HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’ Is Even Darker and More Defiant in Season 4 | Review

Season 4 of HBO’s *The Gilded Age* continues its mix of high-society melodrama and lighter, feel-good storytelling, while taking several characters into darker territory. The review says the series has hit its stride, with a strong ensemble and an expanding story helping it sustain its momentum.

Bertha Russell returns from England as her marriage to George remains strained after their separation, while George seeks the person who shot him and Bertha competes with Agnes van Rhijn to host President Grover Cleveland. Other storylines follow Larry and Marian’s rekindled feelings, Peggy’s engagement and career, Ada’s unexpected chance at romance, and Oscar’s evolving arrangement with Enid. The review also points to the contrast between characters’ public appearances and private lives as a continuing source of drama.