Heads Have Rolled For Less
As the days go on, George begins to feel like he’s in a nightmare. He can’t shake the feeling that something is wrong and he can’t shake the feeling that it has something to do with the train crash. He starts to worry about Mrs Barton and how she’s been handling things. He also starts to worry about what could have happened if there were more people on the train.
George contemplates whether or not to go to Pennsylvania Hospital. However, before he even thinks about showing up, reporters show up and snap photos of the pair. George decides to front this and not hide.
In private, George learns that the accident was caused by metal fatigue and a broken axle. It seems that someone without the organization has blood on their hands.
The press is off their beat following the death of Bertha, which has given George some breathing room to focus on finding the saboteur. ..
Agnes is nonchalant about the entire incident back home, pointing out that 5 deaths aren’t that many. However, Marian is far more sympathetic about the cause and as she walks with Peggy, they discuss what’s happened. Naturally, the conversation turns to Mr Raikes where Peggy exhibits her concerns, pointing out that he doesn’t seem to have much of a plan.
After the donation to the Red Cross, the society all vote on allowing Mrs Russell inside their inner circle. However, Mrs Morris is disgusted, pointing out that she’s essentially paid her way in and refusing to be part of this circus. So naturally she walks away.
Ward McAllister is invited to visit Bertha’s palace and she quickly relay her concerns to the staff, wanting to make sure they’re fully briefed and with English food to boot. Given her French chef isn’t accustomed to this, it turns out that someone who does know about this would be a perfect fit for the job. Someone like Mr Bannister across the road.
When he shows up, Bertha offers him $100 to come and serve at the luncheon. He accepts the invitation with a spring in his step. He also makes sure to hide this from Agnes, whom he knows will react badly when she finds out.
Eventually, the two chefs team up and AS Mr Bannister delegates his responsibilities to Jack, who will prepare lunch for Agnes and Ada instead.
In between the sabotage problems, George shows up to see Gladys, forbidding her from seeing Mr Baldwin anymore. Bertha doesn’t see him as special enough, deciding Gladys is not to marry a banker from Manhattan.
As the party progresses, it becomes clear that Gladys and Larry are not the only ones who feel out of place. Carrie seems to be having a lot of fun but it’s clear that she’s not used to being around people her own age. It’s also clear that Gladys and Larry are not the only ones who feel like they need to prove something to everyone else.
Marian is conflicted about what to do with Raikes. She talks to Mrs Chamberlain about this, who takes the same guarded stance as her aunts. ..
Chamberlain offers Marian a more sympathetic ear, deciding that she can meet Raikes at her place and see whether he really is a good match for her. So why is Chamberlain doing all this? Apparently, she’s grateful for Marian showing respect to her, given she’s the first person to do that since Augustus died. ..
Ward McCallister arrives at the big luncheon and is met with enthusiasm by Bannister. He is happy with their English butler and lavishes praise on their home.
While their meal goes ahead without a hitch, Jack finds himself awkwardly pouring wine, missing the glass and struggling to please the sisters. However, Agnes receives a letter and immediately marches over to Bertha’s place, demanding to know where Bannister is. ..
After finding him inside the dining room, she decides not to make a big scene but does grit her teeth and tell Bannister that “heads have rolled for less.”
Bannister returns later that afternoon and remains determined to find out just who wrote the letter telling Agnes about his deception. He decides to speak to Armstrong, who’s actually with Agnes in her room, pointing out the “betrayals” she’s seen.
Oscar was seen outside with the Russell maid. As she wonders what they may be conspiring together, George receives a telegram informing him of the saboteur.
Dixon, the head of the team that built the engine, says he has written evidence confirming George gave the order and allowed this to go ahead. But how could that be? Dixon’s story may be true, but it’s not clear how it could have happened.
The Episode Review
The Gilded Age ends with another decent episode, tightening up all the drama with the various characters and leaning into the deception growing around Bertha and George.
The police are trying to figure out who is behind this deception, and they have made a lot of enemies by doing so. They’ve obviously made a lot of people angry by taking over this society, and that’s unfortunately spiraled into a dramatic and tense game of cat and mouse.
Who ordered the axle replacements? It seems unlikely that George would have ordered them, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, Chamberlain’s motivations are still being questioned while Gladys finds comfort in Carrie, as the pair start to get along well.
The lavish set design and various class wars continue to dominate this series, with everything left on a precarious knife edge as the story starts to dip into the business end. ..
