You can say that "The Gilded Age" is a knock-off of the beloved "Downton Abbey," effectively showcasing the beautiful sets and award-worthy costumes, however failing miserably to come up with compelling plot lines. The multiple subplots in "The Gilded Age" are razor thin and just try to get by from the sheer quantity. I keep hoping for some original plot development or even shocking twists but they never come. Besides the pretty art work and costumes to look at, the talented actors do keep me glued, especially the two sisters played by Cynthia Nixon and Christine Baranski. You have to love Baranski's cool snide delivery of those memorable one-liners. Cynthia Nixon is a revelation here as Aunt Ada. I have always found her to be rather annoying in her other work, but here she is my favorite, and I look forward to every scene that she is in. The other actors, from Carrie Coon as Bertha Russell to Blake Ritson as Oscar, deliver capably as expected. However, it needs to be called out that the main protagonist, the so-called glue to all characters and all storylines, is played by an actress who is clearly out of her league. The burden of carrying the show falls on her shoulders, and her inexperience and shortcomings are in full view. Louisa Jacobson exudes zero charm as Marion Brook. She fails to make this central character sympathetic which is critical to the quality of this show. For the first few episodes I start to question why she is selected as the main actress as I am perplexed. Then I find out that she is the daughter of none-other-than the great Meryl Streep, possibly the best actress of all time. There must be an assumption that due to genetic association, Louisa has to be just as good. But here is living proof that sometimes the apple can indeed fall far from the tree.

See other user reviews