ashazamm

I am a huge Julian Fellowes fan. The man is absolutely brilliant and I will watch anything that his name is attached to. I've admired Downton Abbey, Doctor Thorne and Belgravia to name a few. Why did it take me so long to watch Gilded Age? When I first saw it advertised, I was so excited. Then I saw one of my least favorite actresses attached to it, Christine Baranski. Yes, I didn't watch it initially because I don't care for her. I never liked anything she has been in. That aside, I gave in for my love of Julian Fellowes and so glad I did. The show is brilliant. It reminds me of Downton Abbey, where they show the lives of the inhabitants upstairs as well as downstairs and how their lives can cross over.

This show is quite different from Downton Abbey though. It takes place in the greatest city in the world, NYC and it's mostly about social climbing and the conflict of old money versus new money.

Casting was a miss for me though. Most actors suited their roles but one glaringly obvious miscast was the part of Marian. I tried to like her, being a main character, but I couldn't. She is very wooden, and monotone, everything she says comes off dry. She had a line where she was surprised to see Peggy and she said it with zero inflection in her voice. I found myself being annoyed every time she came on screen. Something about her was nagging at me, I couldn't place it so I Googled her name and when I saw who her mother is, it all made sense. I can't help think she got the part because of her mother. She looks completely out of place for her character and not very good at acting. And I was right about Christine Baranski, her acting is not good and her presence unlikable. I would love to ask casting why they cast these two. I could see if they had minor parts but they are two major characters.

Some shining performances for me were Cynthia Nixon, who I was never a fan of, played the part of Aunt Ada and did a brilliant job playing her. The likeable Harry Richardson was a plus for me. I loved him in Poldark and Doctor Thorne. I enjoyed the story-line and performances by Taylor Richardson and Ben Ahlers (Bridget and Jack). I'm hoping to see more of them in Season 2. Amy Forsyth as Carrie Astor, for example, is well cast. Her face steals every scene she's in, she looks right for the role, she an incredible actress, very well cast and beautiful performance.

I absolutely love the interaction between Church and Bannister. They are the two butlers that live across the street from each other. The ending of Season 1, episode 9 when they see each other from across the street and nod to each other made me smile. Absolutely brilliant.