‘The Gilded Age’: Aunt Agnes is Right About Tom Raikes, Peggy Scott, and Literally Everything Else

HBO‘s The Gilded Age has quickly earned its place as one of the coziest watches of the winter. It’s got sexy robber barons, that Downton Abbey charm, and one of the most delightful face turns we’ve seen in years. Christine Baranski‘s Agnes van Rhijn started out as the show’s most stern bully. A grand dame of old New York who seemed defined by her snobbery and short-sightedness. But The Gilded Age Episode 6 found me, well, agreeing with Aunt Agnes. Scene after scene, I found myself not only applauding Agnes’s read of a person, but rooting for the old rich widow.

Marion Brook (Louisa Jacobson) might think that Aunt Agnes is wrong about her dear Mr. Raikes (Thomas Cocquerel), but I disagree. The Pennsylvanian social climber is going to break Marion’s heart. Aunt Ada (Cynthia Nixon) might think that her childhood sweetheart’s return is a good thing, but Aunt Agnes remembered his gross gold digging ways. Agnes van Rhijn is swiftly turning into the most sane person on The Gilded Age. She see through people’s motives, wants the best for her family, and even has no problem telling off her racist maid.

Is Aunt Agnes turning into the real hero of The Gilded Age?? (Er, let’s not go that far, but she is absolutely right when it comes to adventurers and racists.)

Created by Julian Fellowes, The Gilded Age is a soapy look at the lives of the titans of late 19th century society in New York City. We see this glittering world through the eyes of a newcomer, young Marion Brook. After her father dies and leaves her unexpectedly in a financial lurch, Marion must prevail upon the charity of her two estranged aunts, Agnes and Ada. Aunt Ada is the sweet one, soft to a fault and happy to take Marion’s corner. Aunt Agnes, however, is smart and stern. We are told that she wed her unpleasant husband to save the family’s prospects and suffered during her marriage. Agnes will seemingly do anything to maintain her place of honor in old New York society, including shunning the new money robber barons invading her social sphere from every corner.

At first, Fellowes frames Aunt Agnes as a rude old dinosaur, bitter about her impending extinction. However as the weeks have gone on, it’s becoming clear that Aunt Agnes’s cold exterior is the armor she sports so she can protect her family. Secondly, Aunt Agnes is...right. About a lot of things.

Whether or not you’re rooting for the Russells or not, Agnes’s estimation of them — as cold-hearted climbers who will do anything to get ahead — is not wrong. It’s actually a cool breakdown of their actions. Moreover, Aunt Agnes isn’t always a hater. She is Peggy Scott’s (Denée Benton) earliest and strongest supporter. She not only hires the talented writer to be her secretary, but also silences her lady maid’s vicious racist gossip about it. (Cabbies in Gilded Age New York might be blinded by their prejudice, but Agnes van Rhijn is not.)

Which brings me to the point that I’m wholeheartedly in agreement with Agnes on: Marion shouldn’t trust Mr. Raikes. I understand the show is presenting him as a chivalrous suitor, but I haven’t trusted the lawyer since Day 1. Any lawyer who flirts with a grieving woman while reading a will is…creepy. I don’t care that he’s handsome. It’s weird. As is his decision to move to New York and his aggressive social climbing. He is, as Aunt Agnes says, chasing after something. Is it love or a firm foothold in this glamorous world? (Hell, his name is Raikes. As in, he’s a rake.)

Aunt Agnes started off as The Gilded Age’s darkly fun dragon. She was good for bon mots and bringing the vibe down. Now she seems to be the one character in The Gilded Age who truly understands the world she lives in: that of a historic soap opera. And Aunt Agnes wants to protect the people she loves from the villains of that genre.

Where to stream The Gilded Age