George Russell Faces a Life-or-death Choice After Shooting in ‘The Gilded Age’
WHO:
Vulture - The Fricks expressed support for Oscar and Enid’s salon; William Merritt Chase later founded the school that became the Parsons School of Design.
Vulture - At the opera, Carrie Astor, Enid, Oscar, Larry, Bertha, and Mrs. Astor were in attendance. Mrs. Astor advised Bertha to offer a more believable excuse for her husband’s absence.
Vulture - George and Bertha Russell, their son Larry, and their daughter Gladys are central to the episode’s family conflict.
Vulture - George’s would-be assassin is Will Morris, son of Anne Morris. George’s railroad dealings ruined the Morris family in season one; Anne’s husband later died by suicide, and Anne vowed revenge.
Vulture - Peggy and Dorothy attend a Daughters of Friendship meeting in Newport. Phylicia Rashad plays Mrs. Kirkland, who introduces Peggy as a widow.
Vulture - William, Peggy’s husband, is a doctor. A Bellevue doctor tells him, “Colored doctors are not qualified to practice at Bellevue Hospital.”
Vulture - Marian works at a settlement house; Ada accompanies her on a site visit, while Agnes objects to Marian’s evening work.
Vulture - Oscar and Enid start a salon; their first guest of honor is William Merritt Chase. The Fricks support the plan.
WHAT:
Vulture - Marian tells Larry she cannot look at him without seeing her own shame after their affair; when he suggests marriage, she does not accept.
Vulture - George accuses Bertha of trying to “lure” him home, then kisses her before an assistant interrupts them.
Vulture - A journalist plans to write about Agnes at the Metropolitan Opera, prompting Agnes to attend.
Vulture - Larry’s friend proposes an American production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s *The Pirates of Penzance* as an investment.
Vulture - Vulture reports that Alexander Berkman received a 21-year prison sentence after attempting to kill Henry Frick.
Vulture - George’s Pinkerton detectives find Will, and George has him kidnapped and held in a warehouse. George points a gun at Will, recounts being shot and fearing his life had amounted to nothing, then fires away from the group. Will and Anne leave, with Anne promising they will never return to New York.
Vulture - George tells Bertha he released Will. He says he does not know how to describe their relationship and has no sense of direction; Bertha says she wants them to be husband and wife again.
Vulture - George drinks laudanum. His meeting with John D. Rockefeller goes poorly, and George angrily tells Larry, “You know nothing, Larry Snow.”
Vulture - Marian’s settlement house provides food, medical care, education, child assistance, and legal services. A nurse calls Marian “an asset to the program.” Marian helps a boy burned while working at an ironworks.
Vulture - At Bellevue, William brings a longtime patient for an urgent procedure but is barred from staying; the patient dies.
Vulture - Larry is approached about investing in an American production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s *The Pirates of Penzance*.
Vulture - Agnes is expected to attend the opera after a journalist interviews her; Bertha and Mrs. Astor also attend.
WHERE:
Vulture - Will is held in a room at the end of a tunnel in a dirty warehouse. Peggy and Dorothy’s initiation meeting is in Newport; Marian works at a settlement house on the Lower East Side.
Vulture - The patient’s procedure is at Bellevue Hospital; the opera gathering is at the Metropolitan Opera.
WHY:
Vulture - George says he would have turned Will over to the police only for Will to be hanged. Anne asks Bertha to intervene, saying she would not survive losing both her husband and son.
Vulture - Bertha’s concern about George’s changed behavior follows family upheavals, including Gladys nearly dying in childbirth and George being shot.
HOW:
Vulture - Marian tells Ada the settlement house offers social and medical services; its staff includes nurses.
Vulture - Vulture reports that Bellevue did not accept a Black resident until 1918 and identifies Dr. May Edward Chinn as the first Black woman to graduate from Bellevue’s medical college in 1926.
(UPDATED November 9, 2026 17:00 UTC)
George releases the would-be assassin who ruined his family, then struggles to reconnect with Bertha. Marian rejects Larry’s marriage proposal, while her settlement house aids poor families. At Bellevue, William is barred from treating a patient, who dies during the procedure.
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(UPDATED November 9, 2026 16:01 UTC)
George releases his would-be assassin, then struggles with Bertha and drinks laudanum. At Bellevue, William is barred from treating a patient, who dies. Marian helps vulnerable families, while Peggy confronts racism and Agnes resists Marian’s work.