Fans of The Gilded Age feel like children of divorce this season. Up until the latest season, George (Morgan Spector) and Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) were a united front, doing everything they can to claw themselves into acceptance by society’s elite. Ruthless as they were, George in business and Bertha in the city’s finest ballrooms, at home the pair were bolstered by one another, spurred on by each other’s endless ambition. But as we tune into season four, railroad daddy and opera mummy — as the internet has dubbed them — are fighting.
For a show which fans love for its relatively low-stakes drama, seeing mummy and daddy fight is not what fans ordered. But, if you ask Morgan and Carrie, the love is still there between the iconic 1880s couple, no matter how sharp their words are.
“It’s always a love story,” they tell me from the Plaza Hotel in New York.
“George’s relationship with Bertha has given his life meaning and humanity in the face of all the ruthlessness,” Morgan explains.
“It’s broken right now, and in a place where he is struggling to do anything with his life. It’s a love story, but one in a particular moment of challenge.”
“George is the place where Bertha is most vulnerable,” adds Carrie. “She’s lost that space, and she’s really isolated.”
Of course, Bertha’s ambition doesn’t exist in a vacuum. And while 1880s New York had stricter rules than we do today and significantly smaller confines to which women could access their ambition, it’s no accident that some of these themes feel surprisingly modern – and this is something Carrie is more than aware of when she laces up Bertha’s corset.
“I would say it hasn’t changed,” Carrie says. “I can’t unabashedly claim ambition in this world without consequence, so it’s not a dance I’m unfamiliar with… just the language is a little dressed up.
“I still have to make men feel like things were their idea. That doesn’t change. Yes, the language is elevated linguistically, but the power dynamics are still very real.”
This isn’t the only parallel the series has with today. The 1880s was a time of swift change: the emergence of new technology, industry explosion and the American dream being born despite a concentration of wealth being held by those at the top. Years later, those themes still ring true.
“We still love a billionaire. We still believe in the American dream,” admits Morgan.
“There is a very escapist quality to our show, but because it is a period that so directly parallels our own, I think there’s a slightly subversive provocation about the show that is structurally built in. And that’s what gives it an additional layer of pleasure when we watch it.”
Ever since The Gilded Age first appeared on our screens in 2022, the costuming was so strong and impactful that it felt like a character in its own right. This season, Carrie says the costuming for Bertha and George is one of the strongest storytellers.
“What I find in the costuming plot that makes the most impact this season is when we break the rules,” the White Lotus star explains.
“We have strict rules around what we wear and when in the show, and in 1880s society. So for us, it’s one of the symbols of how we’re breaking down. The fact that I come downstairs in a nightgown, and my son sees me, that’s a huge no-no. It’s a huge faux pas.
“It’s like if you knock on your friend’s door at 9am and they’re just… naked.”
As for what their characters would be doing if they were in 2026? Well, Carrie thinks Bertha would definitely be gunning for a role on The Real Housewives. That, and working on her own empire.
“If Bertha were not so constrained by the mores of the period, she would be her own business,” Carrie quips. “She would be an influencer. She would be like Gwyneth Paltrow.”
“Or a podcast,” laughs Morgan.
Mummy and daddy may be fighting, but if this pair has taught us anything, it’s that ambition, and love, always find a way.
You can watch The Gilded Age seasons one to four on Paramount+.
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