Never the New

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.

There's just something so jarringly absurd, hearing eloquent dialogue that's clearly written by an eccentric, British writer (who crafts jokes with an identifiable British wit / sense of humour) for very American characters who enunciate lines through equally peculiar, English sounding American accents? "The Gilded Age" therefore is adapted to the screen by Americans, filmed in America, featuring Americans who somehow sound like they're not from America... Because of an English showrunner?

It's akin to an SNL sketch, spoofing classical period dramas... Except this one's hilarity is unintentional, taking itself far too seriously, not realising the ridiculousness of its own premise.

Of course, the logic of this creative venture makes perfect sense; following the profitability of ITV's critically acclaimed series "Downton Abbey", HBO & creator Julian Fellowes have brazenly tried to replicate that success here by taking the basic template & applying it to a historical piece set in the US (so blatantly, they may as well have clicked copy & paste)... But considering the fact that Downton Abbey's quintessential Britishness is part of why the franchise thrived, it seems as though nobody considered how things may be lost in translation, when bringing that format stateside?

What worked in one country, may not work in another etc. Hence, this feels like a derivative rehash of something that was previously done before - & although glossy, boasting impressive production values, full of impressive grandeur... None of that compensates for the lack of uniqueness or sincerity.

Moreover, it's also distracting seeing this new age of clinical & sterile looking period dramas where everything's visually pristine, clean & immaculate... At first, I noticed it with "Bridgerton" & now that inauthentic, meticulous aesthetic has spread to yet another, "The Gilded Age". Need I remind people - this is an era where most citizens didn't have access to frequent baths, diseases were rife & yet inexplicably, streets are spotless, outfits are unblemished & they all look hygienic?

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.

Everyone needs to stop with the " unattractive cast" nonsense. This is not Bridgerton or Downtown Abbey. This is old money versus new money in all its snooty, look down your nose glory. Christine Baranski is perfect in the lead role. Her contempt for anyone beneath her borders on hilarious. Enjoy the ride people, I get the feeling it's going to be fabulous 😊

I should have thought that when Julian Fellowes announced he was making an American Downton Abbey all of Hollywood would have been clamoring to be in it. Alas, that is not the case, as we have nobodies and B rate actors.

A very mediocre beginning that's worth at least a few more viewings, but I'm very dubious. Of course, we've already gotten a heavy dose of woke.

UPDATE: Beware, the influencers and paid reviewers are rallying to the cause. You always know these people because they review the negative reviews, not the show, and they sprinkle 10's like Unicorn dust.