Currently Watching: Gilded Age

HBO’s new drama The Gilded Age had all the things that would interest me. Written by Julian Fellows of Downton Abbey and Gosford Park (The latter being one of my absolute all time favorite movies.) And Gilded Age New York? Such a fun time, historically and artistically. And sooo many comparisons to now with the rise of all of the tech billionaires. Plus a GREAT cast. But. But. But.

Right out the bat, I’m already annoyed with the main character - Marian, the wide eyed innocent ingeneue who gets scammed before she’s even left her hometown. It felt unoriginal. And the two elder aunts (played by legends Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon) snobbishness towards the new money upstart neighbors feels boring too. I get that this was de riguer then (and I’m sure still happens to some extent). And like, all the men are annoyingly one dimensional. The downstairs staff doesn’t even have the personality that Downton or Gosford Park had (Gah Helen Mirren! Clive Owen! Kelly McDonald!) The only person I do like? Peggy Scott, the one who saves the ingenue and is going to New York to be a writer and ends up getting a job as Christine Baranksi’s secretary as a thank you for saving the ingenue niece.

Somehow it falls flat. I see the Fellowsian influence, but the CGI is intense. and distracting. Like, I really wanted to like this show. I’m going to stick around a bit, and see if it shapes up. But in the meantime, I’m on the fence.