The Gilded Age Returns For Season 4 With a Dramatic Turn for Gladys Russell

The fourth season of HBO’s The Gilded Age has arrived, bringing another round of family tensions, social ambition and complicated relationships in 1880s New York.

Its opening episode, “Ring the Bells”, premiered in the US on November 1, with the UK broadcast following on Sky Atlantic on November 2. New episodes arrive weekly, with the eight-part season scheduled to conclude on 20 December. 

Viewers can also stream it on HBO Max in the US and NOW in the UK, although access depends on an active subscription.

But the major development takes place away from New York’s drawing rooms. Gladys Russell’s difficult childbirth in England is a personal conflict for this season; it raises questions about motherhood, marriage, and who gets to make decisions about a woman’s future.

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The Gilded Age Season 4 Release Schedule

The Gilded Age Season 4 has eight episodes, with new episodes premiering every Sunday at 9 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max in the US.

Following the November 1 premiere, the remaining episodes are scheduled for November 8, 15, 22 and 29, followed by December 6, 13 and 20, when the season finale airs. UK viewers can watch new episodes on Sky Atlantic and NOW every Monday at 9 pm, starting November 2.

The weekly release is HBO’s usual approach to its major dramas, giving viewers time to discuss each episode rather than releasing the entire season at once. The official HBO November programming announcement confirms the eight-episode run and weekly Sunday rollout.

Gladys Russell’s Childbirth Changes Everything

The premiere picks up nine months after the events of the previous season. Gladys, played by Taissa Farmiga, is living in England with her husband, Hector, the Duke of Buckingham, when she goes into labour. The birth becomes dangerous after doctors discover that the baby is in a breech position, putting both mother and child at risk.

Hector is asked to choose whom the doctor should prioritise if only one can be saved. He chooses Gladys, despite pressure from his sister, Lady Sarah, who believes the family needs a male heir. Both mother and baby initially survive, but Gladys later suffers a severe haemorrhage. The doctor performs a hysterectomy to stop the bleeding, meaning she will not be able to have more children.

The troubling part is that Gladys does not know what has happened. Hector and her mother, Bertha, decide to delay telling her until she has recovered. It creates another conflict waiting to unfold: the people closest to Gladys are making decisions about her body and future without her knowledge.

What Gladys’ Story Means For Bertha

Gladys’ experience also gives Bertha a different kind of reckoning. For much of the series, her ambitions have centred on securing her family’s position in New York society. Her daughter’s arranged marriage was part of that effort, even though it meant sending Gladys away from home.

Now, Bertha has nearly lost her daughter and grandson. Her priorities appear to be shifting from social advancement towards protecting her family.

Speaking about the storyline, Carrie Coon told TV Insider that “Bertha almost loses her daughter. She almost lost her grandson, and, within a year, she almost lost her husband”. Coon added that these experiences mean Bertha’s priorities “have never been clearer”.

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