Editor’s note: The text below contains spoilers for The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 5.
Buckle up, Gilded Age fans, because the tea is piping hot! Just when we thought the glitz and glamour of those fancy folks couldn’t get any wilder, Season 3 Episode 5 tosses a glitter bomb into the mix with a character comeback that’s got everyone’s jaws on the floor.
Spoiler alert: the chaos is real, and it’s all thanks to Oscar van Rhijn’s (Blake Ritson) old flame-turned-swindler, Maud Beaton (Nicole Brydon Bloom), sashaying back into the scene!
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Oscar’s Wild Ride in The Gilded Age
Picture this: Oscar, the dashing son of old-money queen Agnes (Christine Baranski), thought he had it all—fancy suits, family fortune, and a secret romance with John Adams (Claybourne Elder) tucked away from prying eyes. But in Season 2, our boy got played like a fiddle by the charming Maud Beaton, who sweet-talked him into sinking the entire van Rhijn fortune into a sketchy company called Casterbridge Pacific. Poof! The money vanished, Maud ghosted, and Oscar was left holding an empty bank account and a bruised ego. Talk about a plot twist that hit harder than a runaway carriage!
Fast forward to Season 3, and Oscar’s been clawing his way out of the gloom. With his Aunt Ada (Cynthia Nixon) swooping in with some inheritance cash to save the day, and John throwing him a career lifeline, things were looking up. But hold your horses—Episode 5 flips the script when Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) spots Maud at the shady Haymarket gentleman’s club, strutting around under the alias “Dolly Trent.” Yup, the con queen’s gone from high society to rock bottom, and she’s pretending she doesn’t know who Maud Beaton is. Sneaky, much?
Maud’s Fall from Grace: What’s the Deal?
Maud’s return is serving drama with a capital D. We all thought she was off sipping champagne in some ritzy hideout, but it looks like she burned through Oscar’s cash faster than a Gilded Age gala budget. Now she’s working the Haymarket, a place that’s basically the 19th-century version of “yikes.” What went wrong? Did her con-woman skills fizzle out, or did karma catch up? Either way, her fall from grace is giving major “rags to riches to rags” vibes, and it’s got us all wondering what’s next.
Oscar’s Next Move: Revenge or Redemption?
So, what’s Oscar gonna do about his old nemesis being back in town? He could storm into the Haymarket, all guns blazing, demanding answers—but let’s be real, Maud’s already living her own punishment. Chasing her down might just drag Oscar back into the mess he’s been trying to escape. Plus, with only three episodes left in Season 3, there’s bound to be more twists. Will Oscar go full detective and turn Maud over to the coppers? Or will he let her wallow in her downfall? And let’s not forget Agnes—our fave sharp-tongued matriarch isn’t exactly known for forgiving and forgetting. Will she push for Maud to face the music, or decide the con artist’s already paying her dues?
Then there’s John, Oscar’s rock through all this madness. Maud’s return could stir up trouble in paradise, especially if Oscar gets sucked back into her orbit. And speaking of history, Maud’s story seems to wink at a real-life con artist who tangled with tycoon Andrew Carnegie and ended up behind bars. Could the writers be steering Maud toward a similar fate? Or will they throw us another curveball?
Why Maud’s Comeback Is Pure Gold
Maud Beaton was the villain we loved to hate in Season 2, but seeing her hit rock bottom makes her a tad more human. Her shocking return is like tossing a match into a powder keg of drama, and we’re here for every explosive moment. With The Gilded Age serving up heartbreak, betrayal, and high-stakes scheming, Maud’s comeback is the cherry on top of an already juicy Season 3.
