[quote]However, Oscar is now descending to Jack's social class. And if he manages somehow to live on his own (aunt Ada may have pity on him), he will need a valet.
It's Ada. Of *course* she'll have pity for him. That being said: this is NYC, not England, the difference in this context being class mobility. It would've been entirely impossible for the Russells to exist in the Downton world: they're a fictionalized version of the Vanderbilts, who were entirely self-made. (The family patriarch, Cornelius, grew up on Staten Island!) Early 20th-c. Britain had zero "self-made millionaires," only aristos with centuries-old land holdings. Also: Bertha's disgraced lady's maid Turner marrying someone nearly as rich as the Russells would've been utterly unthinkable in England. (Yes, I know Branson the chauffeur on "Downton Abbey" married Sybil. Not at all the same: they married for love. Turner's a trollop who married a geezer for his money after failing to seduce George.)
Given his literal inventiveness and generally charming personality, I'm assuming he'll soon be parting ways with the Van Rhijn household and making his way into high-society circles on his own (and likely out-class Oscar – literally & figuratively – within a year or two).
[quote]The Duke of Wellington will marry Gladys against her will
It's the Duke of Buckingham featured on the series; he's a fictional character. Obviously the show includes actual people from the era, most notably Mrs. Astor, but considering there's an actual Duke of Wellington, they couldn't have him pottering off to the US to find a (barely legal) bride without causing an international incident with Britain! (And btw England only has 30 dukes, and six of them are members of the royal family. Prince William is also the Duke of Cornwall.)
[quote]I kind of want Ada to get into spiritualism, and hold a seance to contact her dead husband.
Oh PLEASE. Ada's proven far savvier than we initially knew, stuck under Agnes's thumb as a presumed spinster for decades. They were also married for all of five minutes. Not exactly life partners.
[quote]Keep in mind "theatre actors" are accustomed to and trained to handle complex /heightened language. The writing on The Gilded Age is far from complex and layered speech. The writing really needs to be better so these actors can do what distinguishes them from non-stage actors.
Are you entirely unacquainted with the world of Broadway, dear? Hundreds, if not thousands, of stage actors accept guest-starring gigs on NYC-made TV show – in particular its many procedurals, e.g. SVU alongside DL fave Mariska Hargitay – and even high-profile ones do so on occasion. Even Jonathan Groff guest-starred a single time on "The Good Wife"! (no scenes with Christine, alas) Not sure why you think stage actors can only "work" with "complex language": if anything I'd expect the exact opposite, that a highly trained theatrical actor can adopt any of myriad roles given their talent, plus it's usually the other way around. (Novices can't learn complex dialogue easily, but the same is *not* true the other way around.)
[quote]The main female lead character is largely a mystery except for her ravenous appetite to climb the ranks. The actress brings some nuance to her but the scripts sure don't help.
Agree to disagree. Aside from Agnes, she's the show's best character, plus she's married to a DEFINITE stud giving off some definite zaddy vibes.
[quote]Shows like this were usually filmed in England, this one is actually shot in New York with access to theater actors. Even the whole block of the mansion is on is out on Long Island.
Wow! I knew the 61st & 5th set was someone on Long Island, but I've never seen a photo from outside the show for it (let alone an aerial one). What I can't tell from it is if the Russells' house is the lone "in-place" set; it definitely looks that way on the show. (I also suspected they'd been faking the shot above the houses' parlor levels with CG, and this confirms it, with the lone except of the Russell's center entryway.)
