Popular HBO shows get the world talking, and Julian Fellowes' The Gilded Age is no exception. Not one to be left out, I recently binge watched all three seasons through the use of my HBO Max subscription. And while I try to patiently wait for the fourth season, I'm really hoping that we get to see more of Gladys at the height of her power. I mean, am I wrong here?
What we know about The Gilded Age Season 4 is very limited, although fans are eager to follow up on a number of the show's characters and plot lines. While fans want to know if Bertha and George Russell's marriage will ever recover, I'm just hoping that we get to see more of Gladys thriving as the Duchess of Buckingham. Because seeing just a taste of it in the last season of the Emmy-nominated show just wasn't enough.
I Need Gladys To Stand In Her Power In Season 4
Throughout much of Season 3, Gladys was lamenting her mother's plans to marry her to the Duke. Eventually she relented, and moved across the pond with her new husband. While originally struggling to adjust to British Society, and particularly to her sister-in-law, Lady Sarah Vere.
That changed in "If You Want to Cook an Omelette." Prior to John Adams getting hit by a carriage, we saw Bertha helping to coach her daughter into using her new title and taking control of her new household. She politely tells off Sarah, showing what she's learned from years of watching her mother climb the ranks of New York Society. This was one of the most satisfying moments in Season 3, and a color on Gladys that I think we need to see more of.
The Season 3 finale revealed that Gladys was pregnant, which is a new fold that could give her even more power and influence over Sidmouth Castle. Hopefully that means we get to watch Taissa Farmiga flex those muscles again and become the influential world figure her mother wants her to be.
Fans Think Gladys Is The Key To A Downton Crossover
Since Gladys is now part of British High Society, the calls for a Gilded Age/Downtown Abbey crossover are louder than ever. Aside from her finally being on the right continent, Violet's age could open up a connection to Maggie Smith's Violet Crawley.
CinemaBlend's own Rachel Rosenfeld spoke to Julian Fellowes himself at the press junket for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, where he brought up the timing of a possible crossover. In his words:
Well, people keep asking whether or not we're going to have one. Of course, you have to have a much younger Violet. I mean, she was... Robert marries in about, uh, I forget, uh, 18 even because his children are about 20, 19, 12. So he marries in about 1890. So he would have to be at least 18 or 19, and Violet would be, you know, 39, 38, if we went in, uh, at this stage, at the Gilded Age. But I'm not saying that to say I'm, it is definitely not gonna happen. I just, you know, I never want to say anything's definite. Nothing is definite in this business.
There you have it. While now we understand how the timing of a crossover between Fellowes' two shows might work, it doesn't sound like the legendary TV creator is trying to actually make it happen. Still, I have a feeling that won't stop fans from campaigning to see these two worlds collide.
Regardless of whether or not we see a crossover, I do think that Gladys is the key to more epic storytelling as we get deeper into The Gilded Age. I'm ready to see her at the height of her power, and a fully grown and independent woman.
The Gilded Age can be streamed in its entirety on HBO Max, thanks to Season 3 arriving on the 2025 TV schedule. It's currently unclear when Season 4 might arrive, as production has not yet begun. Let's hope that filming begins sooner rather than later so we can return to this fascinating story.
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