The stars break down the tragic twist in episode 3, “Face the Music.”
Warning: This article contains spoilers about episode 3 of The Gilded Age, “Face the Music.”
When the aldermen go against their word and pull the rug out from Russell, Russell ruins them all.
Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO
All of their overextended debts are called in, leaving them exposed, vulnerable, and humiliated.
When Russell refuses, Morris is a broken man.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When you both read the script, were you shocked by these final moments?
[Gill had a gnarly end inMr.
Robot,among other shows].
But also, it creates the power and influence and ruthlessness of George Russell.
I’m there to serve the story.
There’s no way to come back from that.
It’s a terrible thing that happened, but it happened a lot back then, saving face.
He can’t show his face publicly anymore.
It’s awful, but it doesn’t leave us in a very good position either.
It’s a very sad storyline, but that happened a lot with those businessmen.
What do you think drives Patrick to this extreme?
GILL:A couple of things.
First, the shame of it.
But if he sticks around, the shame in those days was just so great and so profound.
He couldn’t see through it.
Was it a challenge not to tip your hand there?
Do you think any part of Anne suspected what he was about to do?
FINNERAN:It’s a world of covering everything.
They didn’t really talk about things that bothered them so much.
You’re not emotionally invested in the other person’s trouble.
You’re just trying to patch up and show good face to society and each other.
I don’t understand how devastating it is that he’s lost.
I do, but not to the extent that he might kill himself.
At that point, I’m just trying to cover, like, “Everything’s fine.
I know things are going bad for you, but everything’s fine.”
I don’t think he’s going to kill himself.
Michel, what was it like filming that scene?
I imagine you have to get to a fairly dark place to shoot that?
To understand the level of anguish and pain that needs to stop.
And with him, not only pain, but shame.
Shame plays a big part in the period.
The depth of his shame with their rules and their conditions, you take your life.
I don’t know if it’s very different today.
As an actor, you have to cling to those things.
Not ever really fully being able to grasp that kind of desperation.
FINNERAN:Michel’s character feels like we’re better off without him.
But we probably won’t be saved because we’re stretching the truth a little bit.
Back in those days, if your husband killed himself, you’re invited to leave society.
Nobody wants to be seen with you.
GILL:There was no way out.
From our perspective, it’s a cowardly thing to do.
From his perspective, there’s no way out.
There’s no recovering from this.
He lost it all.
How badly do you think Patrick and Anne underestimated the Russells?
But she pushes in so forcefully.
Show us that you’re respectful.
We’ll be respectful to you.
And maybe one day we’ll let you in."
But she just barrels in there like a bull in a china shop.
He’s already familiar with the old.
But he doesn’t think Russell will miss the money.
He sees an opportunity here to fill his pockets, and that nobody will be the wiser for it.
He completely underestimates the ruthlessness and the power.
His greed takes over because he really sees a way to get out of debt to help his family.
It’s a huge misjudgment on his part and on his fellow aldermen’s part.
They cross a line that creates a whole historical timeline for insider trading.
My grandfather was a big gambler in the commodity and currency field.
I get that it’s drastic and dramatic.
And it’s greed.
It’s really this lack of awareness.
It’s a huge blunder.
It’s the wives that keep these business relationships going and have the power to ruin them.
It comes from the theater community.
GILL:I couldn’t say it much better.
It is done all the time.
That really is the most important thing in these fleeting moments of relationships.
Michel, you kneel and beg George Russell to end his scheme.
How much do you think that costs him?
Is that loss of dignity part of what you think pushes him to this tragic end?
GILL:Yes, he feels that in that very moment.
In that moment, he just has this overwhelming sensation of this emptiness in his life.
He’s taken the life out of him.
And when he gets up, he is already a lost man.
Now it’s a question of how he’s going to deal with being a shadow of a person.
FINNERAN:In that society, you would never come back from that.
And that shame, knowing that he did that to himself, is just awful.
GILL:I mean, he kneeled there in front of his fellow aldermen and in front of Russell.
In those days, it’s not recoverable.
That’s not even in anybody’s consciousness.
Intercut with the suicide, we see Russell say he’s punished them enough.
GILL:I don’t know.
Obviously, those are those great moments in life where you miss it by a second.
The tension in that montage is deliberate to reflect the tragedy that these things can be potentially avoided.
But we’ll never know.
Those are the consequences, and one just never knows.
Katie, this leaves your character Anne very exposed and vulnerable.
What will it mean for her future?
GILL:Well, I have a spoiler alert!
Patrick’s brother Billy Morris comes to town.
FINNERAN:That’s a brilliant idea.
We should tell Julian.
Or we could have the ghost of Patrick?
GILL:There you go.
Anything to be a working actor.
She might have a little revenge in her.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
