‘The Gilded Age’ Season 3 Simply Killed Off This Beloved Character in Episode 6

Warning: Spoilers for The Gilded Age season 3, episode 6

Season 3 of The Gilded Age has had no scarcity of drama, starting from a messy wedding ceremony, extra maneuvering among the many New York Metropolis’s social elite and shrewd enterprise offers. However episode 6 ended with essentially the most surprising second but: the demise of John Adams.

The beloved character performed by Claybourne Elder was killed when he was unexpectedly hit by a carriage on the road. The surprising second got here after he aided his buddy and former lover, Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson), by way of the latter’s monetary damage and sudden reunion with the girl — Maud Beaton performed by Nicole Brydon Bloom — who stole all his cash.

For followers of creator Julian Fellowes’ historic drama about Manhattan’s excessive society within the 1800s, John’s demise is a significant blow. It additionally marks the tip of a short-lived LGBTQ storyline on the collection between Oscar and John.

John was first launched on The Gilded Age as a possible suitor for Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson), Oscar’s cousin.

It shortly revealed although that John — who’s a descendant of President John Adams — and Oscar have been having a secret affair. 

Their relationship grew to become difficult as each males lived out straight lives. Through the first two seasons, Oscar tried to court docket and later proposed to Gladys Russell (Taissa Farmiga). Whereas John understood what Oscar was doing, he wasn’t for it. 

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The 2 ultimately broke issues off, however John remained current — if not seen usually — on the collection. Throughout season 2, playwright Oscar Wilde (Jordan Waller) took a liking to him whereas visiting New York for the efficiency of his play, Vera; or The Nihilists. Nonetheless, it was after the present when John revealed to Oscar (van Rhijn) he was courting one other man — and was proud of who he was as a homosexual individual. 

In season 3, John involves assistance from Oscar, providing his financially-strapped buddy an funding alternative in an effort to revive his profession and enterprise standing. After writing him a verify, Oscar was in a position to make good on the investments and begin climbing his manner again up the ranks. 

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Oscar’s luck, nonetheless, was virtually ruined by the return of Maud, who was found to be a dancer at a gentleman’s membership. After confronting her, he discovered that she misplaced all his cash she beforehand swindled out of him in season 2.

In a change of coronary heart for Oscar, he later purchased her a prepare ticket for Sandusky, Ohio and gave her $100 with the caveat that she by no means return to Manhattan. 

Throughout their last interplay in episode 6, John mentioned, “I like this new model of Oscar van Rhijn.”

He then presents his buddy some consolation over the lack of his cash, saying that Maud was tricked as nicely. As the 2 stroll down the road, John revealed that he “will make investments extra” in Oscar’s profession, praising him for having “defied the chances.” 

“That is the place we half,” John mentioned, including that they’re going to meet once more when he brings alongside a brand new investor for Oscar to tackle as his “newest fortunate shopper.” In response, Oscar gushed, “You might be my savior. I thanks with all my coronary heart.” 

Then, as John stepped out onto the road to hail a trip, a carriage got here crashing into him, killing him in entrance of Oscar, who was left shocked and bewildered.   

Whereas chatting with Out journal, Elder mirrored on the impression of enjoying John on the present.

“The Gilded Age has been such a significant expertise for me,” Elder mentioned. “As a queer actor, attending to painting a queer character on this explicit historic setting feels each thrilling and essential. The late nineteenth century wasn’t precisely a time when queer folks might reside overtly, and but we all know they existed, liked, and located methods to carve out areas for themselves.”

“What I like about John is that he’s complicated — he’s navigating a world that doesn’t essentially make room for him, however he has this want to do what’s proper,” he continued, noting that it was “cool” that his character had ties to real-life historical past. “It’s a reminder that queer folks have all the time been a part of the story, even when historical past hasn’t all the time chosen to highlight them. I really feel extremely honored to deliver that to life.”

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In an unique interview with PEOPLE about season 3, Fellowes echoes Elder’s sentiment about John present in a time and place when he could not be out within the open. “I feel my fundamental consideration with John Adams was that there are lots of people inevitably in a society that’s fairly illiberal of any aberration, so it means loads of pretending and lots of people live synthetic lives, you recognize, roughly efficiently.”

“On the entire, Oscar manages his double life with out horrifying the horses and so forth,” Fellowes continues, earlier than teasing that “when actual grief comes into that, then it is all unbalanced as a result of you possibly can’t simply faux that nothing’s occurred and that you’re wonderful and all the things’s okay. It’s essential get by way of it in some way.” 

The Gilded Age season 3 airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and Max.