“We are truly being tested. We must fight with every tool we have.”
Big hair.
Big gowns.
High hats.
And high tea.
HBO’s critically acclaimed period-drama, The Gilded Age, Season 4, makes its entrance today, and if you thought you would be able to breathe easy…
Hold your corsets.
The teaser picks up where Season 3 left off—Mr. Russell recovering from a bullet wound and a potential addiction, friction between the Scotts and the Kirklands, the van Rhijn sisters still in a passive-aggressive shady push-and-pull over who wears the petticoats in the household, and the beginning of the blossoming alliance between Oscar and Mrs. Winterton.
The core ensemble includes Carrie Coon (Bertha Russell), Christine Baranski (Agnes van Rhijn), Cynthia Nixon (Ada Forte), Morgan Spector (George Russell), Louisa Jacobson (Marian Brook), Denee Benton (Peggy Scott), Taissa Farmiga (Gladys Russell), Harry Richardson (Larry Russell), Blake Ritson (Oscar van Rhijn), Audra McDonald (Dorothy Scott), and Donna Murphy (Caroline Astor).
So There’s That covered Season 3 on the podcast, which you can listen to here, and one of the central questions that loomed in the finale is simple yet frightening to consider:
Will George’s and Bertha’s marriage come to an end?
This stems from Bertha’s strict and strategic relationship with her daughter, Gladys, and George’s growing disagreement with how her marriage was handled.
But there’s also an invisible enemy that befalls a man of George’s stature who refuses to own up to his own mistakes.
Ego.
In the midst of power exchanges and societal chess moves by members of the town, the Russell household came out on top, but at the expense of their family’s bond.
The Mother That Doesn’t Know When to Let Go
“Would you rather everyone know the sordid details?”
As one family unit frays at the edges, another union blooms with Peggy and William. Peggy’s love story was one of fairytale dreams as audiences watched her go through the trials of dating, the fear of old secrets surfacing, and the potential of being alone forever.
William, however, reconciled with Peggy as an entire woman—one with a past that shouldn’t define the woman he’s grown to love—and proposed to her in one of the most romantic television scenes in recent history.
But as the trailer teases, Elizabeth doesn’t plan on welcoming Peggy, or her mother, with open arms.
In one of the most highly anticipated rivalries in drama television, Phylicia Rashad and Audra McDonald face off yet again as two fierce mothers who will take it to the depths of New York to protect their children.
Marrying into the Kirkland family may come with far more than Peggy bargained for, but, as a woman in an era where women’s empowerment grows, she has a fortitude that simmers beneath the surface and a strength that many underestimate.
One theme that stands out the most is that the women are redefining what society means to them, and it all began with Bertha Russell defying traditional rules and empowering everyone who felt their voices discarded but now have the inspiration to do so.
Whatever the outcome, audiences can be sure to bring their fine China, sugar cubes, and cucumber sandwiches to the grand hall as Season 4 premieres Sunday, November 1, only on HBO Max.
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Kivonshe—founder of So There’s That—is a film & TV critic who explores compelling storytelling, fandom relationships, character psychology, and the impact of entertainment media through film reviews, episodic recaps, and in-depth theme analysis.
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