The Gilded Age star Carrie Coon has an insane idea for Bertha’s future in Season 4

The Gilded Age Season 3 had some of the most shocking moments in the show's history so far. From failed assassination attempts to deaths, the period drama has grown into something completely different, much more daring compared to the first seasons.

However, one thing that has stayed constant throughout the seasons has been the exciting and dynamic bond between Carrie Coon's Bertha Russell and her husband, George Russell, played by Morgan Spector. In layman's terms, they were the IT couple in this period drama, as George ruthlessly conquers and grows in his business world, while Bertha is equally sharp and ruthless in society, and they brought each other up. However, the third season brought along with it certain cracks in Bertha and George's relationship.

These cracks come to the surface and result in a devastating end for the couple as George tells Bertha that he needs to take some time away from her and rides off into the sunset, leaving her behind. Carrie Coon, in a recent conversation with Deadline, expressed some exciting ideas for her character Bertha's future in regard to George's leaving.

Bertha's position after The Gilded Age Season 3 finale

Carrie's Bertha is not a woman who is unaware of her position in society in the Gilded Age. She knows that even though she enjoys a certain position of power in society as a high-standing wife, it could all go away any second. It wouldn't take more than a scandal to taint her reputation and give the other women in society a chance to claw up to her position and push her off it.

Bertha is more than aware that if anything were to happen to her and George's marriage, it wouldn't take long for her, as a woman, to fall into the corners of society where nobody looked at her. Being a woman in the Gilded Age came with its own set of complications, in the form of societal structures that placed women in precarious positions that could topple at any moment. Especially so for divorced women, who were mostly considered the scourge of the earth by other members of society.

When we see Bertha after George decides to leave her behind and take some space from their marriage, she is still in the stages of trying to understand what happened. Judging Bertha's character in The Gilded Age, there is a very small chance that she will just accept her fate and George's decision. She's a fighter, and she will fight for him and for their marriage. And the hope is that she'll manage to convince him, and they will find their way back to each other.

However, if something like this doesn't happen, Bertha's future lies in uncharted territory for The Gilded Age. Following the customs of society, Bertha could be thrown off to the side with the other divorcees and be forced to give up her position at the top. However, Bertha has never been known for quitting, and according to Carrie Coon, there is another path that Bertha's journey could take, one that is even more exciting than finding her and George finding their way back to each other.

Carrie Coon on Bertha's future in The Gilded Age Season 4

George and Bertha's marriage falling apart was a substantial development in The Gilded Age Season 3 finale. However, one other thing that stood out was the golden societal rule that Bertha broke when she hosted the ball. Bertha Russell decided to invite the divorced women to the ball as well. Before this, society basically refused to accept divorced women as a part of them, rendering them banned from any public social events.

However, Bertha decided to extend the invitation to them, and they attended the ball for the first time. While this could be considered an altruistic action, Bertha is not known to be altruistic without benefiting herself. Carrie Coon points this out in her conversation with Deadline when she says:

"She certainly is smart enough and perspicacious enough to see that there’s a possibility, and she should prepare the way in case that’s true, so that she will not be ousted from society. Even if it’s not entirely conscious, nothing she does is entirely altruistic."

So, Bertha, in the event of her divorce from George, could be preparing society for a movement where the divorced women wouldn't be ousted from society any longer, rendering her own future safe in case the worst happens.

This event could be Bertha Russell's nascent feminist awakening, as she has always been smart, ruthless, and resourceful. So, if the archaic statues of society stand in the way of her staying at the top, Bertha is sure to topple them over before she admits to defeat and lets herself be benched.

The Gilded Age has already been renewed for a fourth season, which is expected to premiere in late 2026 or early 2027 based on previous production cycles.

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