The Gilded Age: What happened to Ward McAllister in the HBO drama? Character's fate, explored

The Gilded Age is a partially fictional depiction of the real events of the Gilded Age. The HBO drama is set in the 1880s and portrays the life of the elite class of New York. The show starts off with Marian Brook, whose father has died without leaving her any money, which makes her move to New York to take refuge at her aunt, Agnes van Rhijn's house.

As Marian explores New York's upper-class society, we meet the old money elites and the new money elites. Mrs. Astor belongs to old money, while Mrs. Bertha Russell belongs to to new money, and isn't accepted by the former easily. Mr. Ward McAllister is Mrs. Astor's right-hand man of sorts. He enjoys the influence and power he has in society and helps Bertha make her place in upper-class society. But it all comes crashing down when he writes a scathing book.

Ward McAllister's fate in The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age gives us an interesting example of what happens when you betray the same people you claim as your own. The only feature common to any elite society of the world is its exclusivity. The rich only like the rich, and they do not have space for anyone new. In societies like the one represented in The Gilded Age, sometimes it also highly matters how and when you've acquired wealth.

Ward McAllister is a close acquaintance of Mrs. Astor, with whom he created the list of the Four Hundred. He was the one who helped Bertha Russell reach a better standing in society and get accepted. Thus, he thought he was untouchable in society. Well, he was untouchable for most of his life, till the point he dared to criticize the affluent lifestyle of the elite and disclose their private affairs.

It is common knowledge that a betrayal of that kind comes with dangerous consequences, but Ward McAllister thought his life wasn't going to be affected because he was the one who created the then high-class society. Evidently, he was wrong. After Ward McAllister published his book, Society as I Have Found It, a number of influential people were enraged, and rightfully so.

McAllister, in his book, had said that Mr. Fish had cheap taste in wine, which angered his wife. McAllister also exposed the fact that Agnes had recently lost her fortune. Moreover, another blow to Agnes' reputation was the fact that McAllister had hinted about Oscar's homosexuality, which was frowned upon at that time. Bertha and George's relationship struggled in The Gilded Age Season 3. However, Bertha needs to make sure the Russell family's image remains intact, and thus did not take it well when McAllister's book spread rumors that her marriage was suffering.

Surprisingly, McAllister did not spare Mrs. Astor, of all people, when it came to his critique of the elite. One would think that, given their close acquaintance, McAllister wouldn't spread rumors about Mrs. Astor, but in his book, he does hint at her daughter, Charlotte, getting a divorce. This was a huge betrayal, given the fact that Mrs. Astor was actively trying to stop a rumor like this about her daughter from spreading.

Thus, while Ward McAllister thought he would get away with his critique of the society he helped in creating, he did not. Mrs. Astor uninvited him from the party at her house, and from that day, McAllister wasn't allowed in her house. Mrs. Astor, along with Ada, Agnes, Bertha, and Mrs. Fish, banned Ward McAllister from society. Thus, a man who was once respected and held in high regard, no longer received invitations or had acquaintances to rely on. The Gilded Age thus shows us how unwise it is to overestimate one's position and criticize people one shares the table with.

The Gilded Age is streaming on HBO Max.

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