The Gilded Age Season 3 is BACK and taking the world by storm.

The Gilded Age Quietly Spoiled Season 3 With This 1 Throwaway Scene (& Most Fans Missed It)

The Gilded Age Season 3 is taking the world by storm as critics all agree that the Julian Fellowes period piece based on the gilded age in the United States is finally finding its footing. Rich with one of the best ensembles on TV right now, most of whom are veterans of the stage, the drama series has yet to miss a beat this season. With the first two episodes not wasting a moment as both the Van Rhijn household and the Russell household experience some series power moves from within, and characters like Jack start living out the classic American dream, Fellowes and co-writer Sonja Warfield finally cement the vision of the series.

It’s Episode 3, “Love is Never Easy,” however, that really sets the stage for the rest of the season, so much so, that what seems like a throwaway scene at the end of the episode quietly foreshadows the rest of the season. Much like the first two episodes, Episode 3 does not miss a beat, and threads through all the storylines with such expert ease. As the deal with Hector and the Russells begins to fall through, Bertha panics and ultimately crosses a line that she may not be able to turn back from. It is that mistake that leads the episode towards the final sequence and where Fellowes and Warfield both shine as storytellers.

Every Character Fears Losing Control of Their Life

Julian Fellows and Sonja Warfield Both Showcase Their Mastery of Story

​​​​​The whole focus of “Love is Never Easy” revolves around the unveiling of Gladys’s portrait, an event that Bertha can’t wait to host, all so that she can also announce that her daughter is also to be wedded to Duke Hector. The more the reality of that manifesting fades, the more desperate Bertha becomes, and the wider and more bold the steps she takes are. She is relentless in wanting to secure this union to the point of doing whatever she needs to do to make it happen.

The more squeezed Bertha feels, the more frustrated she becomes — and this is the thematic through-line of the entire episode. In the Van Rhijn household, Agnes continues to face the sad reality of losing her grip on the status she once held, especially after losing all her money in Season 2. She, too, feels desperate and frustrated with her current situation. Marian also feels like she is losing control of her relationship with Larry, and even Peggy’s storyline feels like it’s speeding too fast for her.

This is one of the great things about the way in which Fellowes crafts a story and, more importantly, a period piece. There’s always layers and echoes that cement the themes that a particular episode wants to drive home. In The Gilded Age Season 3, Episode 3, it’s all about the feeling that one is losing control of their life. Each in their own way feels like the walls are closing in on them, and that no matter how hard they try, they are going to lose. The only one that fights back against this is Bertha. Though she is also the one who does so without any thought about who she might harm or what she might risk along the way.

This is really what sets Bertha apart from all the other characters in the series. Yes, Bertha cares a lot about what others say about her and her family, yet she does not have that same care about her family’s thoughts. To her, she sees only the endgame, and that is where all her energy goes. “Love is Never Easy” really explores this side of Bertha, but where previous seasons did it in a way that painted her ambition as inspirational, Season 3 shifts this and starts to show the dangers of flying too close to the sun.

The Unveiling of Gladys’s Portrait & The Foreshadowing

The Gilded Age Season 3, Episode 3 Quietly Spoils The Rest of the Season

Despite The Gilded Age being an ensemble story, each episode focuses on one storyline more so than the others and in “Love is Never Easy,” that storyline belongs to Gladys. As her dreams of marrying for love slowly fade as Larry tells Gladys that Billy has moved on, she is left without much choice. The only path ahead is the one Bertha intends for her to travel, and that means announcing her engagement to Hector at the unveiling of the portrait.

With the realization that no matter how hard she tries, there’s no defeating her mother’s choices, Gladys loses hope. In a tender scene between George and Gladys, he does his best to still give her the choice and give her some agency, yet ultimately Gladys gives in and agrees to the union. Standing in front of members of society and near Hector with her portrait behind her, Gladys starts to feel a sense of claustrophobia. She reaches for her pearl necklace and slowly pulls at it until it shatters and the pearls all fall to the floor.

It’s through this moment that Fellowes and Warfield bring a sense of poetry and foreshadowing. With the walls closing in, the rest of Season 3 raises the stakes as each of those falling pearls represents a character whose life falls apart before the season concludes. What makes this season so strong is how Fellowes and Warfield make it clear that everyone, no matter who they are in society, can fall just as quickly as they rose. This is, after all, the gilded age and ambition can only take someone so far before someone else catches up.

Despite all that, it is the Russells who suffer the most this season. Rising through the ranks doesn’t come easy, and Bertha risked it all to ensure that her daughter had a secured future and that her son had a set path ahead. George and Bertha are the necklace that broke. They are at the center of all the things that are falling apart and this moment, though it may seem like a throwaway, is more powerful than fans realize. It is a prophecy that confirms whatever lies ahead for the Russells won’t be any good.

Gladys’s expression witnessing the shattering of her necklace more than solidifies this. With next week’s episode being the season’s mid-point, there’s no doubt that the season’s stakes will only get higher the closer Season 3 gets to its finale. What tragedy might await the Russells when that moment comes? Will any of the characters be where they are in the season now? Only time alongside Fellowes and Warfield will tell.