I’ve been so focused on “Larian” (Larry and Marian) that I almost missed the drama with “Oscarton” (Oscar and Mrs. Winterton) that’s just around the corner: the moment Agnes will discover that Oscar has decided to marry the widow Mrs. Winterton, formerly Enid Turner. The wedding of Oscar Van Rhijn and Turner is without a doubt one of the most explosive points of Season 4, because it shakes not only the Van Rhijn family but the entire social logic of The Gilded Age.

In the surprising twist at the end of Season 3, we saw a devastated Oscar, having lost his best friend and the love of his life, John Adams, left exposed, alone, and still unable to recover the fortune Maud Beaton had stolen from him. It was an important and tragic subplot: Oscar, forced to hide that he was gay or face social exile, had spent two seasons searching for a wife who would be wealthy, young, and inexperienced — the perfect cover for a marriage of appearances. He tried hard to win over Gladys Russell, but when that failed, he fell into Maud’s trap, a fraud who swindled nearly the entire Van Rhijn fortune.

Back at his mother’s house, Oscar slowly began to rebuild himself. When Larry located Maud (creating tension in his relationship with Marian), Oscar confronted her. But faced with the truth — that Maud was abused and trapped by her handlers — he helped her escape, recovering not a single cent. So when he reencountered Enid Turner, now the newly widowed Mrs. Winterton, he saw the perfect solution for them both. They don’t need to lie to each other. She has money and a name, and he has the title: the perfect exit for two soulmates.

Enid’s situation is more complicated. Much has been said about how many around the Russells know her past as Miss Turner. In truth, quite a few do: Marian, Aurora, Mrs. Astor, and even Mrs. Morris (though she has been absent) all remember her as Bertha Russell’s lady’s maid. But outside that circle, social amnesia seems to prevail.

The irony is that Enid’s life was changed precisely because of Oscar, back in Season 1. As far as she knows, she was dismissed due to Bertha’s jealousy. She believed Bertha suspected George, when in fact Bertha saw danger in Larry. But the real problem began with Oscar, and it was Agnes herself who moved the pieces on the board to cut off the connection at its root.

Enid had been helping Oscar — for payment — in his attempts to woo Gladys, but the gossipy Mrs. Armstrong spotted them together, misinterpreted the situation, and quickly reported to Agnes what seemed to be happening. Outraged at the idea of her only son with a servant, Agnes swallowed her pride and asked Marian to convince Bertha to dismiss Enid. Marian carried out the task reluctantly, and Bertha, not naming names, at first dismissed the request, assuming it was simply Oscar being Oscar. But when she later caught Turner flirting with Larry, she concluded Agnes was trying to warn her and wasted no time in firing the maid. Paradoxically, Enid was innocent in both cases, and no one really knows to this day about the misunderstanding that triggered her dismissal. She left humiliated, but not defeated. In the most improbable turnaround, she married the wealthy Mr. Winterton, becoming Mrs. Winterton, with status, fortune, and a seat in the very social circle that once despised her.

We then saw her seeking revenge against Bertha in Season 2, even trying to sabotage the dinner the Russells gave for the Duke of Buckingham, without success. Within that social circle, she reconnected with Oscar, who never revealed her humble origins to anyone, and they quietly resumed their friendship.

Given all this, it’s surprising that their story didn’t get more attention in Season 3 — but perhaps that’s for the best, since now there’s an entire season to explore the drama. At Gladys’s wedding, we were told Enid would soon be widowed, and indeed, in the last episode, she was “available.” Oscar wasted no time and made his proposal, which she found extremely appealing.

And now, in a cruel twist, Agnes faces what she feared most: the marriage of Oscar Van Rhijn and Turner. What was once a suspicion has become reality, and the former maid returns triumphant as the matriarch’s daughter-in-law.

Julian Fellowes, the show’s creator, left no doubt about the intention of this arc: “They’re a good couple… because they both live a lie.” Turner and Oscar are bound not by love, but by convenience — a lavender marriage, where both stand to benefit. He gains a façade of respectability, and she secures the surname that cements her in the elite circle.

Fans on Reddit were quick to catch the richness of this conflict. Many pointed out that Agnes always knew, even if she never admitted it, about Oscar’s homosexuality. As one commenter wrote: “OF COURSE Agnes knows Oscar is gay! Agnes is clever, smart & a woman of the world, yes, she knows.” Another reinforced that, even realizing it, she chose to delude herself until the very last moment, clinging to the hope that a sham marriage would save appearances. One of the sharpest takes summed it up: “She might hate the idea, but she’ll also be relieved that Oscar has a wife to cover for his homosexuality.”

Some fans also see this as a major turning point for Agnes. Until now, Christine Baranski has shone with biting lines and sharp glances, but always as a follower rather than the leader of the conflicts. Now, as fans say, she’ll face an unprecedented test: to accept as her daughter-in-law the very woman she once worked so hard to destroy. And more: will Enid ever discover that it was Agnes who orchestrated her downfall in Season 1?

The ironies are endless. Oscar, who left his mother in financial difficulty, now brings the solution wrapped in a convenient marriage. Turner, who entered society through the servants’ door, returns as the new Mrs. Van Rhijn. And Agnes, who always judged Bertha Russell and her social climb, will have to watch her own family mirror the very logic she so despised.

Fans have even nicknamed the couple “Oscarton” — Oscar + Winterton — and can’t wait for the drama to unfold. As one user joked: “In the future, family dinners are going to be crazy at the Van Rhijn house, LOL.”

The wedding of Oscar Van Rhijn and Enid Turner, or rather Mrs. Winterton, is not just a social scandal: it’s the perfect stitching together of past and present, showing that the silent maneuvers of the Gilded Age always come back to exact their price. In the end, the maid became the mistress, the rejected one became the heiress, and Agnes, so unyielding in her principles, will have to swallow the bitterest irony of all — that no matter how hard she fights it, Enid Turner is now part of her family. Waiting until 2027 is going to be tough!