Carrie Coon Explains Bertha and George’s Fallout in ‘The Gilded Age’ S3: “She Didn’t Think She’d Ever Lose Him”
Carrie Coon’s character had it coming ever since The Gilded Age's controversial season 3 episode, but the ramifications of this are yet to be revealed in the next instalment.
Things took quite an unexpected turn for Carrie Coon’s Bertha Russell in The Gilded Age’s season 3 finale when everything she’s done has suddenly turned on her.
Since the show’s first season, Bertha has been paving her way towards the top of the New York high society with the use of her influence and her husband George’s money (which he didn’t quite appreciate).
It was the third season’s episode 4 that marked a subtle, but major change in Bertha and George’s relationship which now cracked over the tension amidst George’s recovery after shooting.
While it’s not clear whether George and Bertha will remain a couple, the latter may get a redemption arc in the upcoming fourth chapter.
Carrie Coon Teases Bertha’s Priority Shift in ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 4
Since so far everything Bertha has been up to revolved only around opportunities for her and her family to enter the creme de la creme’s golden circle, it might be hard to imagine the character denouncing everything she’s achieved by season 3.
However, George being shot and then taking all of his emotions on Bertha might be the point that the latter lacked throughout this season.
“I think that’s the stark reality that she’s faced with, in that she really does almost lose him, and she starts to understand that there are some priorities maybe more important to her than she thought. She didn’t think she’d ever lose him”, Bertha’s actress Carrie Coon revealed in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter.
Despite All, Bertha Wants to “Stay Married” to George
Now that the fate of George and Bertha’s marriage is yet to be addressed by The Gilded Age’s next season, it seems like fans’ predictions about an impending divorce aren’t going to become true anyway.
As Coon also stressed, Bertha knows exactly what she wants when it comes to her position in the society, but she also knows that she’s not ready to lose her family yet — especially since Gladys is about to have a child.
“Bertha wants everyone to keep moving forward. She wants to stay married to George. She wants her children to be settled and to start to take their rightful place in society as influencers, so to speak. And she’s ready to kind of conquer whatever the next challenge is. But she underestimated this impact”, the actress added.
