# The Gilded Age on HBO Max (open spoilers) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted, hbomax-wb-dc\ **Created:** [January 31, 2022, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668 "2022-01-31T02:38:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2022, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/101 "2022-03-28T15:49:48Z")
Linear, obvious plot lines are lazy storytelling. > [@zbuzz](#): > > I don’t think Fellowes TV shows are particularly known for their subtlety. Q.E.D. However, since you seem offended by my speculation let’s just drop it. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2022, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/102 "2022-03-28T20:24:27Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > Linear, obvious plot lines are lazy storytelling. Lack of subtlety isn’t necessarily synonymous with lazy storytelling. > [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > However, since you seem offended by my speculation let’s just drop it. Please don’t passive aggressively ascribe imaginary offense on my part just because I find your speculation completely unconvincing. ---
**Author:** ![Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/marvin_the_martian/32/2898_2.png) [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marvin_the_Martian)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2022, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/103 "2022-03-29T03:55:43Z")
OK, I will buy that lack of subtlety \<\> lazy storytelling. Lack of subtlety = shitty unimaginative writing. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [April 15, 2022, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/104 "2022-04-15T16:56:42Z")
A good end to the season, all in all. We’ll definitely tune in to S2. Tom wasn’t a total shit, but neither did he treat Marian nearly as well as she deserved. At least she found out before saying “I do.” > [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > The van Rhijn party were totally slumming it not taking a carriage to cross the street. Ha! I had the same thought. > [@carlb](#): > > …To paraphrase someone on Twitter, the stakes are 0 and the drama is 100… As Henry Kissinger said of faculty politics, “The fighting is so fierce because the stakes are so small.” > [@Lantern2](#): > > Someone mentioned Teddy Roosevelt earlier and I checked to see what he was doing around this time. Apparently he was in the New York State Assembly fighting corporate corruption including Jay Gould the railroad tycoon who was a possible model for Russell. He would fit beautifully into the show and would be a nice counterweight to Russell who has basically seemed invincible till now. I really hope he is introduced in Season 2. Yes, I’m a big T.R. fan and really hope we’ll see him in S2 (it would’ve been nice for him and his wife - they married in 1880 - just to be announced and briefly appear at the Russells’ big shindig). > [@Nonsuch](#): > > …Spratt had no problem sabotaging Molesley when he felt his own job was at risk, plus he’s just kind of a dick in general. Absolutely. And BTW Jeremy Swift, the actor who played Spratt, plays a very different part, but just as well, in _Ted Lasso_. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/105 "2023-11-13T17:23:56Z")
Three episodes into season 2, anyone else watching? ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/106 "2023-11-13T17:36:35Z")
We;ve watched the first two episodes so far, and we’re enjoying it a lot. There hasn’t been much plot to talk about yet. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/107 "2023-11-13T17:38:06Z")
Yep. Things could get ugly soon, with Mr. Russell and the strikers, and Peggy’s trip to Alabama. Historic realities that Julian Fellows can’t fix with his usual noblesse oblige as a Deus ex machina. I did appreciate choosing an early Oscar Wilde [misfire.](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera;_or,_The_Nihilists) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/108 "2023-11-13T19:04:42Z")
I was wondering what the boring play was. And I was looking for a sign of recognition among John Adams, Oscar van Rhijn and Oscar Wilde but didn’t see anything. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/109 "2023-11-13T19:06:51Z")
[Vera](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vera;_or,_The_Nihilists). > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > And I was looking for a sign of recognition among John Adams, Oscar van Rhijn and Oscar Wilde but didn’t see anything. It was there, all right. Wilde made some pointed comments and when Mrs. Fane said she didnt understand, Wilde said, I wouldn’t expect you to, or words to that effect. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/110 "2023-11-13T20:12:49Z")
IIRC is was “you’re too well brought up”. I wonder is the Oscars will hook up. And Peggy in the South will be interesting to say the least; for all her experiences with racism she’s still quite sheltered for a woman of color. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/111 "2023-11-13T23:41:06Z")
I look forward to it every week. I’m not very knowledgeable about the time period and find myself googling events to see which ones are real. I always enjoy historical fiction. But the best thing to me is the dresses. I just love them. Especially the ones Marian wears - very art deco looking, though this is well before that period. I have to rewind sometimes to see what’s happening because I get distracted by what everyone is wearing. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2023, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/112 "2023-11-13T23:50:09Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Yep. Things could get ugly soon, with Mr. Russell and the strikers, and Peggy’s trip to Alabama. Historic realities that Julian Fellows can’t fix with his usual noblesse oblige as a Deus ex machina. Doesn’t mean he won’t try. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/113 "2023-11-14T17:30:28Z")
Something I noticed this episode that was curiously absent last season: horse poop in the street. When Mrs. Russell had her ball, with all the carriages arriving, the Van Rijn women marched across the street with no course corrections as expected. Maybe they hired a dedicated gong-farmer to keep the streets clean. Too bad he doesn’t get his own story line. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2023, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/114 "2023-11-14T17:53:46Z")
My wife often comments on the unrealistic cleanliness of streets (i.e., lack of horse shit) in period movies and shows. So I was calling out “Horse shit!” as we watched these eps. ---
**Author:** ![zbuzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/115 "2023-11-15T08:53:39Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > Something I noticed this episode that was curiously absent last season: horse poop in the street. When Mrs. Russell had her ball, with all the carriages arriving, the Van Rijn women marched across the street with no course corrections as expected. I hate to quote myself, but me commenting on that scene in post 73 from last season > [@zbuzz](#): > > And narrowly missing the horse shit pile. It wasn’t really narrowly missing, but if you rewatch that scene, there’s a pile of horse shit to their left and a pile of horse shit to their right so they go right down the middle in between. It definitely seemed like there were more piles of horse shit than normal in this episode at least. Maybe it’s supposed to be an example of how New York is growing. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [November 15, 2023, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/116 "2023-11-15T19:24:14Z")
We enjoy this show a lot but felt episode 3 was a little weak compared to the others this season and the ending seemed really abrupt and with no hook for the next episode. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/117 "2023-11-16T14:34:08Z")
I just watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-HYuhYcR-I&ab_channel=HistoryTeaTimewithLindsayHoliday) that someone put out about Caroline Astor. I thought it would be a direct primer explaining how Mrs. Astor’s life is intertwined with the show but it’s just a straight-up biography of her. HOWEVER, if you’re familiar with the show (which you are!) you will be able to see how her life is intertwined in the show. I definitely learned some things I didn’t know and got some insight into the characters of the show. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/118 "2023-11-16T15:06:34Z")
And in case you’re not aware, the Russells (George and Bertha) are stand-ins for the real-life Vanderbilt family, the nouveau riche trying to break into Gilded Age society, where Mrs Astor (and her famous guest list of 400) was the gatekeeper. The Vanderbilts are of course the ancestors of the CNN journalist Anderson Cooper. Coincidentally, Anderson Cooper recently published a biography of the Astors. ---
**Author:** ![aurora\_maire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aurora_maire/32/328_2.png) [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2023, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/119 "2023-11-16T21:27:56Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I just watched [this video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-HYuhYcR-I&ab_channel=HistoryTeaTimewithLindsayHoliday) that someone put out about Caroline Astor. That was very interesting. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2023, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668/120 "2023-11-20T03:59:55Z")
“Years from now, when you speak of this, and you will, be kind.” If you’re going to lift material from _Tea and Sympathy,_ might as well do it verbatim. I wonder what Mrs. Winterton will do for revenge? Mrs. Russell’s husband was a no-go, but her son has proven mommy-issues and is vulnerable. Also, the Redditors beat me by years recognizing Mrs. Bruce as Lizzie Borden’s missing twin. Who was the Duke of Buckingham supposed to be? Generic British nobility? All I could find was a 65 year-old peer who died the year the episode takes place, after which the title went extinct. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-gilded-age-on-hbo-max-open-spoilers/958668.md?page=7)