The Gilded Age season 4 has finally arrived and couldn't be a better way to kick off the last two months of the year. The end of the third season left us with a number of questions we desperately needed answers to, like how George and Bertha will manage in their marriage. They ended season 3 on bad terms, but will they find a way to make it through or keep up appearances?
In the opening sequence of season 4, we're thrust right into action as a carriage races toward an expansive estate. Gladys is in the midst of giving birth and the doctor rushes to her side. When Bertha tries to give Gladys a serum containing morphine, the doctor kicks her out of the room. The Gilded Age season 4 episode 1 then takes us to Oscar and Enid Winterton's wedding.
Following the wedding, the Van Rhijn household and its staff will prepare to entertain the President of the United States. Back at Gladys', the doctor announces the baby is in breech and presents Bertha, Hector, and his sister Sarah with a choice: save the baby or save Gladys. Hector asks him to save both, but if that's not possible, save Gladys. Meanwhile, George gets intel about his shooter.
Marian reveals that she and Larry attempted to rekindle their romance, but they couldn't get it right and have supposedly moved on. Thankfully, the doctor managed to save both Gladys and the baby boy during the birth, but Adelheid discovers that Gladys is still bleeding. Oscar and Enid's secret wedding party downtown brings Marian and Larry back together to catch up and dance.
Gladys fights for her life as Marian and Larry reconnect
Marian and Larry leave the party at the dancehall together, and during the thunderstorm, their carriage's wheel breaks and they must stay overnight in a nearby hotel. Once again, we learn that Gladys has survived the latest near-death experience. The doctor announces that Gladys can no longer have children since he was forced to remove her uterus to stop the hemorrhage.
Larry knocks on Marian's hotel room door. She invites him inside and they begin to kiss, ending up on the bed. Oscar and Enid are already excited to start plotting how they're going to shake the table in society by starting their own salons. They are relishing in their arrangement, even though it doesn't come with any physical benefits for obvious reasons.
The morning after, Marian gets dressed and feels ashamed that she and Larry had sex. She rushes out of the hotel room and returns home. Once home, Agnes and Ada agree that she did the right thing by taking a cab home to not feed any gossip about Larry. George bites Larry's head off when he gets home over business dealings. George only stays at the family home until Bertha returns.
Jack takes a meeting with businessman Mr. Porter and Mr. Smithson about his latest invention, an electric mixer that can change speed. This time, he's charging forward without Larry. After lunch, he catches up with his friends at the Van Rhijn house, where Peggy also drops by to present Agnes, Ada, and Marian with the first copy of her book. Marian pulls Peggy aside to talk.
Agnes learns Enid's secret and George finds his shooter
Marian admits to Peggy that she "kissed" Larry, but Peggy doesn't understand and insists that whatever Marian's feeling, she's being too hard on herself. As Agnes and Ada prepare for President Cleveland to arrive, Peggy explains to Ada why she doesn't support him. Ada later tells Agnes that she no longer feels comfortable with the president's dinner and won't offer more money.
Mrs. Armstrong informs Agnes that Enid previously worked as Bertha's lady's maid, which causes her great distress. Agnes wishes Mrs. Armstrong would have meddled before the wedding and worries what it will look like when Oscar and Enid get divorced (as if she has any say in that matter). Agnes kicks Armstrong out. Meanwhile, Jack gets etiquette lessons from Mr. Bannister.
Bridget doesn't understand why Jack's working so hard for the approval of people who don't like him for who he is. She's secretly worried that soon, Jack will change and she won't be good enough for him. Peggy presents Dorothy and Elizabeth with her book, but Elizabeth is more concerned with the wedding plans. She also made Peggy an appointment with a hairstylist, which Peggy agrees to.
Agnes meets with Enid and confronts her about being Berth's lady's maid. Enid doesn't deny it or speak about it with shame. Oscar knows the truth, too. Clearly, Agnes wasn't expecting to have Enid agree to work with her. Back at the Russell house, Larry pushes George to forgive Bertha, but he's unwilling. George's men have located the man who tried to kill him. Bertha reveals to Gladys that when things were uncertain, Hector chose Gladys. She still doesn't know the other truth.
The Gilded Age airs new episodes Sundays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO.
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