Gilded age spoilers: season 3, episode 6

The drama continues on this week’s episode of The Gilded Age, Season 3, Episode 6: “If You Want to Make an Omelette.”
Ranks and titles are challenged, scandals exposed, and wayward apple carts prove to be a menace to society.

We open with Bertha Russell arriving in England at Sidmouth Castle. Despite parting on less than friendly terms, Gladys is in desperate need of help asserting her dominance in her new household—and if anyone is up to the task, it’s Mama Russell.

From the moment she walks through the door, Bertha begins coaching Gladys to insert herself and challenge Lady Sarah. It starts small, with Bertha advising Gladys to make Hector see her as an asset. Gladys asks to become more familiar with the estate—something that ruffles Lady Sarah’s feathers, though she has little recourse.

The ploy pays off. At dinner, Lady Sarah tries to derail Gladys’s plan to plant a grove in honor of the Queen’s 50th anniversary. Snobby Sarah decides it’s time for the ladies to “go through,” but after an encouraging nod from Bertha, Gladys speaks up. She demands to know why Lady Sarah didn’t wait for her—the hostess—to make the call. Shamed into silence for her blatant disregard of rank, Lady Sarah sits back down, a few pegs lower than when she entered.

This is the Gladys I’ve been waiting for—one stepping into her power and position. She won’t be so easy to intimidate going forward.

Back in New York, Mr. Russell has been staying at the club. Though he told Bertha not to expect him home when she returned from England, he’s currently alone. It’s a waste of money, especially as he struggles to keep his company afloat. JP Morgan hosts a gathering of the city’s railroad barons in a secluded cabin. In another genre, it would be the perfect setup for a murder mystery: they can’t leave until one of them emerges as the primary shareholder of the Illinois railroad line. Mr. Russell wins—but returns to the city only to find his company’s financial woes splashed across the newspapers by his rival and former employee.

Meanwhile, Marian learns—via Oscar—about Larry’s recent visit to the Haymaker, a high-end brothel. Oscar, still nursing his own heartbreak, is focused on helping the woman who conned him out of his fortune. But Marian is crushed. She assumes Larry must have engaged in something sordid, and rather than wait to speak with him, she writes a letter and ends the engagement.

And honestly? I get it. He lied and ditched a celebratory dinner on the night of their engagement. Jack and Oscar were tight-lipped and evasive about the whole evening. Now, everything’s up in the air as to whether they’ll be able to move past the deception.

And poor, sweet Jack! Upon learning how much money he’s made, Agnes and Ada ask him to leave. Apparently, it’s improper to have someone wealthier than them living and working in their home. Always the gentleman, Jack moves out—and returns everyone’s investment with interest, even including grumpy Mrs. Bauer, who hadn’t invested at all.

And we have to talk about those final, shocking moments. Oscar, feeling buoyed by generosity after buying Maud Beaton a ticket, stops to chat with his ex, Mr. Adams. Love is in the air, and for a moment, it feels like things might actually work out. But just as the scene peaks with hope, tragedy strikes—a horse and cart barrel into Mr. Adams out of nowhere.

Is this another Matthew moment? Has tragedy finally come for New York’s elite?
Only time will tell… or next week’s episode.