In its fourth episode, titled “A Long Ladder,” “The Gilded Age” deals with failed seduction, inherent prejudice, and ambitious social climbing. Peggy meets T. Thomas Fortune and is hired at the New York Globe. George helps the Fane family out of financial predicament on the condition that Aurora helps Bertha (Carrie Coon) become part of polite New York society. Marian shows up unannounced at the Scotts with a pair of old shoes and is rightly called for it. Polite society is abuzz with news of a performance at the Academy of Music, staged for Ms Barton’s charity. Marian attends the show and is pleasantly surprised by who she meets. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of “The Gilded Age” Episode 4. AHEAD SPOILERS.
Golden Age Episode 4 Recap
The episode begins as George and his employees celebrate that their new station will now be built while Mrs. Morris buries her husband. Even at the funeral, there are whispers around her admonishing Patrick, who committed suicide, to be buried on consecrated ground. George later meets Mr. Fane and discusses the truce, much to the other man’s relief. Mr. Fane later talks to his wife and makes her realize why they have to be the Russells’ proverbial chaperones in polite society. As such, Aurora tells Bertha that the best way to enter her family at the forefront of New York’s privileged class is to meet Ward McAllister, whom she describes as Mrs. Astor’s henchman. Aurora also invites Bertha to accompany her and her husband to hear John Knowles Paine conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra at the Academy of Music.
Meanwhile, T. Thomas Fortune of the New York Globe buys one of Peggy’s stories and asks her to write a 200-word article about non-voting political affiliation. Later, Peggy visits her parents to tell them about her good news. That’s when Marian shows up out of the blue with a pair of old shoes, believing they’ll be a good gift. His surprise at the wealth of the Scott family is a sign of prejudice in itself. She may not be outright racist, but has these preconceived notions of the African-American community, which eventually guide her actions towards Peggy and her family. And Peggy rightly calls him out on it.
Mrs. Turner attempts to seduce George by creeping into his bed one night, but things don’t go according to her plans. She categorically misjudged how devoted George is to his wife. The show once again states that this is a marriage of equals, for the 1880s at least. George isn’t going to jeopardize that by having a mistress. Also, he doesn’t appear to be a primarily sex-driven man.
It is revealed that Bridget was abused as a child and she blames her mother for it. Oscar shunned the Russell family after learning they could lose everything after it was declared that the bill for a new station in New York would be cancelled. Now that things are on the right track, he tries to get himself invited to their home and finds that the Russells have noticed his absence during their difficult times and the door to their house has been locked.
End of episode 4 of The Gilded Age: Was the Academy of Music a real opera? Was John Knowles Paine a real composer?
In the final sequence of episode 4, Marian goes to see John Knowles Paine conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra with the Fanes. Bertha is also in their box. Raikes (Thomas Cocquerel), who is in the dressing room next to them, spots Marian and comes to greet her. Given the polite society’s fanaticism to control people’s access, her presence surprises everyone. However, Bertha, who has long struggled with this mindset, is clearly impressed.
Yes, the Academy of Music was a real opera house. John Knowles Paine was a real composer. And the Boston Symphony Orchestra is a real orchestra, and it still exists. The Academy of Music was located on the northeast corner of East 14th Street and Irving Place in Manhattan. It became operational in 1854 and had a hall that could accommodate 4,000 people. At the height of its notoriety, New York elites flocked there to listen to opera. In 1886 he moved on to hosting vaudeville. It was finally demolished in 1926 and the Consolidated Edison Building was erected in its place.
John Knowles Paine was a renowned American composer. He has the distinction of being the first American-born composer to achieve enormous popularity for large-scale orchestral music. Known as one of the composers of the Boston Six, Paine was the first guest conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. However, the performance depicted in the show appears to be fictional. While Paine performed several times with BSO in 1882, their first performance at the Academy of Music was in 1900.
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