Warning: SPOILERS for The Gilded Age Episode 4 – “A Long Ladder”
George Russell (Morgan Spector) bears some blame for the suicide in The Gilded Age last week but the railroad tycoon redeemed himself by proving his devotion to his wife, Bertha (Carrie Coon). Russell is The Gilded Age‘s wealthiest character and his status as a New Money millionaire conflicts with Old New York’s desire to keep people like him out of high society. Meanwhile, George has been targeted in his own home by Turner (Kelley Curran), Bertha’s lady’s maid, who sees Mr. Turner as her ticket to a better life than being a servant.
In The Gilded Age episode 3, “Face The Music,” Patrick Morris (Michel Gill) committed suicide after he gambled and lost all of his money in an insider trading scheme against George Russell. George hatched a plan for the city aldermen to make fast capital in exchange for their political favor in order to get a law passed that would allow Mr. Russell to build a new railroad station. Instead, the aldermen betrayed Russell because he was New Money and tried to ruin him financially. But the wily Mr. Russell outfoxed the politicians so that the bottom dropped out of their failed investments. Morris foolishly risked all of his money and begged Russell for mercy, but George had to prove a point to the aldermen and denied Patrick any relief. Facing social humiliation and the poor house, Morris shot himself later that night. The alderman’s suicide cast a pall over George Russell’s character since The Gilded Age portrayed him as heroic and admirable, especially when George used his money to stand up for Bertha after the women of high society humiliated and belittled Mrs. Russell.
George expressed some remorse over Patrick’s death in The Gilded Age episode 4, although the tycoon was more concerned that he would be blamed for Alderman Morris’ suicide. By contrast, Bertha didn’t feel George should blame himself because Morris was “weak” and her husband is “strong.” As ruthless as Mr. Russell can be (and has to be) in business, George’s redemption came when Turner attempted to seduce him. Taking advantage of George and Bertha sleeping in separate beds, Turner, who claims she’s fallen in love with George, stripped nude and crawled between Mr. Russell’s sheets. To George’s credit, he immediately rebuffed Bertha’s maid and proved his devotion to Bertha. George was also right that in Bertha, he already has a wife who supports him just as he does her. Turner completely misjudged how solid the Russells’ marriage is and George did not stoop to having an affair with his wife’s maid.
George denying Turner is a sharp contrast to how Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) betrayed his wife Cora (Elizabeth McGovern) and had an affair with their maid in Downton Abbey season 2. It was the lowest point of weakness for the Earl of Grantham and Cora never found out after their affair. The only aspect of Mr. Russell not firing Turner immediately that feels suspect is that it would be a humiliation for George to admit to Bertha that Turner got into bed with him. George decided to keep Turner on the payroll because Bertha respects her opinion about fashion and needs her advice about how to fit into New York high society. While keeping Turner employed could be a mistake down the road, it doesn’t mean that Mr. Russell is holding Turner “on retainer” in case he decides he wants an affair after all. Taking his actions at face value, George proved his loyalty to Bertha is genuine.
The Gilded Age has made most of its characters more complicated than merely “good” and “bad” people. George Russell is a prime example of someone who has admirable qualities as a husband and father but is cutthroat when crossed in the boardroom. What Turner will do next, if anything, after Mr. Russell rejected her advances remains to be seen but George is not a villain at home even if he’s willing to destroy lives in The Gilded Age if his company and fortune are threatened.
The Gilded Age airs Mondays at 9pm on HBO and streams on HBO Max.
