HBO’s The Gilded Age boasts a cast full of characters who teeter the line between good and morally corrupt, continuing the network’s reputation for creating shows that spotlight flawed characters.
From the likes of Tony Soprano to Kendall Roy, these male characters have continued to fascinate audiences, becoming some of the most iconic television characters since the medium’s inception. Julian Fellowes’ period drama introduces a female character to the mix who stands tall among her male peers, within the show’s narrative and outside of it too.
Season 3 of The Gilded Age saw Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) forcing her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) into an arranged marriage with Hector (Ben Lamb), the Duke of Buckingham. In doing so, her relationship with Gladys fractures, as her daughter is frustrated with not being able to marry for love, and terrified of living abroad with a man she barely knows.
It’s not only Gladys who this decision impacts, it’s Bertha’s husband, George (Morgan Spector), who detests it the most. However, it’s not simply his daughter’s safety that he has in mind; it’s the money that Bertha promised to the Duke in exchange for Gladys’ hand, and the fact that Bertha made this wedding decision without George’s counsel. Unlike her peers, Bertha has grown into a woman who no longer views her husband’s approval as something she needs in high society, instead taking control of her household, and making outside deals for the betterment of their future.
To many, the decision to marry Gladys off was unforgivable, and a hate-train for Bertha continued to grow on social media with each episode. But perhaps this ire is misplaced. We cannot truly hold Bertha to modern-day standards—in the time period that The Gilded Age takes place, women had to fight to gain respect from their peers, and the only way they could do that was by holding status over others in high society. As the wife of the Duke of Buckingham, Gladys’ future has been shaped for her. She will remain wealthy, and remain to be seen as a person of note throughout history, something Bertha is terrified she may not maintain herself.
Considered “new money,” compared to the Astor’s and the van Rhijn’s, both George and Bertha have had to fight for everything they have. It’s why Bertha has been looked down upon by her peers since Season 1, and it’s a foundational aspect as to why she’s so desperate to grow her family’s wealth and success. As someone not born into money but reaping its benefits, a life outside the one the Russells have built is not a life that Bertha considers good enough for her children.
Unlike the men who dominated HBO shows in the past, Bertha is able to admit when she’s wrong. In an attempt to salvage her relationship with her daughter, she makes the trek to Sidmouth Castle to visit Gladys and see how she’s fairing. Realizing Gladys is being bullied by Hector’s sister, Lady Sarah (Hattie Morahan), Bertha gives her daughter a pep talk, making sure she takes matters into her own hands to become the true lady of the house.
But still, it wasn’t enough for fans. “The fact that Gladys is finding happiness in her marriage is down to luck,” Reddit user Apprehensive-War-492 posted in the official Reddit page for the series. “Bertha is not owed an apology, she is owed a comeuppance.”
Don’t get me wrong, Bertha’s choices this season haven’t been perfect. But, this doesn’t mean these decisions warrant being shunned by her husband and son, and shouldn’t warrant fans turning on her. None of her actions should come as a surprise to viewers. Bertha has always been inherently ambitious, and that was never going to change, even at the expense of her family’s feelings.
In the end, Gladys and Hector seem to have found common ground, and are finally acting like newlyweds rather than business partners. With her daughter happy and now expecting her first child, Bertha’s plans have proven to be fruitful. Despite this, Bertha continues to suffer, with her husband and son leaving the Russell household to take on more business ventures. There’s no denying that George made his own share of mistakes this season, which almost resulted in his family losing their fortune in his desperation to build a cross-country railroad, and nearly caused George’s death.
In this season’s final moments, The Gilded Age makes it clear that despite both Bertha and George taking matters into their own ambitious hands, the consequences each of them face will never be weighed the same. As a man who holds all the power in society, George’s choices are respected, while Bertha is painted as a villain. “I know what I want,” Bertha exclaims when her husband tells her of his plans to leave New York, pleading for him to stay by her side. “Of course you do,” he replies with a sneer.
In their final moments together, their relationship is splintered by Bertha’s ambition and George’s refusal to understand the headstrong woman he married. On screen and off, Bertha is misunderstood as a selfish woman who only looks out for herself, when in reality she’s simply trying to ensure her family’s survival. In a television landscape where cutthroat female characters are still hard to come by, we should be grateful that a protagonist like Bertha’s even exists, especially in a show as soapy as The Gilded Age.
