Warning: this article contains SPOILERS for The Gilded Age season 3, episode 4 - “Marriage Is a Gamble.”
HBO Max’sThe Gilded Ageoften deals in the dramatic and almost fantastical in the lives of its wealthy characters, but season 3 has now introduced a supernatural subplot, and I hope we see more of it.The Gilded Agelargely centers around powerful characters, hoping to use their wealth and influence to stay atop the social hierarchy.
InThe Gilded Ageseason 3, episode 3, this culminated in Bertha Russell securing her daughter’s marriage, while another character learned of a very different kind of power. Now,The Gilded Age’s season 3 cast of charactershas expanded to include a medium who could potentially link this character to the supernatural in the coming episodes.
The Gilded Age Season 3, Episode 4 Introduced Ada’s Medium, Madame Dashkova
Ada Meets With The Medium To Speak To Luke Forte
While the rest ofThe Gilded Age’s characters continue to pursue ways to gain influence in New York high society,Ada Forte has withdrawn a lot from societal normsthroughout season 3. This first appeared throughAda joining the temperance movement, much to the disdain of those around her, but has now taken an even more unexpected turn.
The van Rhijn’s cook,Mrs. Bauer, suggested that she might know a way for Ada to speak to her husband againat the end of episode 3. Now, episode 4 includes a meeting with a medium named Madame Dashkova. While Agnes is out of the house to attend a charity meeting, Ada takes the chance to invite the medium over.
In a darkened room in the van Rhijn house, Mrs. Bauer and Ada meet with Madame Dashkova, who attempts to make contact with Ada’s deceased husband, Luke Forte. The trio takes the seance very seriously, and Madame Dashkova promises to give Ada a chance to speak with Luke, butthey are shortly interrupted by Agnes' return.
Unsurprisingly, Agnes is not thrilled by the medium’s presence and orders her out immediately, telling Ada that she should have nothing to do with such silliness. Agnes is often quite harsh towards her sister, but in this case, she may not be entirely wrong, asMadame Dashkova doesn’t really tell Ada anything helpful.
Beyond some very general guesses about Ada’s circumstances and who she would like to talk to,nothing about Madame Dashkova’s seance makes it seem like she has any real supernatural powers. Instead, based on the events ofThe Gilded Ageseason 3, episode 4, it seems far more likely that she is a grifter looking to profit.
The Gilded Age’s Supernatural Story Highlights Ada & Agnes' Season 3 Problem
Ada And Agnes Have Never Seemed More Different
In the first half of season 3, Ada and Agnes have been more at odds than ever. Due to the devastating death of her husband shortly after they were married,it is completely understandable that Ada is feeling out of place, and Agnes has not really been much help in making her feel any better.
Though Ada’s temperance commitment is not liked by any of her family members, Agnes is openly antagonistic about the cause. What’s more, for the first time in their lives,Ada has more power thanks to the money that Luke left her, removing Agnes from her status as the head of the house.
While Ada’s grief is completely valid, Agnes' life is in complete upheaval as well, and Ada is entirely unable to see it.
Even among the charity organizations that Agnes has been a patron of for so long, Ada is now listed as a member instead. While Ada’s grief is completely valid, Agnes' life is in complete upheaval as well, and Ada is entirely unable to see it. As a result,the two sisters have spent the season fighting.
Rather than truly communicating how they actually feel, Ada and Agnes argue at every possible moment, andMadame Dashkova is simply emblematic of the bigger problem between the two. In a way, she represents this lack of communication and care, as she is providing Ada with a sort of assurance that Agnes is unable to provide.
If the two sisters were to stop and think about each other in a more nuanced way,it would become clear to each how much the other is hurting. Though Madame Dashkova has not proved that she can talk to Luke, her assurances of his presence are exactly what Ada needs to hear, but can’t find in her sister.
Why The Gilded Age Season 3 Should Make Ada’s Medium More Important
The Medium Is A Great Way To Explore Ada’s Grief
In episode 4, audiences only get to see one brief scene of Ada interacting with the medium, but I hope that changes in the coming episodes. In fact, while leavingthe van Rhijn house,Madame Dashkova even hinted to Ada that they would see each other again soon, making the prospect seem likely.
This is also bolstered by the fact that the seance made Ada feel better than she had in months, even with just the thought of her husband’s presence. Given that she has been unable to find any satisfying way of grieving and contending with his memory,meeting with Madame Dashkova again could help Ada heal in her own way.
It would be fun to seeThe Gilded Agelean more into the supernatural aspect of the seancesand have Madame Dashkova provide Ada with real, specific evidence of Luke’s presence, as it would fit well with the show’s drama. Even if that doesn’t happen, though, it kind of doesn’t matter to Ada.
The Gilded Ageseason 3, episode 5 will premiere on HBO Max on June 28, 2025, at 9 pm EST.
In Ada’s mind, the seance is real and effective, essentially making that the truth. Thus, between Ada’s desire to speak with her husband again and Madame Dashkova’s cunning ability to tell Ada what she wants to hear, the medium could still make an important contribution to Ada’s story in the second half ofThe Gilded Ageseason 3.
