The Gilded Age Review: HBO’s Answer to Bridgerton is Off to a Good Start

The Gilded Age is HBO Max’s answer to Bridgerton. Created by Julian Fellowes, the man behind Downton Abbey, The Gilded Age takes place about 20-30 years before the hit ITV series that aired on PBS in the United States. HBO’s entry into the growing period drama field trades the British upper class for a battle between Old Money New York and New Money New York. 

If you paid attention in history class, you might remember the culture clash between upstart railroad barons and those with inherited money who dislike the concept of upward mobility on principle. The Gilded Age is about the petty distinctions high society creates because﹣for some reason﹣it matters if you are an Astor (old money) or a Vanderbilt (new money).

While it’s hard to root for characters that build ostentatious houses on Fifth Avenue to show off their wealth, it’s fascinating to watch people attempt to buy friends through money and charity work. It also helps that the always impressive Christine Baranski plays Agnes Van Rhijn, one of the most classist characters, and has a foil in Louisa Jacobson as Marian Brook, someone who doesn’t understand the snobbery against the Russell family.

Of course, The Gilded Age wouldn’t be interesting if making friends was as easy as throwing money at people who already have too much of it. The women who come from old money are patrons of various charities and only want new money for donations as long as they can collect a check without schmoozing for it. After all, you wouldn’t want to lower your standing in the community by associating with the “wrong” people. That arbitrary social rule will determine most of the conflict for this series. 

It wouldn’t be a proper period drama without a potential love story between two people who, according to their societal norms, shouldn’t associate with each other. Despite being told she should avoid the Russels at all costs, Marian refuses to hate them just because her rich aunt says so. This opens the door for Marian and the Russels’ Yale-educated son to sneak around behind her aunt’s back.

Two major plot threads must be mentioned, even though neither provided the main thrust of the debut episode. The first involves Peggy Scott (Denée Benton, UnREAL), an African American woman and friend to Marian. Peggy wants to be a writer, but her race and gender are obstacles in late 19th century America. The second is that Agnes Van Rijn wants her son’s best friend to court Marian. The problem, which is only briefly shown, is that her son and his best friend are secretly a couple; setting a variation of a love triangle into motion.

The Gilded Age is off to a good start. The only thing preventing this pilot from being excellent is that HBO continues to introduce programs with episodes 20 minutes longer than a typical episode and often with extraneous scenes. In this case, the 80-minute first episode would have better served the series as two 40-45 minute episodes released simultaneously. Whether 80 minutes is the typical length of an episode of The Gilded Age remains to be seen. Regardless of episode length, The Gilded Age is a series sure to be filled with compelling conflict and plot twists.

The Gilded Age airs Mondays on HBO and streams the next day on HBO MAX.