Cynthia Nixon, Chirstine Baranski and Louisa Jacobson in 'The Gilded Age' season three's penultimate episode. HBO Max Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Logo text [This story contains major spoilers from season three, episode seven of The Gilded Age, "Ex-Communicated."] The seventh episode of The Gilded Age's third season, titled "Ex-Communicated," literally ended with a bang. Somebody shot George Russell. Or at him. Viewers aren't sure, as we saw a bullet headed for George and then the screen went black. The Gilded Age executive producer and director Salli Richardson-Whitfield, who helmed this episode and the finale, is not giving up those goods to The Hollywood Reporter. But she does speak on other pivotal developments, and there are quite a few. Related Stories TV How to Stream Marc Maron's New Comedy Special Online TV 'South Park' to Exit HBO Max Next Week as Show Consolidates Library on Paramount+ As harrowing as the prospect of losing George (spectacularly portrayed by Morgan Spector) is, a lot happened in this episode. Ward McAllister (Nathan Lane) released a fictional book about New York society that contained thinly veiled details of the lives of Mrs. Astor (Donna Murphy), Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) and more, and thought he could just carry on as before. There is a spy in the Russell household who keeps leaking gossip to the papers and the Russells' servants - butler Mr. Church (Jack Gilpin), housekeeper Mrs. Bruce (Celia Keenan-Bolger) and chef Borden (Douglas Sills) - are charged with finding the culprit. Oscar (Blake Ritson) is not handling his friend/lover John Adams' (Claybourne Elder) death well at all, and almost comes out to his mother Agnes (Christine Baranski). And, as always, matters of the heart continue to rule. While Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) and Hector (Ben Lamb) are getting along much better, Larry (Harry Richardson) is not making much headway with Marian (Louisa Jacobson) to get their engagement back on track. Also Mrs. Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad) meets up with Mrs. Ernestine Brown, portrayed by the legendary Leslie Uggams, and finds out Peggy's darkest secret, which she's sure will force her son Dr. Kirkland (Jordan Donica) to end their courtship. With so many couples in agony by the episode's end and only Hector and Gladys appearing happy, could Bertha have been right all along? Richardson-Whitfield lets us know what she thinks. *** What happens to George? There was no indication that someone would try to shoot him. So how did we get here? At Gilded, we really love these explosive openers and endings in episodes. Oscar's friend just got [killed]. No one saw that coming, and no one sees what happens to George at the end of episode seven. George (Morgan Spector) in the earlier wedding episode with Gladys (Taissa Farmiga). HBO Max Literally! But from the very beginning, this episode was explosive with McAllister's tell-all book about the women and society life he has helped cultivate. Yet he's shocked when he's no longer welcomed. Why does he believe he should still have a place at the table? Or at the ball? In his mind, he thought he was so entrenched with these people that he would be okay, [Because] he doesn't really give names, he thought that would be enough cover for him. And honestly, I say the same thing: How could he believe that Mrs. Astor would stand for any of this? That particular scene between the two of them when they part ways is very sad and tragic because you can tell that she is truly heartbroken. She doesn't have really, really good friends, and I feel like she felt that McAllister was actually a good friend and this is a big betrayal. I always thought of that scene as a breakup between two lovers, almost. Even though they're not lovers, it was tragic like that for both of them. And how cruelly he spoke of her, throwing her husband's philandering in her face and then saying "oh, forgive me" the next moment. It's like that best friend you find out really, truly has felt jealous and despised you all these years. It felt a little bit Atlanta Housewives to me. You think this is your homie, that we ride or die and at the same time, this is really how you see me and pity me and judge me. I think that's why people love this show. It can be such elevated drama, but then feel so soapy and catty. That's the magic of the show. You can sort of have both. Another really great storyline was the spy in the house. It made the servants more active. Talk about directing that and injecting a little mystery. It's not the deepest storyline, but I had so much fun with it because I said, if we're going to do this, then we are going full on Wes Anderson camp. This is going to be so much fun and almost silly, but it works. Our actors embraced the spy[ing] of it, like the idea of [Chef Borden] looking behind the br