The Gilded Age

[Anonymous]

What I find really baffling about this show is how it feels like they're just making it up as they go and there really isn't any cohesiveness or planning. Gladys suddenly has a new boyfriend so instead of us feeling like it's tragic he's what, the third guy Gladys has wanted to get engaged to? Ada gets married but then her husband just immediately dies the next episode. It's almost comical at this point.

Peggy is the worst for it, her storyline is all over the place. Does no one remember her lost kid? Her Dad
stole her son but Peggy's just forgotten about it now?

[Anonymous]

I’m super impressed that people are still watching this show. It was really torture to watch and I will watch ANYTHING with costumes and suspiciously woke olden times people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m super impressed that people are still watching this show. It was really torture to watch and I will watch ANYTHING with costumes and suspiciously woke olden times people.

Honestly it's almost a comical hate watch at this point, combined with Broadway actor bingo.

[Anonymous]

This last episode really got me! Poor Gladys. Sold off to the Duke. I wonder how close they will stay with the Consuelo Vanderbilt backstory.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This last episode really got me! Poor Gladys. Sold off to the Duke. I wonder how close they will stay with the Consuelo Vanderbilt backstory.

I don’t think they intend tío follow the Consuelo Vanderbilt story religiously because for one thing the Duke of Marlborough did not have an overbearing sister.

I listen to the official podcast and according to the actress who plays Gladys, she’ll be finding her voice as a Duchess in the second half of the season.

[Anonymous]

This article on how the created the wedding and its relationship to Consuelo Vanderbilt's wedding/marriage is worth the read: https://www.vulture.com/article/the-gilded-age-gladys-wedding-behind-the-scenes.html

Some highlights:

- They clearly could not copy the Vanderbilt wedding exactly because Consuelo married in the 1890s and Gladys' wedding is happening about a decade earlier, so it's more of an "inspired by"

- It was filmed at a gothic revival cathedral in Albany because the church Vanderbilt wed in burned down in 1901. The Albany church was designed by the same architect.

- They actually had to tone down the amount of flowers in the church and the Russell house versus real life because the real thing was so over the top it just wouldn't look elegant or appealing on the show (or would get in the way of some of the long shots they wanted to get). They also noted they do the same thing with the art in people's homes, especially the Russell's -- if the set was more true to life, it would be impossible to film in because there'd be so much priceless artwork in the background it would be distracting. These people were all about showcasing wealth to the exclusion of taste or good sense.

- IRL Consuelo was literally locked in her room in the weeks leading up to her wedding and openly weeping at the ceremony. They toned both details down in order to give Gladys more agency as a character, which I get because otherwise this storyline would be too depressing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This article on how the created the wedding and its relationship to Consuelo Vanderbilt's wedding/marriage is worth the read: https://www.vulture.com/article/the-gilded-age-gladys-wedding-behind-the-scenes.html

Some highlights:

- They clearly could not copy the Vanderbilt wedding exactly because Consuelo married in the 1890s and Gladys' wedding is happening about a decade earlier, so it's more of an "inspired by"

- It was filmed at a gothic revival cathedral in Albany because the church Vanderbilt wed in burned down in 1901. The Albany church was designed by the same architect.

- They actually had to tone down the amount of flowers in the church and the Russell house versus real life because the real thing was so over the top it just wouldn't look elegant or appealing on the show (or would get in the way of some of the long shots they wanted to get). They also noted they do the same thing with the art in people's homes, especially the Russell's -- if the set was more true to life, it would be impossible to film in because there'd be so much priceless artwork in the background it would be distracting. These people were all about showcasing wealth to the exclusion of taste or good sense.

- IRL Consuelo was literally locked in her room in the weeks leading up to her wedding and openly weeping at the ceremony. They toned both details down in order to give Gladys more agency as a character, which I get because otherwise this storyline would be too depressing.

Thanks so much! I was honestly just enjoying this as a period drama. I had heard of Mrs Astor and knew the main family was based on the Vanderbilts, but I didn’t realize how closely it followed real stories.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What I find really baffling about this show is how it feels like they're just making it up as they go and there really isn't any cohesiveness or planning. Gladys suddenly has a new boyfriend so instead of us feeling like it's tragic he's what, the third guy Gladys has wanted to get engaged to? Ada gets married but then her husband just immediately dies the next episode. It's almost comical at this point.

Peggy is the worst for it, her storyline is all over the place. Does no one remember her lost kid? Her Dad
stole her son but Peggy's just forgotten about it now?

I don’t think Gladys is in love with any particular man. I think she just wants to live an easier life. She isn’t the force of nature that her mother is.

[Anonymous]

I love this show. My teen daughter and I are watching Downton Abbey, and in that show they give equal weight to the kind of trivial interpersonal problems people have and the larger, life changing, world changing issues.
In the Gilded Age it’s like someone decided to challenge themselves to make a period drama that focuses only on the most trivial storylines and see if they can still make a watchable show. And I think they pull it off.
The episode where Mrs Russell doesn’t get invited to the fundraising event, and Mr Russell goes and buys out the whole thing and shuts it down is so great. Peggy is nearly dying, and the racist doctor won’t see her, but the whole thing is just a lead up to a romance, and that’s the only thing the show spends any time on. It’s perfect. I love it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m super impressed that people are still watching this show. It was really torture to watch and I will watch ANYTHING with costumes and suspiciously woke olden times people.

I love this!