level as the men who lied to her, we see that he is not apologizing. Larry still thinks he was right. He tries to emulate George’s speech about the need for better communication to overcome problems, but since they won’t fix everything tonight, how about a dance? She accepts. A bit uncertain, right? Especially since…

… the next morning, Bertha is surprised George is already leaving for New York with Larry. Confused, she talks about appearances and parties, and George loses patience: he says her attitude toward Gladys was the last straw, that she forced their daughter into a marriage and made him complicit. Facing death only made him certain he no longer wants what Bertha wants. Divorce? Like father, like son: the Russells specialize in grey, complicated speeches, it’s unclear.

Bertha begs George to stay and talk, but he leaves — like Rhett Butler, just without the famous line. When Gladys announces her pregnancy and asks about the father, Bertha still tries to call him back from the window, but the carriage is already gone.

What a season finale! Now we wait, heartbreakingly, until 2026 or 2027 to find out more. In the end, The Gilded Age delivered a rollercoaster of emotions, tensions, and power plays. Despite the rushed pace, every scene carried the promise that nothing would be the same — and that alliances, loves, and conflicts would only grow fiercer. If this is a temporary goodbye, I’m already counting the days to see how these characters will reinvent (and destroy) themselves next season. Because one thing is certain: in this high society, the real luxury is drama.