Never the New

The pilot episode was not as bad, nor as good, as previous reviews state. It was fair to middling, but good enough to warrant tuning in for episode two.

The same is true of Louisa Jacobson's performance as Marian Brook; adequate, let's see if she and her character grow on us.

There certainly was more wokeness and political correctness than I was expecting, but not overly so as suggested by some other reviews.

The success of Downton Abbey may have had many of us tuning in with high expectations. A few more episodes should tell us if those expectations will be met or disappointed. I am looking forward to finding out which it will be.

Things have been set up for two mega-rich families and their courts in late eighteenth century New York City. This time the Capulets and the Montagues are the old and the new rich and there is the conflict. The Russells build this enormous house with garish furnishings and throw down the gauntlet. Unfortunately, wealth is not the answer to everything for the old families, a who's who of robber barons, hostelers, industrialists, and so on. Names like Astor and Rockefeller are the old families. Things revolve around Mrs. Russell trying to run things and causing sparks to fly, insulting those she desires as "new" friends. This series looks quite promising with the Julian Fellowes touch of excess.

The old and new money families of New York face off in the new series The Gilded Age. The Gilded Age, I believe, is also set in the same universe as Downton Abbey.

Set in 1882, the pilot episode introduces us to the Russells, a nouveau riche family in NYC which consists of railroad tycoon George, his strong-willed wife Bertha, their college-aged son Harry, and their naive daughter Gladys. Meanwhile, penniless young woman Marian Brook move into her wealthy aunts' home without a choice. Affluent families like the Astors and Roosevelts also appear.

The production design is good, but I'm more in awe with the elaborate costumes. The storylines are entertaining and is also upstairs-downstairs like Downton Abbey, but this new series focus more on these prominent families. The actors are great, particularly Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, and Morgan Spector. A few of the others seem wooden, I dunno. Louisa Jacobson seems to struggle a little bit here.

But still, I'm excited to watch the next episodes.

I liked this premier episode. I didn't love it. It left me interested enough to want to watch at least one episode more and see where it goes. At times while watching I was bored and wanted the pacing to pick up.

Carrie Coon has been one of my favorite actresses since The Sinner and I enjoyed her performance in this episode. Christine Baranski has been another one of my favorites for over twenty years and her perfectly snooty delivery had me chuckling.

I liked the gorgeous interiors and colorways. The dog Pumpkin was cute.

A lot of the dialogue seemed too formal and the acting seemed forced and unnatural. I have to agree with the other reviewers about the disappointing lack of a seductive character or anyone sexy.

I don't think this will be as fantastic as Downtown Abbey but I think it will be enjoyable enough to watch.

The pompous old society, the ridiculous 'rules' they lived by, the overdone everything - and yes, this was America. With just one episode in, it looks to be entertaining and fun. Of course, the haters, bigots, and wanna-be's won't like it, but the rest of us will have a blast!