The first trailer for HBO’s fourth season of The Gilded Age suggests that Bertha and George Russell’s marriage will remain fractured after the conflict that ended season three. The article argues that prolonging their separation could strengthen the drama, testing a relationship previously presented as an unusually supportive and equal partnership while exploring the personal and social consequences for Bertha.

The dispute centres on Bertha’s decision to secure daughter Gladys’s marriage to an English duke, which boosts the family’s status and offers protection in a period when women had limited financial and political independence. Although Bertha is criticised as a parent, the article portrays George as also culpable for failing to protect Gladys and for turning against Bertha; it also flags concern over his earlier access to laudanum and the possibility of worsening health or relationship problems.