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Reviews
The Gilded Age (2022)
Suspend belief!
Judging by the majority of TV and movie entertainment being produced these days, it seems that most people prefer violent action, police/crime drama, futuristic fiction or reality shows. A generation of viewers has been raised on this stuff. So when a show like "The Gilded Age" comes along, it's easy to understand why there are so many negative reviews. Every criticism possible in the user reviews has been made about its "inadequacies". But as a viewer who doesn't enjoy any of today's popular genres (no "NCIS" or "CSI", no "Star Wars", no "Peoples' Court", no "Survivor" nor "Big Brother" and definitely not the Kardashians) I have thoroughly enjoyed watching season one of "The Gilded Age." And it's not because it's different from what is currently popular. I'm already looking forward to watching season two. Here's why:
It's historical, giving viewers a perspective of our country at a time when America was growing and changing rapidly. Anything that refers to our country's history today gets called "woke" because so much of our history isn't pleasant to think about. While "The Gilded Age" is part fiction and part fact-based, it gives us insight on how New York society functioned at the time, and how it affected the rest of the country. New York was at the forefront of invention and industry. The costumes, architecture and attention to detail are fascinating. Suspend your belief and you'll be enthralled in the surroundings.
The acting is sensational! Anyone familiar with Broadway recognizes the Tony award winning and nominated cast and each actor shines in his/her role. It's the relationships between the characters that create the intrigue, and I love the interactions between sisters Agnes and Ada (Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon) nouveau riche George and Bertha (Morgan Spector and Carrie Coon) and even the lead butlers, Church and Bannister (Jack Gilpin and Simon Jones.) Watching pivotal characters beautifully portrayed by Donna Murphy (Mrs. Astor), Nathan Lane (Ward McAllister), Kelli O'Hara (Aurora Fane) and Jeanne Tripplehorn (Mrs. Chamberlain) has been delightful. And the relationship at the core of the story, between Peggy Scott (Denee Benton) and Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) is inspirational. Their friendship is reflective of how, ever so slowly at that time, people of different races could come together to support each other. Denee Benton reminds me of a young Cicely Tyson. She's dynamic in every scene she's in.
The writing is crisp and clever, and it lends itself to strong character development. We quickly get to know each character and the motives, desires, strengths and weaknesses they weave into the storyline. Some characters get their comeuppance, some get rewarded and some just entertain by being themselves; every interaction contributes to what is about to happen next. Julian Fellowes is a master at developing characters who make you care about them, so we are eager to see them meet their fates.
Many user reviews rate "The Gilded Age" against "Downton Abbey" because they were both written by Julian Fellowes. It's unfair to do that, even though they are both period pieces and it's tempting to compare. From a historical perspective, America was still a young country during the 1880's; England's history was many centuries longer. The societies functioned so differently, especially because America had only a decade before fought a Civil War.
"The Gilded Age" might not be everyone's cup of tea, but for people tired of the "reality" that pervades entertainment today, it's a welcome relief that could teach as well as entertain.
Dream Girl of '67 (1966)
Dream Girl '67
I remember the show being on about 2:30pm ET and I watched each day after school to see if I could pick the winner (mind you I was 12 at the time!) On Friday you'd watch to see if one of the girls you picked during the week became the weekly winner. An interesting concept to engage viewership back then. If you were a fan of beauty pageants, you probably would have liked Dream Girl '67. If I'm not mistaken, a few of the competitors went on to some degree of notoriety when it was over. It's hard to find episodes of the show and I'm glad someone remembers it besides me!:)