HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’ Closes Season 3, Sets Stage for Season 4

HBO’s period drama “The Gilded Age” concluded its eight-episode third season on 10 August with a finale that paired high-society spectacle at a Newport ball with a raft of personal reckonings. Central industrialist George Russell, left near death by an assassination attempt in Episode 7, survives thanks to an emergency operation performed at home, but uses his recovery to confront wife Bertha, declaring he may no longer love or trust her. The episode resolves several arcs while teeing up new ones. Bertha secures a dynastic match for daughter Gladys, whose unexpected pregnancy underscores the family’s shifting fortunes. Journalist Peggy Scott accepts a proposal from Dr. William Kirkland, while social climber Oscar van Rhijn strikes a strategic alliance with widow Mrs. Winterton. Mrs. Astor’s reluctant attendance at the ball signals grudging acceptance of Bertha’s broader, more progressive guest list. With George’s attacker still unidentified and the Russells’ marriage in jeopardy, HBO has renewed the series for a fourth season, ensuring further exploration of the show’s social upheavals and personal intrigues in Gilded Age New York.