Warning: SPOILERS For The Gilded Age Season 3The Gilded Agestar Taissa Farmiga explains why Gladys Russell bent to the will of her mother, Bertha Russell’s (Carrie Coon), and agreed to marry Hector, the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). Gladys hoped to avoid her mother’s arranged marriage plan for her, but the Russells' daughter ultimately succumbed to what Bertha and her father, George Russell (Morgan Spector), wanted.
Speaking toDecider,Taissa Farminga delved into the"pressure"Gladys Russell was under inThe Gilded Ageseason 3, episode 3to marry the Duke of Buckingham.Farmiga describes Gladys'“numbness"and how"emotionally depleted"she feltfrom all of the fighting. Taissa says Gladys ultimately just surrendered because she was"sick of feeling sh*tty.“Read her quotes below:
I think, at the end of the day, it was just the pressure of everybody. I think she was dealing with the heartbreak of Billy. She’s dealing with the fear of the future because she feels like she’s being forced into a future she’s not choosing. There’s a numbness that comes with that, and you can’t make a decision when you’re in such an emotionally depleted place, I think. Because there was so much pressure. You have to choose. She just sort of doesn’t want the stress anymore?
There’s abriefmoment of connection with her and the Duke. You know, she thanks him for not being fake,. So I think maybe it’s like a tiny little sparkle of a lightning bug in the dark. It’s kind of like a light guiding you. But I really think that she was just sick of feeling sh*tty. So she’s like, ‘Let’s just move on.'
Gladys Russell Agreeing To Marry The Duke Of Buckingham Explained
The Youngest Russell Was Given No Other Choice
As Taissa Farmiga elaborated, Gladys Russell was left with no recourse but to marry the Duke of Buckingham.Gladys pinned her hopes of salvation on two people who failed her:Billy Carlton (Matt Walker) and her father, George. Despite Billy’s claims to marry Gladys, he buckled under the fear of Gladys' parents, knowing Bertha would not allow them to wed, and that George could potentially ruin her business career. Carlton broke it off and abandoned Gladys.
George also feels he betrayed Gladys after promising she could marry for love. Ultimately,even George couldn’t stand against Bertha’s planto make their daughter the Duchess of Buckingham. George’s lone recourse to stop the engagement was the Duke’s demands for a bigger dowry, but Mr. Russell ended up relenting. Except for her brother, Larry (Harry Richardson), Gladys had no other supporters or means of escaping marriage to the Duke.
Our Take On Gladys Agreeing To Marry The Duke Of Buckingham
Can Anything Stop The Gilded Age’s Wedding?
Gladys Russell’s future was decided by her motherwith no input from her. Despite Gladys' attempts to choose her own husband and decide her own future, the old expression ‘You can’t fight city hall’ applies to the young heiress. Between Bertha’s desire for Gladys to become one of the most influential women of the Gilded Age, and the Duke’s need for the Russells' money to save his family’s estate,the pressures were too much for poor Gladys.
Gladys' story inThe Gilded Ageis based on the real-life Consuelo Vanderbilt, the American heiress who became the Duchess of Marlborough.
Barring someone objecting, or Billy Carlton growing a spine and fighting for her, it seems like nothing will stop Gladys Russell’s wedding to the Duke of Buckingham. Unfortunately, Billy seems firmly out of the picture, and Bertha would never tolerate the last-minute humiliation of Gladys' wedding being stopped inThe Gilded Ageseason 3. Gladys was just under too much pressure, and didn’t have the strength or support to stand against Bertha and the Duke.
