The Gilded Age Season 2 has come to its end, and I thought it was a pretty good finale. It was the finale that we all deserved, considering the amount of payoffs that it had with the stories.
With the main stories concluding in a way that most certainly seemed like more could be on the horizon if the network chooses to continue it, I thought I’d take a look at everything that was out there, the renewal status, whilst also giving my theories and predictions on what I think could happen next.
If you’re a Gilded Age fan, then I bet there’s one thing that’s on your mind right now. When will season three be coming out, and is there going to be one?
Release Date
Well, there’s some not-so-good news about Season 3: HBO hasn’t officially renewed the show yet. This is due to the renewal status of Season 2, which was announced during the first Season of the show in February 2022, and Season 1 finished in March 2022. So it’s a surprise that they decided not to follow suit this time around and were new during the Second Season to put the viewers’ minds at rest.
This could have been done for several different reasons. The network might be questioning if there’s still an appetite out there for the show, and they may want to give it a bit of time before officially making a decision.
When looking at the ratings from the first Season to the second when it comes to watching it live, it looks like Season 2 had a slight drop off when compared to the first. The first Season had a low of around 0.4 million and peaked at 0.8 million. Whereas Season 2’s low was at 0.3 million, and without considering the finale, it peaked at 0.5 million.
So that’s something that doesn’t bode well for the future of the show, seeing as though the ratings went in the opposite direction. However, despite the lower ratings, the show did get a very good reception, and many viewers preferred Season 2 when compared to the first. So that’s something that could go in its favor.
The fact that we’ve not heard anything as of now is slightly concerning, but you know what they say: No news can often be good news, so let’s just hope that they do decide to give it another chance. Because there’s a lot of potential there, and there isn’t anything like it that’s currently out there.
If the show does get commissioned, I would predict that when looking at the previous gap between Season 1 and Season 2, and by allowing time for the writing, production post-production, and marketing, I think we could expect to see the next Season in late 2024 or in early 2025. Maybe like what it did with Season One from January through to March.
Cast
In terms of the characters, I feel that there are a few that were written out following the Season 2 finale. But many had no stories set up, which most definitely hinted at a return for many of them.
In terms of the characters that won’t be returning, with Forte dying, there’s no chance that he’s going to be coming back. With Watson also going to live near his daughter and it being mentioned that he’d not be seeing the staff at the Russells again, I think that means that he’s been written out and won’t be returning.
Plus, I would also most likely say that Mister Fortune won’t be coming back, either. Peggy said her goodbyes to him and decided to leave the paper, marking an end to the feelings that they had for one another. So, I think his chapter came to a close.
I would also predict that Dashiell won’t be returning either. With his story being backed into a corner and it’s seemingly coming to a close, I feel that marked the end for him.
In terms of the characters that will be returning, with the Russells being at the head of the show, I think the entire Russell family will be coming back. I would also predict that that would mean that the Duke will be, too.
The Van Rhijin will be returning as well, along with Marianne. I think we could expect to see Mrs. Winston and her husband, Mrs. Fish, and Peggy, along with her mother and father, plus all of the workers for both the Russell and the Van Rhijins.
I would imagine that I would most likely be introduced to many new characters as well. Seeing as though time would have progressed forward, there would be more history for the show to delve into.
Story
In terms of the story, there are so many different directions that the next Season of the show could potentially go in. However, let’s delve into some stories that we could potentially see developing.
One major plot that we’re going to be seeing getting developed will most likely be based around the Van Rhijin and the switch in power that will most likely occur. This is due to Ada being the one who has the fortune now and the one who can essentially make all of the decisions. This is something that has never happened in their lives before. So it’ll be interesting to see how Agnes will handle that.
Do I think Ada will turn into the type of person that Agnes is? No, she won’t. She cares if she hurts people’s feelings. But it might, in turn, cause Agnes to not be as ruthless in her tone and approach, seeing as though she won’t hold all of the power. But one would argue that it’s probably too late for her to change.
With regard to Oscar, he still doesn’t actually know that the family fortune was restored due to Ada coming into money. He wasn’t in the final shot of the Season, so one can only hope that all is OK with the character and the guilt of him feeling responsible for believing that they had to change their lives and up and leave because he essentially gave their money away hasn’t caused him to do something that he may regret.
Oscar may feel like a burden and have decided to just up and leave in a while because he didn’t want the weight of his being with them upon them needing to change everything. Whilst I don’t think that’s 100% the case. It is rather interesting that they decided not to have him in the closing moments of the show, when all of the family were together, receiving the good news.
Marian And Larry
Now, when looking at Marian, I feel we’re going to see her thriving in the next Season of the show. Without the weight of Dashiell and the marriage that she didn’t want to be a part of, I feel we’re going to be watching her doing all that she wanted to do in making a mark on the world.
We know that she loves teaching, and with two of the schools that Peggy was campaigning for to stay open and not needing to close down, she may end up going to teach at the school in support of her friend whilst also improving lives.
As well as that, there’s the blossoming relationship that will most likely be developed between herself and Larry. We saw them finally share a kiss in the Season finale. Something that I feel we’d all been waiting for and were hoping would happen. So I think we’ll actually see them getting to know each other a bit more in a romantic sense and then doing things that will improve their relationship.
We don’t know how Bertha is going to respond to the idea of Larry being with Marian. We know that she was fine with her accompanying him in the box on the opening night of the Med. So I feel we’ll either see resistance being present or are welcoming arms from a potential future mother-in-law.
The Russells
With regards to the Russells, I think we could potentially see a divide in the family taking place. With Bertha wanting to get the Duke to attend the opening night of the Med but not being able to buy him with money due to George putting his foot down as he felt they already spent a lot on the Opera House, we ultimately saw her take alternative measures.
While it wasn’t confirmed, it was heavily hinted that she essentially gave away her daughter to the Duke, which meant that he could marry her. This would result in him being able to have Russell’s wealth, and it would also improve Russell’s status due to being so closely linked to a Duke and essentially being part of the family.
This is something that I think will cause Bertha to be left on her own. I think George will most likely be fuming with her because he cares so deeply for his daughter.
Gladys will most likely resist due to not being interested in the Duke whatsoever. And I also think that Larry will be greatly disappointed in his mother, especially after her interfering ways with Miss Blaine when he cared for her. So, it may cause Larry to just do as he pleases with Marian.
This could cause upset for their position in society because if word gets out that the family lacks stability, the likes of Mrs. Fish will be all over that with the gossip. So, the Russells are definitely in for an interesting ride.
Unfortunately, for now, that’s all that’s known about the Gilded Age Season 3. We’ve just got to hope that the news of the renewal isn’t far away and that it gets the green light that it deserves.
