'The Gilded Age' Season 3 is the best and boldest we've seen from the HBO hit show

Yahoo

5 hours ago

Now that the world of The Gilded Age has been firmly established, Season 3 of the HBO show (on Crave in Canada) takes a strong step to expand the scope of its storytelling. In a absorbing and satisfying new season, with an ensemble cast that includes Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson and Ben Ahlers, the period drama is a delight.
The show from Julian Fellowes raised the stakes in Season 2, but Season 3 includes more bold choices for many characters, including fan favourite Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), whose story was more overlooked that fans desired back in Season 2. From death, divorce, love and potential financial ruin, it's a delightful eight episodes.
The Gilded Age is available to watch on Crave in Canada (Max in the U.S.), with weekly episodes on Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET.
There are eight episodes in Season 3 of the show.
The new season of The Gilded Age takes place just months after the end of Season 2, with the first scenes showing a snowy New York.
Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) have to keep their relationship a secret, trying to wait for the time when they be honest about their courting, since Marian was previously engaged. Meanwhile, Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) is struggling with the power flip with her sister Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon), now that Ada is the one with money.
Across the street at the Russell household, Bertha (Carrie Coon) is ready to marry off her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) to the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), but Gladys is in a secret relationship with Billy Carlton (Matt Walker). They want to get engaged, but it seems like an impossible task to go against Bertha. George (Morgan Spector) is largely focused on his work acquired land to build the railroad, but he's not particularly on board for Bertha's plans for their daughter.
Peggy and her parents, Dorothy (Audra McDonald) and Arthur (John Douglas Thompson), get a more robust story in Season 3, particularly when Peggy meets a handsome doctor, William Kirkland (Jordan Donica), and the journalist's love life starts to blossom. Peggy also meets his wealthy parents, Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad) and Frederick (Brian Stokes Mitchell).
The Gilded Age always faced the challenge of establishing a robust story with so many characters, and Season 3 does so at a series best. Playing in both the historical and fantasy space, you've never felt so invested in these characters.
Throughout the eight episodes, the stakes just grow, leading to a particularly compelling finale, which we won't spoil, but we'll tease that it feels like a fitting, but curious, end to the season.
Season 3 allows us to see far more conversations about race and discrimination, and the fight for more rights for women, including divorce. The story is firmly planted in the disparity in power between men and women, explored in an anger-inducing but effective way throughout the season. While also giving us a more fully formed and significant narrative of the Black elite, expanding that part of the story in a really necessary way.
The performances continue to be nothing short of spectacular across the board, from the actors who appear throughout the whole season, to the ones we see only for moments in time. That includes Jack Trotter's (Ben Ahlers) story as he continues with his alarm clock-making, which on the surface may seem incredibly silly, but it's just perfectly charming.
Mr. ad Mrs. Russell continue to be a highlight, as are Ada and Agnes, with the actors continuing to have infectious on-screen chemistry. And in Season 3, they have even more juicy storylines to play with.
Overall, this season feels satisfyingly intricate in how each episode has been crafted.
Just when you think you may be done with the stories about the wealthy and powerful, even in the 1880s, Fellowes gives you a good reason to hit play on The Gilded Age again for Season 3.