The Official Gilded Age Podcast S1 Ep.9: “Let the Tournament Begin”
Mar 22, 2022
The hosts recap the season finale and discuss character developments. They explore etiquette issues and power play between Mrs. Astor and Bertha. They also discuss the process of creating the big ballroom scene and express interest in further exploration of the Gilded Age.
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Social Gatekeeping in Gilded Age
- Social invitations depended largely on formal recognition by established elite figures.
- Bertha Russell's initial exclusion demonstrated the power of Mrs. Astor's social gatekeeping.
Ada's Dance with Society
- Ada van Rhijn humorously embraces her societal dance invitation despite calling it "marching into hell and dancing with the devil."
- This captures the playful yet tense social maneuvering within the elite circles.
Donna Murphy on Mrs. Astor's Complexity
- Donna Murphy describes Mrs. Astor as a complex woman balancing old money values with changing social realities.
- She illustrates the personal and societal tensions between old and new money in the episode's confrontation scene.