The Gilded Age Season 4 Episode 1 Ending Explained: George Russell Is On The Edge But Finds His Shooter

Published Nov 1, 2026, 10:01 PM EST

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Warning: SPOILERS for The Gilded Age Season 4, Episode 1

The Gilded Age season 4 returns with aplomb as dramatic events affecting the Russell family take place on both sides of the pond. Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes uses a storm in New York City as a backdrop to the wedding of a new power couple, the costly birth of a future Duke, and a follow-up to an unsolved mystery from The Gilded Age season 3.

As Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga) gives birth to a boy, the new Marquess of Sidmouth, in England, Oscar Van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) marries Enid Winterton (Kelly Curran). Gladys secures the future of the Buckinghams while Oscar achieves his dream of marrying into wealth; even better for Mr. Van Rhijn, Enid knows Oscar is gay and supports her husband to live as he chooses.

Meanwhile, Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) is preparing to host a dinner for the President of the United States. Peggy Scott (Denee Benton) marks a career high while dreading her future mother-in-law. John Trotter (Ben Ahlers) realizes selling his new mixing machine invention hinges on learning the rules of society from Bannister (Simon Jones), while Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) makes a terrible mistake that could lead to her ruin in The Gilded Age season 4.

George Russell Found His Shooter, But What’s Wrong With Him?

George Russell hired Pinkerton detectives as his bodyguards and to search for the man who shot and nearly killed him in The Gilded Age season 3. Facing the possible collapse of his business empire, Mr. Russell gets good news: the Pinkertons found his shooter, who is an unidentified man living in the tenements with a woman George found "familiar."

Mr. Russell may have physically recovered from being shot, but mentally and emotionally, he is on the edge. Even his son, Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), can see that his father is "not himself." George is normally calculated and reserved, but he is now temperamental, not eating, and still angry at his wife, Bertha (Carrie Coon), who he refuses to live with.

George has reason to be constantly worried as his business rival, John D. Rockefeller (Neal Huff), and Standard Oil are pricing out Russell Industries. It could lead to the Russells' ruin after George was already in financial peril before Larry rescued the company by discovering profitable copper mines in The Gilded Age season 3. At least George found joy in the birth of his grandson.

Gladys, Duchess of Buckingham, nearly died giving birth to her son. The Duchess then hemorrhaged, but when her physician saved her life, he had to remove her uterus so that she could never have more children. However, Bertha and Hector, Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb), decide to keep it a secret from Gladys.

Hector proved to Bertha that he truly loves Gladys.

By doing this to "protect" Gladys, they created a ticking time bomb that could wreck the Russell family on both sides of the pond. However, Hector proved to Bertha that he truly loves Gladys. When her difficult birth came down to possibly only saving the child or the mother, the Duke chose to save Gladys, against his sister, Lady Sarah Vere (Hattie Morahan).

With her daughter and grandson, the new Marquess of Sidmouth, safe, Bertha now prepares to sail home to New York. Yet her hopes of reconciling with George are already dashed, since he plans to move out of their East 61st Street palace when she arrives.

Why Marian Was So Upset After Her Night With Larry Russell

Marian and Larry finally slept together after a night dancing in Webster Hall. The storm wrecked the Russells' carriage wheel, forcing Larry and Marian to stay overnight at a hotel. Yet despite having separate rooms, the formerly engaged couple gave into their attraction. For Larry, it was a night of pleasure. For Marian, it was a huge mistake.

Marian was previously engaged in every prior season of The Gilded Age to Tom Raikes (Thomas Cocquerel), Dashiell Montgomery (David Furr), and Larry Russell.

Miss Brook sleeping with young Mr. Russell could be a potential scandal, as her aunts Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Forte (Cynthia Nixon) warned. Agnes and Ada don't know that Marian and Larry spent the night together, but just the idea that they were together in a hotel under any circumstances could ruin Marian's reputation as an unwed woman who already has two failed engagements.

Poor Marian now has to keep her dalliance with Larry a secret, but it's obviously weighing on her. It's the latest crisis for Marian, who can't seem to catch a break in romance, and seems doomed to perpetual misery while keeping up appearances in society.

Peggy’s Wedding Has A Mother-In-Law-Zilla

Peggy Scott accepted Dr. William Kirkland's (Jordan Donica) at the end of The Gilded Age season 3. It's now up to nine months later (given Gladys was pregnant, and has now given birth), and the future Dr. and Mrs. Kirkland are preparing for their wedding. For Peggy and her mother, Dorothy (Audra McDonald), this means dealing with William's mother, Elizabeth Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad).

Sullivan Jones, who played Peggy's editor and love interest, T. Thomas Fortune, will not return in The Gilded Age season 4.

Elizabeth is a bridezilla of a mother-in-law, but Peggy has chosen the path of least resistance, recognizing that she has to co-exist with William's domineering mother. Meanwhile, Peggy has reached a new career high with her book, Friends In These Times, being published. Yet Elizabeth chooses to ignore Peggy's achievement.

Mrs. Kirkland frowns at her future daughter-in-law, who believes she can balance a writing career while also being a wife. Elizabeth invited Peggy into her women's club, the Daughters of Friendship, to convert Miss Scott into a proper wife and leave her professional ambitions behind. Peggy may indeed have to choose as The Gilded Age season 4 continues.

Agnes Knows Enid’s Secret & Could Use Her Instead Of Ada

Oscar and Enid's wedding is a great relief to Agnes Van Rhijn, who is glad to finally see her long-suffering son Oscar settled and married to a respectable woman of means. Or so she thought. Agnes' ever-meddling lady's maid, Armstrong (Debra Monk), revealed the truth that Enid was once Turner, Bertha Russell's lady's maid.

However, Agnes was surprised when she confronted Enid, who not only did not deny the truth, but offered to help the Van Rhijn family. This includes financing Agnes' dinner for President Grover Cleveland (Jim Gaffigan), which Ada refuses to help with after learning about Cleveland's politics from Peggy.

For Agnes, successfully hosting the President will restore her lost luster after Oscar bankrupted her in The Gilded Age season 2. Agnes must now decide whether to keep Enid's secret in exchange for the new Mrs. Oscar Van Rhijn's financial support. Aunt Agnes is savvy enough to jump on this opportunity, but will she?

Meanwhile, Oscar and Enid's union has been a smashing success thus far. Mr. and Mrs. Van Rhijn have the prestige and money to take control of New York society, and they mean to with Enid's new idea: to host salons for the younger upper-class crowd. Enid is also fine with Oscar refusing to consummate their marriage, but one gets the hint this arrangement may not hold throughout The Gilded Age season 4.

New episodes of The Gilded Age season 4 premiere Sundays @ 9pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.