Warning: SPOILERS For The Gilded Age Season 3 Finale - “My Mind Is Made Up"Carrie Coon opens up about Bertha and George Russell’s (Morgan Spector) future after the shocking ending ofThe Gilded Ageseason 3. Aftersurviving an assassination attempt, Georgesuccumbed to his simmering resentment towards Bertha over forcing their daughter, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga), to marry Hector, Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb).
George left Bertha in the final moments ofThe Gilded Ageseason 3, with the Russells' once rock-solid marriage potentially careering towards divorce. For Bertha, George’s resentment and actions came as a surprise, but audiences could see the seeds planted throughout the season.
Speaking withTHRabout Bertha and George’s shocking ending inThe Gilded Ageseason 3’s finale, Carrie Coon delves into how Bertha feels about what happened, acknowledging thatMrs. Russell had been"very myopic"and couldn’t see the signs right in front of her. Can the"indefatigable"Bertha make things right with George? Read Carrie’s quote below:
Carrie Coon: I think she has [gained the world, but lost everything that matters]. I think she’s been very myopic, and she didn’t feel the seismic shift that was happening under her feet with her husband and her son in particular. And even though she’s right, she’s feeling righteous. It has come at a tremendous cost. It was sad for us, very heartbreaking to act out for me and Morgan. It’s so sexy, so egalitarian, so respectful, and then here it goes. I know it’s really exhausting. I hope we get a chance to make a repair. Yes, she’s always thinking ahead, that Bertha. I love that she’s always willing to challenge what she finds silly. I mean she’s playing the game and, at the same time, she’s questioning the rules. And I’ve always loved that about her.
Bertha wants everyone to keep moving forward. She wants to stay married to George. She wants her children to be settled and to start to take their rightful place in society as influencers, so to speak. And she’s ready to kind of conquer whatever the next challenge is. But she underestimated this impact. It feels out of the blue for her. Of course, the audience knows it’s not out of the blue. She just wasn’t paying attention.
Oh, it’s heartbreaking, of course. But, at the same time, her wheels are already turning about how she’s going to fix it. You know she’s not going to give up on it. She’s indefatigable, of course. So I think she’s looking out that window, and she’ll have a moment of grief, and then she’s going to get to work on some kind of plan.
What Carrie Coon’s Comments About George & Bertha’s Future In The Gilded Age Mean
Bertha Russell was genuinely surprised by George’s anger towards her, especially after Mr. Russell was so supportive the night before at Bertha’s Newport Ball. That soirée was Bertha’s latest, and perhaps greatest, triumph, as Mrs. Russell supplanted Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) as the most influential woman in New York high society.
Bertha’s drive and single-minded ambition were her superpower inThe Gilded Age,but it came at"a tremendous cost"in season 3, as Carrie Coon says.Bertha steamrolled over her own family to achieve her goalof making Gladys one of the most important women in the world. Although Bertha was proven right, and Gladys and the Duke are happily pregnant, Mrs. Russell refused to take her family’s needs into account.
Our Take On George & Bertha’s Future In The Gilded Age Season 4
While audiences weren’t as surprised as Bertha was, given how George raged against her throughoutThe Gilded Ageseason 3, it is still heartbreaking to see the show’s foundational marriage torn asunder. For as much as Bertha has achieved in society, her status and influence could all be ripped away from her if Mrs. Russell gets divorced.
The Gilded Ageseason 4 was ordered by HBO, but writing for the new episodes has not yet commenced. Carrie Coon speculates on what Bertha will do next based on knowing her character so well. Whatever happens next, Bertha never gives up and will do all that she can to save her marriage.
