Warning: This article contains spoilers about Monday’s season 1 finale ofThe Gilded Age.
The Russells have triumphed at last.
Not only that, but it was her own father who concealed the truth from her.
Bertha (Carrie Coon) and George Russell (Morgan Spector) share a moment of victory.Alison Cohen Rosa/HBO
We called up creatorJulian Fellowesand co-writer Sonja Warfield to get all the details on the drama-filled finale.
I was just reading books about it.
But it was all faster moving than Europe.
And it had an upward curve energy.
That created a completely different dynamic, which appealed to me.
They were too strong.
They were too rich.
They were too everything.
And she had to sort of forge a society out of these different elements.
This finale has many big reveals, but let’s start with Peggy.
Was the secret something that’s been weighing on her all season?
And did you tell Denee what it was from the beginning?
SONJA WARFIELD:I didn’t tell her.
Did you tell her?
I think she knew though, right?
FELLOWES:I think she knew, didn’t she, all the way through?
I don’t remember it being a big reveal of a secret.
She knew all the way through that that was going to be her reveal.
WARFIELD:It’s definitely has been weighing on her all season.
That’s why she hired Raikes to help her.
That’s why she was in Pennsylvania, so that’s how she and Marian met.
FELLOWES:She knew she wanted to get to the bottom of it.
She definitely knew she wanted to know what had happened.
That’s been with us from the start.
FELLOWES:I never talk about coming seasons.
I never give anything away.
Of course, you have to ask.
But I don’t have to answer.
The Russells finally have their moment of triumph with the ball.
Do they feel they’ve won, at least for now?
FELLOWES:I hope so.
I feel Bertha has had quite a rough ride.
She’s a very determined woman.
She wants to get this settled.
And we’ve seen her go for it.
That’s my plan for Bertha.
George does call her “the belle of the ball.”
I hope they can at least savor that a bit.
Of course, she’s always the belle ofhisball.
It’s come right for them both at the end.
But in life there’s no such thing as a happy ending.
There’s a happy bit and then you move on to the next chapter.
I’m sure that’s what George and Bertha will do.
Marian and Mr. Raikes have this very unfortunate end to their love story.
Why did he bother pursuing her if he was ultimately only going to put money above his feelings?
FELLOWES:Ultimately is the right word.
I don’t think he knew at the beginning.
At the beginning, she was a breath of fresh air.
She was going to New York, where he’d always wanted to live and work.
Suddenly, she’s stimulated that ambition that made him do it after delaying it for years.
He comes to New York and he’s very, very strongly attracted to her.
I don’t know if it’s true now.
He has that and he’s tempted, but he’s still true to Marian.
Then the girl Sissy comes along, and he suddenly realizes that actually, he has a choice.
If he wants this way of life, he can have it.
That is very hard for him.
I’m not entirely without sympathy.
In the end he’s morally weak, and he’s not prepared to ride it out.
How strongly did you want to come down on one side or the other in terms of this breakup?
When he approaches, and Aurora says, “Well, you’re certainly the man about town.”
Those are all the things you want to say to a guy when you catch them doing something wrong.
My empathy was definitely with Marian’s character.
FELLOWES:Ada says it.
You want to try and have these crises before you’ve tied the knot.
But I wouldn’t say it’s quite fair to say I’m not on Marian’s side.
Marian is a stronger person morally.
Being weak doesn’t mean someone has to be hateful and horrible.
She says she’s not going to hate him.
What should we make of her dancing with Larry Russell?
Because there’s been a bit of a spark between them each time they’ve met this season.
FELLOWES:She likes Larry.
I don’t think it’s terribly loaded.
They’re a similar age.
He could have been an entitled brat, but he isn’t.
He wants to get something done that is outside his father’s kingdom.
That appeals to her.
I don’t necessarily think there’s anything more in it, but she likes both him and Gladys.
She’s quite friendly to them both because they want to get on and live their lives.
And that’s exactly what Marian wants to do.
Ada is more inclined to let her than Agnes.
WARFIELD:Larry represents the young and wealthy, but he’s very welcoming to her.
He’s not snobbish at all.
So, they’ll get along.
Who would be a more horrific option for Marian to Agnes Larry Russell or Mr. Raikes?
FELLOWES:In a way we make fun of Agnes.
Christine’s wonderful performance allows us to do that.
But Agnes is not entirely insubstantial.
The fact is, her moral assessment of Mr. Raikes was completely accurate.
She saw before Marian that he was a man of straw, and that’s really her complaint.
She could have lived with the lack of money.
But what she can’t live with is the lack of spine.
I rather like Agnes for that.
I don’t feel she was unjust in her condemnation.
Ultimately, she saw ahead of either Marian or Ada what he was made of.
WARFIELD:She’s also practical.
FELLOWES:That’s an important element.
Agnes doesn’t dislike that.
She dislikes her doing things that are wrong for her social position and so on.
But she doesn’t want her to have no ambition.
She just wants her to have a position, and I’m sufficiently old fashioned to rather sympathize.
Agnes makes this huge concession in the end in going to the Russells' ball.
Do you feel that marks a real turning point for her?
Will she think of things a little differently going forward?
FELLOWES:No, not really.
They couldn’t be excluded.
Agnes has a very similar feeling.
She says to Ada, “This is the ceasefire.
We can decide whether to resume the battle later.”
I don’t think she’s going through a great sentimental recharge.
Sonja, how did you keep that balance with Carrie and Morgan throughout the season?
WARFIELD:Their marriage is to be admired, really.
They’re just great partners, and they have each other’s back and they’re for each other.
That’s why you’re rooting for them, because they’re a team.
He’s tackling titans of industry and she’s tackling the social world and she is an underdog.
Those ladies are not nice to her in the beginning.
You are rooting for Bertha.
Bertha’s ambition is to be admired.
I always thought if Bertha were in 2022, she would be running Apple.
You know, she would be running Instagram or something.
She’d be Sheryl Sandberg.
Bertha is one of my favorite characters.
Bertha’s social ambitions, every now and then, make George laugh.
He thinks it’s hilarious that his wife is so desperate to get Mrs. Astor into her ballroom.
He couldn’t give a monkey’s stinker whether she came.
But that’s not the point.
He will support her.
Similarly with his industrial struggles, and all the rest of it, she will support him.
Even when she’s not in the mood for it.
She will support him.
That’s a powerful thing for people to see.
They support each other in all things.
FELLOWES:I don’t know if surprise is the word.
You’re always very anxious that the audience are going to get it.
That’s not how we all live.
We have a similar thing here.
Who’s going to care whether Bertha makes her mark in New York society?
George is too rich, who’s going to care about that?
WARFIELD:I echo that.
The surprise for me was how invested the audience is.
When I go online, and I’m on Twitter or Instagram, the audience is already guessing.
They didn’t trust Raikes a few weeks ago.
They’re just so in it and involved and worried about Marian.
I love that … and that’s what good television is about.
It’s about these characters who you really care about.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
