The following contains spoilers from the Season 1 finale of "The Gilded Age."
"I'm worried that it may be too small," says Bertha Russell, the socially ambitious wife of a railroad tycoon at the center of HBO's "The Gilded Age." "New money" incarnate, Mrs. Russell (Carrie Coon) is talking to her staff about the opulent ball she's hosting to christen her Fifth Avenue estate and, she hopes, reach New York society's inner circle. Will the city's notables attend the extravagant event? And — more important — what will she wear?
These questions were answered in Monday's season finale: With a bit of strategic intimidation, Bertha secures the attendance of Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy) and, by extension, the rest of the hard-to-please elite — including her elusive neighbors, Agnes Van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon).
