The Gilded Age’s Season 3 Promises Some Great Fights, And I’m Not Sure Which Is The Most Harrowing

Warning: spoilers for The Gilded Age Season 3 premiere are in play.

For a singular premiere on the 2025 TV schedule, the kickoff to The Gilded Age Season 3 packed a lot of punch into HBO's latest returning drama. Now that the shock of those spoilers from the “This Season On…” trailer has faded, it’s time to talk about all of the other concerns that are now in play.

Spoilers for Season 3, Episode 1, “Who Is in Charge Here?" are naturally part of what we’re about to talk about, so you’ve been properly warned. But just in case, we’re going to start off with a Season 2 development that’s already starting to bear fruit.

Ada Forte’s Newfound Position Is Going To Be A Crisis Point

Much as you’d expect from shows like Downton Abbey, there’s nothing a convenient inheritance can’t fix. If it wasn’t for cousin Oscar (Blake Ritson) being fleeced out of a substantial sum, the Van Rhijn family fortune wouldn’t have needed to depend on the money left by aunt Ada Forte’s (Cynthia Nixon) late husband.

That twist made her the head of the house, and even The Gilded Age’s household staff understood that. For so long, we’ve seen her sister Agnes (Christine Baranski) holding the power and ultimately ruling the roost. That’s not so at this point, and this will totally exert pressure on the house. Seriously, when’s the last time you saw someone able to go against Agnes Van Rhijn and keep their hat?

John Trotter’s New Talents Open The Door For Huge Disappointments

Throughout Season 2, family footman John Trotter (Ben Ahlers) became increasingly curious about horology and clock repair. The Gilded Age didn’t take long to remind us of this development, as our young friend is now in business with would-be entrepreneur Larry Russell (Harry Richardson).

Even if he’s not being included in the meetings, people have taken notice that Mr. Trotter seems ready to leave his station for the big time. However, it’s Larry’s meetings without John that are seriously giving me pause.

Maybe it’s because of Oscar’s previous troubles, but I’m not totally sure that the man who means well will be keeping his partner’s best interests in mind. With his co-workers annoyed, he’s looking up, and his potential partner positioned to be looking down, it’s a recipe for great heartbreak.

I’m Worried The Russell Household Is Heading For Great Tragedy

Larry’s not the only member of the Russell family who’s having problems. While Bertha (Carrie Coon) is seeing her standing in New York society rising, there’s some storm clouds brewing in her palatial abode. We’re still seeing husband George (Morgan Spector) going through tumultuous railroad dealings that could expand his empire across North America - and at a perilous price, HBO Max subscription holders have been fearing since Season 2's labor strikes.

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$9.99 a month (with ads) may not sound like high society, but it'll help you feel like a million bucks, as that's the cost of an HBO Max subscription. As both previous seasons of The Gilded Age are part of that vast streaming library's selection, drama won't be too far behind. Though there are also plenty of other titles that can help bring you back to the modern day - for better or worse.

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Upon his eventual return, it looks like he’ll be entering the debate over whether his wife’s wishes for their daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) to marry the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) are truly what’s best for the family. And while we’ve seen George and Bertha come to blows previously, their ideas of success in business versus society are primed to tear them apart. That is, if they don’t lose their money to the Transcontinental Railroad.

Agnes Van Rhijn Just May Be A Social Crusader After All

While The Gilded Age Season 3’s new trailer showed us that Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) is going to be ok, the refusal of Dr. Lewis (James Riordan) to treat her illness won’t be without consequence. Agnes van Rhijn has sworn vengeance, and as we’ve seen in the past, she is not someone to be trifled with. Oddly enough, that suggests The Gilded Age may be correcting what some consider to be a fault of the show’s plot structure.

As Season 2 saw Peggy on a dangerous trip to the South with her newspaper boss T. Thomas Fortune (Sullivan Jones), the sequestered nature of her plot seemed to be a problem with some. With Agnes taking up the cause of racism, and on Peggy’s behalf, the threads of the Van Rhijn-Brook and Scott households are seemingly reunited.

If you put this together with the fact that Ada has been getting involved with the temperance and suffragette movements, this is a potential balm for the wound between the sisters. That couldn’t have come at a better time, as the kids are not all right in the New York City dating scene.

Marion And Peggy’s Romantic Obstacles Show Some Obheavals Are Ahead

Gladys Russell isn’t the only young lover in New York City experiencing the woes of courtship. Peggy Scott looks to be heading for romantic strife, as her new relationship with Dr. William Kirkland (Jordan Donica) could be compromised by that scandalous kiss with her married former boss.

Something that’ll probably count as another strike against her with William’s mother, and fellow new Gilded Age character Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad). Speaking of strikes, poor young Marion Brook (Louisa Jacobson) is two-thirds through the allotment of the typical baseball analogy.

After being jilted in The Gilded Age’s Season 1 finale and breaking off her engagement in Season 2, a lot is riding on her current romance with Larry Russell. That kind of puts even more pressure on Larry’s business dealings with footman Jack Trotter, as the potential failure of such an endeavor might be seen as a slight on the family name.

The major theme of The Gilded Age Season 3 seems to be that change isn’t without risk, and getting what we want isn’t as easy, or rewarding, as we’d hoped. While history can help inform us on what to expect up to a certain point, Julian Fellowes’ historical dramas tend to take sharp turns where you least expect them. That's part of why I'm still hopeful for a potential Downton Abbey crossover.

Keeping that in mind, following the rest of The Gilded Age Season 3 promises to be as intriguing as it is beautiful. We’ll see whose hearts get broken, and whose fortunes improve or reverse, every Sunday night at 9 PM ET, on HBO. But don’t forget, you can also stream both previous seasons on HBO Max, as well as brand new episodes that debut as they’re broadcast.