The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5 recap: Gladys clashes with Lady Sarah, Larry proposes to Marian and Peggy faces an ex

The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5, titled A Different World, rolled out on July 20, 2025, on HBO and Max. On this week's episode, The Gilded Age takes a darker turn as public loyalties splinter and public images crumble.

Episode 5 of The Gilded Age Season 3 is not about lavish ballrooms or grand weddings; it's about the cracks behind closed doors. Previously, we saw how Gladys married Hector, the Duke of Buckingham, Jack and Larry secured a business deal, and Peggy dealt with Dr. William Kirkland's sharp-tongued mother.

In The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5, Bertha Russell's social ambitions face unexpected obstacles, and George Russell finds himself at a professional and emotional crossroads. Meanwhile, on the other side of the Atlantic, Gladys struggles to adjust to her new life as the Duchess.

Larry proposes to Marian while Peggy Scott faces an ex. From social sabotage to business betrayals, this episode explores the high cost of power, pride, and propriety in 19th-century New York.

Gladys faces the chill of nobility in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5

The episode opens with Hector and a seemingly tired and sleepy Gladys travelling to Sidmouth Castle. As Gladys utters,

"It feels sas if we've been in this carriage for days."

Although she receives a warm welcome from Hector's tenants and farm workers, life as a Duchess in Sidmouth proves colder than anticipated. Gladys may have inherited a title, but not the respect that should accompany it. Lady Sarah, Hector's sister, wastes no time asserting her dominance over her American sister in law. She mocks Gladys' art, humiliates her over dinner, and even fires her trusted maid Adelheid for a perceived lapse in protocol.

What stings more than the cruelty is Hector's silence. Even though he eventually scolds his sister, his hesitation signals trouble. This marriage-brokered for status and survival, is already facing troubles. Alone and humiliated, Gladys pens a letter home, a quiet SOS to her parents.

Peggy faces an ex

In The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5, Dr. William Kirkland and Peggy attend a baseball game. While Peggy Scott is thrilled to be there, she also reveals that she has never watched the games even though her father's a sponsor. It is here that Peggy encounters T. Thomas Fortune, her former boss, and a brief romantic entanglement.

Mr. Fortune expresses his admiration for Peggy's recent works and offers her a high-profile interview with suffragette Frances Ellen Watkins Harper. Though suspicious of his motives and confronted by a jealous Dr. Kirkland, Peggy insists on going solo.

The emotional tension peaks at the train station when Fortune appears uninvited. After a tense exchange with William, he backs down. Peggy boards the train alone, asserting he professional independence.

The Russells reach a breaking point in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5

George's empire is faltering. His failure to secure critical rail shares or Arizona land leaves him exposed. When his secretary fails to produce results and blames George's financial position for failed deals, he fires him. As George says,

"You are finished with me. I don't need counsel to tell me what's not possible. I need someone to help me achieve the impossible. It's become very clear that you are not that person. You have neither the vision nor the courage to continue working for me."

His secretary firmly answers,

"It isn't my fault that you can't face the truth. You're overleveraged and driving your company off a cliff. Wake up before it's too late."

After George fires his secretary, his real frustration erupts at home. He accuses Bertha of emasculating him during a strategic dinner with Mr. Merrick. She retaliates, pointing out his shortcomings in the negotiation.

Their dynamic shifted from a united power couple to clashing titans. Later, George discovers Gladys' letter. To him, it's validation that the marriage was a mistake. Bertha, refusing to back down, vows to go to England to mend things- but George's parting words land like a threat.

"Don't expect for me to be here when you get back"

Larry proposes to Marian-but keeps secrets

In The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5 Larry proposes to Marian (Image Via Instagram/@gildedagehbo)

In The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5, Larry Russell finally proposes to Marian, who says yes without hesitation. Her aunt reacted predictably-Ada with joy, Agnes with disdain. Yet beneath Larry's romantic gesture lies a seed of deception. The night before his departure to Arizona, he tells Marian he's attending a refined bachelor dinner. In truth, he ends up at The Haymarket, New York's infamous den of love, with Jack.

There, Larry spots Maude Beaton-Oscar's ex, and the woman who swindled him. She is working under a new alias, clearly fallen from grace. Before leaving for Arizona, Larry informs Oscar about spotting Maude Beaton.

Bertha and Aurora face social repercussions in The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5

In Newport, Aurora Fane becomes the target of Mrs. Astor's wrath, exiled for her divorce. Despite her innocence, Aurora is iced out at a luncheon. Bertha, now secure enough in her social rank, openly supports her-an unexpected display of loyalty. But even that small win is overshadowed when Bertha returns home to George's emotional withdrawal.

To know what happens next, watch The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 6 on July 27, 2025, on HBO and Max.