Note: This story contains spoilers from “The Gilded Age” Season 3, Episode 7.
“The Gilded Age” threw a number of surprises on its main characters ahead of the Season 3 finale, and then topped all of it off with a deadly cliffhanger.
It was a particularly eventful episode for Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), who returned to New York from the West in Episode 7, having secured a lucrative deal that saved his family from financial ruin, and helping his father George (Morgan Spector) one-up his enemies. But Larry also came back to heartbreak, as he received Marian’s (Louisa Jacobson) letter revealing her decision to cancel their engagement.
“Larry’s been in a flow and really on top of his stuff. He’s feeling like an adult, stepping out on his own path and succeeding … then he has this bombshell dropped on him,” Richardson told TheWrap. “The most important thing in his life at this stage is this engagement, and he just had it ripped away with no explanation. It’s super painful for him.”
Fans will recall that Marian decided to end her engagement via letter, after learning that Larry had visited a “house of ill repute” the night that he popped the question. He only went there for his businesspartner and footman-turned-rich inventor Jack (Ben Ahlers), but Marian left little time for explanations once she learned of the indiscretion while Larry was away. The duo shared a difficult conversation during the episode, leaving little hope for reconciliation. Then Marian started to warm up again after Jack explained what happened during the night in question.
Richardson cherished the nuance of Larry and Marian’s impasse. He said it’s easy to understand where both characters are coming from. Marian fears rejection after two (maybe now three?) broken engagements. Larry is having to examine why his instinct was to lie to the person he loves.
“There’s no clear perpetrator or victim, there’s two people who are really struggling to release their own ego into a place of understanding and love,” the actor said. “The very act of learning to love someone brings up all of our wounds and all of our fears to the surface. A truly great love story is not one that doesn’t have conflict. It’s one where we witness people overcome their fears, traumas and conflicts to fall into a space of love with each other.”
But Larry’s relationship woes — along with the drama unfolding in Season 3 — will likely take a pause after the Episode 7 cliffhanger, in which a gunman arrived at the club with George as his target. The episode ended with the gunman pointing his gun and shooting as it faded to black.
“That’s what we’re all dealing with at all times, that our mortality is always potentially just around the corner,” Richardson said. “We can get so wrapped up in who’s marrying who, who was right in what situation and who hurt who. But then the gun goes off and everyone has to think about what really matters … It really is a conduit for clarity.”
The shooting will certainly jolt the already fickle connection between the Russells, who are still rebuilding after George and Bertha (Carrie Coon) sparred over her decision to arrange a marriage for her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga). Even as George celebrated Larry’s victory in the West, he still met his wife with a cold shoulder. Meanwhile, Oscar (Blake Ritson) grieved the death of his love John (Claybourne Elder) and tried to be there to support him.
In England, Gladys and Henry (Ben Lamb) seemed to be hitting their stride as husband and wife, and maybe starting to fall in love. They even prepared to send his sister Lady Sarah (Hattie Morahan) away to London, while they prepared to travel to London for Bertha’s upcoming end of the season party in Newport. As for Peggy (Denée Benton), it seemed like she and Dr. Kirkland (Jordan Donica) were getting serious when he invited her to an event hosted by his family as his date. Those plans might hit a snag though, since his mother Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad) learned of Peggy’s past adoption and headed straight for New York to tell her son.
All roads lead to the Season 3 finale, airing next Sunday.
“The end of Season 3 is definitely one of my favorite episodes,” Richardson teased. “All of the complexity that has been built so well over three seasons is all funneling into this melting pot of questions and drama. I’m really excited for people to see how this season is wrapped up. It leads to a lot more to explore.”
“The Gilded Age” releases new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT on HBO and HBO Max.
