Julian Fellowes’ drama, The Gilded Age, shows an era when income taxes were non-existent, opulence was for a select few, and the old money and nouveau riche were at odds.
The New York-set series follows an eclectic cast of characters, such as Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon), whose railroad tycoon husband, George (Morgan Spector), has launched them into a new stratosphere of wealth.
Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) is a vicious old money socialite with razor-thin patience.
Expanding beyond East 61st St., the series also examines the Black experience outside of servitude through journalist Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), the daughter of affluent Brooklyn pharmacist and friend to Mrs.Van Rhijn’s niece Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson).
The contrast between racial violence and oppressive labor against warring Opera Houses and extravagant vacation homes proves the conflicting societal shifts in America. It’s sparkling, dramatic and grand.
Cynthia Nixon transforms into Ada Brook, Agnes’ meek spinster.
There aren’t any overly sultry scenes or “true” drama, save for the racial violence that Peggy witnesses during her ill-fated trip down South.
