The Gilded Age - An Amateur's Thoughts

[no spoilers]

I binged watched both seasons of The Gilded Age in two long nights. I loved it. Though this series is fictional, it is based in the real historical years, between 1880s - 1900. I don't know what parts of this series could and could not have been accurate. My following comments are general and don't give away the plot.

First off, I must applaud the casting director! Every actor did a brilliant job. There wasn't a weak link. The Gilded Age is an acting tour de force, and I kept trying to find flaws. I couldn't. I am familiar with Cynthia Nixon, Audra McDonald, and Christine Baranski. All of them played characters very distant from previous roles, as if to say to Daniel Day Lewis, "We too can become invisible and match your method acting." I was stupified.

All of the other actors were great too and, because I didn't know the actors, they felt like real people in a real world. Carrie Coon, as Bertha, I mean... Mrs. Russell, was excellent. In a world of women, Morgan Spector takes advantage of his limited screen time and lets the viewers know who's really boss. As George Russell, he clamped down on aggressive, predatory manhood the way we would expect a robber baron to do. The excesses of The Guilded Age were made, not from tea and crumpets, but by slavery and the exploitation of forced labor.

I am not a historian but I am not convinced of the believability of Peggy and the Scott family's storyline. The racism the Scott's face was written into the screenplay but the friction was not felt to a large degree. Perhaps black families in this area of Brooklyn could lead relatively peaceful lives? Perhaps Peggy could live among high society with little pushback. I don't know. These are thoughts and questions I have. In defense of the screenwriters, there is no directive for them to write about the "typical" black experience. This is the Scott family how they envisioned it. Accept it.

There are more pressing issues for me. As much as I loved all the different dress changes on the women, I didn't see the same dress worn twice. This didn't seem believable. Of course, Bertha Russell had unlimited resources and wouldn't wear the same dress twice but Ada Brook, who moved into her Aunt Agnes's house would surely have a limited collection. I would expect Peggy Scott to have a limited wardrobe too. All the wardrobe changes seemed unrealistic to me, though it was a feast for the eyes. The costume team deserves great applause.

Another critique is that the cinematography and special effects teams worked on too tight of a budget, and it showed. Sometimes it felt as if we were watching a Merchant Ivory film through the lens of Mary Poppins. The production teams did their best but naturalism and realistic rendering of light, shadow, and absolute believability was suspended to save money. Outdoor scenes were especially shaky. There was a time when HBO spared no expense for the production teams, for instance, in Carnivale, Rome, and Deadwood. I'm glad that HBO is bringing back The Gilded Age for a third season but I also hope that they give the lighting team, cinematographers, and special effects team more money to create a more realistic and immersive experience. Back off the artificial lighting.

I'm very excited to see Season 3, as I'm sure you all are. If you've gotten this far, please share your thoughts about my critique. What did I leave out? Where was I wrong? What was your experience of The Gilded Age?

Thank you.