The Gilded Age EPs Defend That Tragic Twist in Episode 6: ‘I Jumped Out of My Skin When I Watched It'
Oscar van Rhijn will never cross the street without looking both ways ever again.
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The Gilded Age Star Takes Us Inside Marian and Larry's Romantic Moment in Episode 5: 'I Think Both of Us Cried'
Sunday's episode ended with the shocking death of John Adams (Claybourne Elder), who was struck by a speeding horse carriage after sharing one last affectionate moment with Oscar on the streets of New York City.
'You've defied the odds,' John told Oscar after leaving an important meeting that set him back on the path to financial stability. 'You are my savior,' Oscar replied, practically bursting to express his love for John, yet forced to settle for a firm handshake. 'I thank you with all my heart.'
Even if it wasn't the L-bomb per se, at least Oscar can take some solace in knowing that his final words to John were of affection; poor John stepped off the sidewalk moments later, leaving Oscar gasping for air as he watched his lover's limp body hit the ground.
It was a bold swing, one viewers aren't necessarily accustomed to seeing on The Gilded Age. Sure, Ada lost her husband last season, but at least Luke's illness provided some warning, both for Ada and for the audience. John's sudden death on the city streets was brutal, shocking and, as many viewers are likely to point out, somewhat problematic. We weren't realistically expecting Oscar and John to live happily ever after as out gay men, certainly not in the late 1880s, but did their heartbreaking story really need to take yet another tragic turn? Even a life of secret trysts and unspoken love would be better than *checks sidewalk* no life at all.
For what it's worth, co-showrunners Julian Fellowes and Sonja Warfield have no regrets about this particularly grim turn of events, as it apparently serves to propel Oscar's storyline in a significant way moving forward. That much will become clear in the next episode, once the initial shock of John's death has subsided.
None of those upcoming developments 'would have been achievable if John Adams had lived,' Fellowes teases to TVLine, adding that they were 'quite careful to kill him with a straight accident, not with anything with political overtones. He's just killed in an accident, like anyone could be at any time.'
'Those shocking things are true in life,' adds Warfield. 'I've certainly experienced those traumas. They change you, and we wanted to bring about that change in Oscar.'
Putting emotions aside, purely from a technical standpoint, Fellowes believes the show pulled off John's death 'quite well,' saying, 'I jumped out of my skin when I watched it for the first time.'
Elsewhere in Season 3, Episode 6… Bertha made good on her promise to George, traveling to Buckingham to remind Lady Sarah who's really in charge now that Gladys and the Duke are married; rather than raking Maud across the coals, Oscar chose a more graceful path, giving her enough money to leave town and start over; furious that Larry lied about visiting an establishment of ill repute, Marian considered ending their engagement; Jack was awkwardly fired once Agnes learned how much he earned from his invention ('It's hard to believe there's a God in heaven!'); after realizing that her so-called 'psychic' is a total fraud, Ada found unexpected comfort in her sister's arms; and Peggy began to tell William about her complicated past, but he assured her that the present is far more important to him. If only his dear, sweet mother felt the same way.
OK, let's talk: On a scale from one to 'WTF,' how surprised were you by John's death, and do you the think the show went too far by killing him off? Did you also relish Bertha's scenes with Lady Sarah in England? (She really has been in need of a worthy female sparring partner this season.) And which relationship has you more concerned — Peggy and William's, or Marian and Larry's? Drop a comment with your thoughts on all things below.
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