The Gilded Age Episode 2 Review: Money Isn’t Everything | Den of Geek

Meanwhile, upstairs at the aunts’ house, Oscar is scheming to invite Gladys Russell to lunch. Agnes isn’t too happy that he’s clearly attempting to pollute the shades of the building with the riff-raff. He’s not the only one interested in matchmaking. Marian’s lawyer friend is coming to the city for a job interview and Ada believes it would be a good thing if they become more than friends. Agnes, on the other hand, doesn’t agree as Marian has no money and needs to marry for security. It’s also not clear if he is indeed interested in being more than friends. 

Peggy is on a tightrope between the two worlds and faced with prejudice on either side. On the one hand, she is happy to hear Mr. Brook is visiting because she has a secret legal matter to discuss with him which occurred in Pennsylvania. Marian agrees to tell him about it but in an unusual tone for her tells Mr. Brook Peggy is “colored.” Thankfully, Mr. Brook says yes to meeting Peggy to figure out if he can represent her case. Some may believe this line is offensive, but it can also be argued that Marian knows not every white person would approve of her acquaintance with Peggy. 

On the other hand, Peggy is dragged into Mrs. Bowers’ gambling drama as she witnesses the second attempt by the enforcers to get paid. It’s an interesting choice to set up Peggy as the go-between and not Marian initially, given how openly racist some of the staff were in the last episode and continue to be. Some are still openly resentful that being the secretary elevates her above all of them. For Peggy, this is paying a good deed forward but will she be rewarded later? Both of these examples prove that The Gilded Age scripts have been looked over by experts who are well aware of the racial dynamics of the era.

Marian agrees to meet Mr. Brook at Bethesda Fountain with Peggy, an excuse of a walk providing cover for the aunts. Mr. Brook and Peggy whisper about this unknown legal controversy, and he agrees to take on the mystery case and asks Marian if they could spend time together before he has to go home. Gladys also manages to evade her parents in order to quickly chat with Marian at the fountain. She’s curious as to why Oscar evaded a dinner invite from Larry, who have become acquaintances post-Newport. This works out as Oscar’s condition for helping erase Mrs. Bauer’s gambling debts is to invite Gladys to the house. It remains to be seen what his intentions are besides annoying Agnes. Aunt Ada ends up hearing about the debt and offers to pay it directly. 

The younger characters are likely on a collision course with their families that is separate from the status war. Ada is being set up as the “kinder” face of the old money crowd, and there may come a point in future episodes where she will break with Agnes when it comes to Marian, Peggy, or the downstairs staff.  

At the dinner with Alderman Morris and Mrs. Morris, George gets a chance to persuade the Alderman to approve a bill for a new railway station. Those familiar with New York history may recognize this is a loose version of the history behind the building of the original Penn Station. He low-key advises the politicians to buy margin stocks and then sell them after the announcement. Today there are laws against this, but the real Georges of history caused the antitrust and anti corruption federal and state laws to be written.