The Gilded Age Recap ‘Love is Never Easy’: The Triumph of Bertha

In the third episode of the third season of HBO Max's The Gilded Age, Peggy's romance with Dr. Kirkland starts to bloom in Newport, and George stands firm on dowry negotiations with the Duke of Buckingham.

The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 3 Recap and Review

Quietly, Peggy’s father Mr. Arthur Scott has become one of The Gilded Age’s most moving characters. The villain in Peggy’s young love story, we slowly got to know him better, the former slave who pursued education and built a very successful business that had become a pillar in the community, so much so that it inspired young William Kirkland to pursue a career in medicine. Now, with his daughter’s budding romance with Dr. Kirkland, he had to navigate through the prejudices of the good doctor’s mother Mrs. Elizabeth Kirkland, who came from generational freedom and wealth and could barely conceal how she looked down on a self-made man. 

For Mr. Scott, being at that party in Newport must have felt like history repeating. His wife Dorothy’s family did not want him for their daughter because Dorothy was born free and he was not. Arthur and Dorothy had to fight for their love, and though they were able to build a very good life, it was not easy. That was not a situation they would have wanted for their daughter. What Mr. Scott had was a loving father’s fear, though Mrs. Scott reminded him of what happened the last time he interfered with Peggy’s love life. Expanding the scenes of the Scotts was one of Season Three’s best decisions, combining the beauty and thrill of fresh romance with serious subjects like prejudice and colorism. 

Back in New York, the negotiations for Gladys’s future were not going well. The Duke of Buckingham and his lawyer Mr. Dobbs named what must have been an outrageous figure, and Mr. Russell countered with a figure of his own that would have assured prosperity for the impoverished aristocrat, but was not enough for what he thought he needed. It was nice to see Mr. Russell on businessman mode, and even more interesting how Mrs. Russell handled it. When the Duke and his lawyer went upstairs following an impasse, Bertha went to talk to her husband, and though her fears and frustrations were clear, she controlled her temper. Clearly, she was not being subservient, but she gave the impression that she almost was, like she was deferring to her husband on this matter of business. Bertha knows how to handle her George. 

The following morning, George had another offer. He would meet the Duke’s price, but the difference between his first offer and this would belong to Gladys, to be  invested and the income given to her twice a year. But the Duke wanted the money for himself, to be used as he saw fit to maintain his castle and his estates, and he refused. He and his lawyer left that morning. 

Like the fortune hunter that he was, the Duke went on immediate search for another heiress. As stressed as Bertha was, as insistent as she was that society and business were inextricably link and that they could not be seen to fail in society with the loss of this ducal marriage, she still maintained her calm with her husband. She was tender with him, told him he was working too hard, asked him to stay with her that night. Bertha was again demonstrating how she managed her powerful husband. George, however, had his mind full with his massive railroad project (and perhaps a bit peeved with her), and he walked away from her. He did, however, give his wife a small piece of useful information, that the De Lanceys would have been ruined had he not saved the Metropolitan Bank. 

Bertha had clawed her way from nothing to become the ruler of New York society, the Duke and her husband’s dowry dispute was just another obstacle in her path. She wrote to Mr. De Lancey and made it seem as though the letter came from her husband, to make sure he came. He did, and he immediately figured out what the meeting was for. Bertha had nothing to worry about on this front, Mr. De Lancey wanted his grandchildren in New York and would not consent to the marriage, though he claimed to be able to afford a duke or two with his interests not just in banking but in shipping and manufacturing. ‘I only wish you knew how much more interesting you are than the Duke of Buckingham’, he told Bertha. Hmm.

With his tail between his legs, the Duke returned to the Russells. Bertha tried to allay his concerns; if he treated Gladys well, what was hers would be his as well. He returned at the right time, because Gladys’s romance with Billy Carlton had ended, and for good this time. Larry had to gently tell his sister that the young man Bertha had threatened with ruin had moved on. 

This was not the romance Gladys wanted, but perhaps, all things considered, it was not too bad to be with a man who was upfront with what he wanted. Her father’s wealth was always going to make her a magnet for fortune hunters. At least this fortune hunter brought with him a title and no illusions over what the marriage would be like. Gladys would enter it with her eyes wide open. 

And some protection. George was not able to give his daughter what he promised, the freedom to marry for love, but he did set her up to be an independently wealthy woman even with a husband, something which most wives of their social circle were not. But did George still have the money? When the Duke left the Russell house after the first negotiations broke down, George told his man Clay to use the dowry money on their railroad project. What would happen now that the engagement was back on and had been announced at the unveiling of Gladys’s Sargent portrait?

Bertha has been so focused on her pursuit of a title for her daughter that she has largely ignored the romance that was happening under her nose. Her maid walked in on Larry and Marian kissing in the drawing room. When she mentioned them being a couple, Bertha was surprised; she was under the impression that Larry was still sowing his wild oats. Marian had been a fixture in the Russell household since they moved into their 5th Avenue home, the Russells were all used to having her around as a neighbour and a friend. But Marian was a well-bred lady with no prospects. Socially, she was no longer of any use to Bertha now that she has reached the pinnacle of  New York society. This was not a match Bertha would approve of, and based on that conversation with Mr. De Lancey, it seemed she was already looking toward a more suitable partner for her son and her husband’s heir. 

Marian knew that kiss may have been ill-advised, and as soon as she got home, she went straight to Aunt Ada. Now here was the Aunt Ada we loved before she became rich Aunt Ada, the one that Marian could turn to for comfort and advice. Aunt Ada was sympathetic to her fears, and told her what happened might help clarify how she felt. After all, there was nothing wrong with kissing her future husband. Marian did express her concern over Larry’s affair with an older woman, which she heard about from Oscar. 

Meanwhile Agnes was starting to feel and fear her exclusion from society. As the check to the household’s latest donation came from Ada, the newspaper printed it under Mrs. Luke (‘Luka’) Forte. The conversation we should be having should be on the loss of a woman’s name following her marriage, no?

‘Love is Never Easy’ is a continuation of The Gilded Age’s dramatically strong third season. It just hit me whilst I was typing this recap – I’m happy. I’m a happy fan. I had my frustrations about the first and second seasons, but three episodes into the third season and I am happy. Whatever happens, I’m glad we got a third season. These weekly trips into a world of gorgeous homes and beautiful clothes and one percent drama has been an absolute pleasure. 

Rating: A-

Strays

👑No commitments from investors yet for Jack and Larry’s clock business, but that last meeting with Mr. Weston seemed promising. 

👑Oh Aunt Ada, not a seance.

👑Oscar got two more clients! What can I say, I’m rooting for him. 

👑Mr. Borden has finally told Mrs. Bruce about his wife’s death. Him mourning her was a touching moment. 

👑Okay, one mild criticism: That breaking of pearls felt like a been there done that visual, and was unnecessary since Taissa Farmiga was going great work showing Gladys’s apprehension and how she had been dragged into a situation not of her own choosing.  

👑George: ‘I have built my fortune on what other people have told me was impossible. I won’t stop now.’

👑Bertha seemed largely subdued during the engagement announcement? Could the mother in her be having a mild tussle with the socially ambitious rich man's wife?

👑George: 'I just don't understand why you're so determined to keep love out of the equation. We were a love match, and we've been happy.' Hmm. I've written this before, I think George is far more deeply in love with Bertha than Bertha is with him. I'd really love to learn more about their early days as a couple.

👑Here's a link to the preview of next week's episode! Next week's life schedule is very busy so no promises on a recap, but I hope we'll have time because I've been wanting to write about Gladys/ Consuelo and this seems to be the perfect episode for that.

You can access Recap Lab’s full coverage of The Gilded Age via this link.

Episode Title: Love is Never Easy

Episode Writers: Julian Fellowes & Sonja Warfield

Episode Director: Michel Engler

Original Air Date: July 6, 2025

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