‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 hints at ending in overlooked episode 3 scene

The Gilded Age Season 3 continues to establish its identity, with its third episode, “Love is Never Easy,” quietly foreshadowing the remainder of the season in a moment many viewers may have missed. 

The Julian Fellowes drama, set during America’s gilded age, has found a steady rhythm, with the Van Rhijn and Russell households facing growing pressures.

The episode’s focus on the unveiling of Gladys’s portrait doubles as Bertha Russell’s opportunity to announce Gladys’s engagement to Duke Hector. 

As Bertha’s desperation increases with the potential deal with Hector weakening, her decisions begin to reflect a willingness to risk everything for her ambitions.

Meanwhile, Agnes faces the uncomfortable decline of her social standing, Marian feels her relationship with Larry slipping, and Peggy’s life begins to move faster than she can manage. 

The theme of losing control underpins the episode, with Bertha standing apart as the only character prepared to push boundaries regardless of consequences.

The key moment arrives during the portrait unveiling, where Gladys, accepting her limited choices, agrees to the engagement. In a striking moment, she pulls at her pearl necklace until it breaks, scattering pearls across the floor. 

This moment, crafted by Fellowes and Sonja Warfield, symbolises the coming collapse each character may face, with each falling pearl representing a life unravelling.

The scene signals that the Russells, who have risked everything to secure their family’s future, may face the hardest fall. 

As the season approaches its midpoint, the stakes promise to rise further. 

Episode 4 of The Gilded Age Season 3 is expected to air July 13 on HBO.