The Gilded Age

I'm really enjoying this show. Don't know what took me so long to start watching it, but here it is December 2023 and I've started watching season one. I love period dramas and this one is no exception. Most of the period pieces are British which is great but a New York point of view is refreshing, The best part about this show is that it's not a slow burn. Something happens in every episode. I am so tired of Netflix slow burns where nothing happens and an 8 episode series could boil down to one or two episodes.. This one keeps me interested. I really enjoy the costumes. Wow the dresses are just gorgeous and the homes and furnishings are beautiful. I mean could you imagine having money and living in a time like that.

This show works as a fantastic fantasy where you imagine yourself as one of the rich and noble of Gilded Age New York.

It's beautifully written, full of colorful characters that each feel as motivated and purposeful as all the others. Their lives are fleshed out and their potential for stories is always taken to its limit.

Even though my own circumstances are about as far from the lives of these people as is possible, the show still managed to get me to feel for and understand the mentality and feelings of all the characters.

Not every sub plot is a knockout and not every interaction is engaging, but it's one of the more consistent writing jobs done in this genre.

Beyond the exceptional writing, it's a beautifully produced show. The costumes on particular are fantastic! Every episode brings a new set of special dresses to admire. And the sets.... Absolutely gorgeous. This is arguably the best show of it's kind in terms of production design.

All around, I wasn't expecting much when I initially turned it on but I was very pleasantly surprised. It's fantastic.

Julian Fellowes' mighty pen is back (and even more cheekier) in this lavish production. This time dealing with aristocratic socialite snobbery of the ugly kind, ruthless business affairs, political sabotaging, hidden homosexual relationships, racial prejudices, and society control freaks. (But I'm sure there is more after only viewing three episodes.)

And we're talking about the year - 1882! A radical period in New York upper-society with the changing of the guard among the wealthy, and the young radical breed coming into play. All carried out in the delicious Fellowian style. With snappy and sassy dialogue, infused with a grand soap opera worthy of a Verdi music score.

The show is set during the era of the so-called 'rober barons'...incredibly wealthy men who made huge fortunes no matter what the cost to their poor employees. But the program doesn't center very much on these poor but the rich, their friends as well as their servants. The vibe is very much like "Downton Abbey" and it's written by the same man. Overall, a very satisfying and beautiful program which will likely have you longing to see more.

I really loved watching both seasons (up to now season three has not yet been released) and was ready to give the show a 10. But it is, at times, a bit predictable...but also incredibly unpredictable (such as the finale of season two). The predictability are many of the romantic relationships (particularly of the lead)...but considering how rich the characters are, I'll cut this some slack.

Reading some of these reviews is almost as entertaining as the show itself. Some proclaim to love Downton Abbey (which by the way also raised sensitive issues such as class, heritage and sexuality) but when it makes a small subplot in an American show - the trolls emerge proclaiming "no, no 'woke' stuff."

Anyway: The first episode is long but it does a good job of setting the stage. Love Baranski, Nixon did a fine job, Farmiga was not the right choice. Although I adore Coon as an actress (I'll never forget her performance in Leftovers), she didn't get to really flex in this role, yet.

I eagerly await the continuation and will update my rating as the season moves on. Which it will as I am sure irritates quite a few but gives the majority of us no reason for concern.