The Gilded Age: Carrie Coon breaks down the cost of Bertha Russell’s big win in Season 3 finale

The Gilded Age Season 3 finale saw Bertha Russell, played by Carrie Coon, get a big win with her grand Newport ball and a content daughter, Gladys (played by Taissa Farmiga), in the audience. But her joy was short-lived as George Russell (played by Morgan Spector) decided to re-examine his life with Bertha.

The Russells have been a force to be reckoned with in The Gilded Age. However, it looks like their relationship might have hit a snag that could end up changing their future forever. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Carrie Coon shared her opinion on Bertha’s character arc in this season of The Gilded Age. She said,

“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.”

What happened to Bertha Russell in The Gilded Age Season 3?

The Gilded Age Season 3 saw George promising Gladys that she could marry for love, but Bertha had other plans. She would arrange a marriage between her daughter and the Duke of Buckingham, Hector (played by Bem Lamb). This leaves George bitter, and their relationship takes a hit, especially knowing that Gladys was initially unhappy.

However, in Episode 7, Season 3 of The Gilded Age, George gets shots but manages to survive because of timely help. The near-death experience makes it apparent to him that he no longer feels the same about his marriage as he did once.

Bertha is also clearly unhappy with her son Larry’s (played by Harry Richardson) decision to be with Marian Brook (played by Louisa Jacobson), which, ironically, George is supportive of. Coon opines about Bertha’s fractured relationship with her husband and son,

“…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.”

On the other hand, Bertha’s quick journey to England did help Gladys’ situation, especially since her daughter is now happy with the Duke. Coon shared,

“…I think Gladys starts to understand that her mother actually does have wisdom, (that she) does have some useful tips to offer when it comes to a marriage and running a household. And hopefully this creates a new possibility for their alliance going forward, that she will now be able to share her experiences in a way that will be useful to Gladys. When Gladys was a young woman, they weren’t necessarily applicable, but now they get to share this experience of being these influential women in the world, and (Bertha) is teaching her how to step into her power.”

Coon also shared that in the last scene of the finale, where George is leaving, even though Bertha could not share the news about him becoming a grandfather, she will look for a way to fix the issue. She said,

“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.”

The Gilded Age had been renewed for a fourth season. Watch the hit series on HBO.

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