Writer and executive producer Sonja Warfield pulls back the curtain on “The Gilded Age” season 2 finale.
She promised that even with a move on the horizon, she would keep in touch with Larry.
Larry’s response was to kiss her, drawing a shy, pleased smile from Marian.
Louisa Jacobson and Harry Richardson on ‘The Gilded Age’.Barbara Nitke/HBO
“Julian had long game plans to get them together,” she says.
“Back then everything was very chaste.
You didn’t really kiss somebody; you shook hands or something like that.
Cynthia Nixon on ‘The Gilded Age’.Barbara Nitke/HBO
He granted me my wish.”
“Relationships had their challenges in 1884, and they do today,” she says.
“The modern challenges aren’t that different from those challenges.
Denee Benton on ‘The Gilded Age’.Barbara Nitke/HBO
Yes, we’re rooting for them.
But everything will be complicated.”
So, I have to ask, why are you so mean?
Carrie Coon and Morgan Spector on ‘The Gilded Age’.Barbara Nitke/HBO
SONJA WARFIELD:Because that’s drama.
I wanted to disrupt the status quo with Ada.
That’s why he couldn’t stay.
Christine Baranski on ‘The Gilded Age’.Barbara Nitke/HBO
Peggy decides to leave the Fortune (Sullivan Jones) paper.
What will that mean for her future?
There’s versatility in her writing and in her work.
Listen, Fortune is great, but he’s a bad influence.
He drinks a little bit; he’s married.
Peggy has a whole future ahead of her anywhere she wants to be.
So I’m excited for her.
Will she be able to stay away though?
He is pretty cute.
Will we continue to follow him and how that develops in the future?
Or once he leaves the Russell household, will we not really check in with him?
Now, he’s going to be living as a gentleman.
We’ve already seen Turner (Kelley Curran) cross over.
Anything’s possible in America at that time.
If there is a season 3, how might that come back to bite them?
Listen, she’ll be conniving to take Bertha down.
Turner, or Mrs. Winterton, will be in her orbit.
There are crimes of opportunity that Turner will be looking out for wherever she can catch Bertha out.
And remember, she was the maid and the maids know everything.
One has to assume she already is blaming the Russells for everything.
She’s a smart cookie.
She knows what’s going on.
Season 1 ended with this very short-lived triumph for Bertha with her party coming off.
But it wasn’t enough.
If there is a season 3, would that be similar?
She won this battle.
Are there more battles for her to win?
The thing about power is that it’s unquenchable.
You get a taste of it, and you thirst for more.
Bertha has her sights set on conquering American society.
There is a heavy implication that Bertha won the Duke of Buckingham by selling out her own daughter.
Is that a fair reading of that scenario?
I think you’re a smart woman and that’s an astute reading.
George also looks quite concerned with whatever might be happening with the Duke.
So is he also suspicious?
Is he still determined to stand firm to that promise?
That’s something that will be tested, and we’ll have to see where George and Bertha land.
Parents often want different things for their children and that can be challenging.
Businesses go bust, anything’s possible.
We’ve pretty much exclusively seen Larry interested in architecture to this point.
So what would going into the alarm clock business potentially look like for him?
He’s young and he gets to explore a lot of things because his father’s a mogul.
In the final moment, Ada warns Agnes that things might be a little different.
Historically, Ada is pretty good natured.
So her being in charge, what do you conceive that looking like?
I feel like we’re gearing up for the battle of the century between these two sisters.
Here’s the thing, fighting with a sibling is so different than fighting with somebody else.
It’s so charged and it’s so conflict ridden.
What I love is that Ada didn’t just get a lot of money.
She was really empowered to be independent with Luke in that relationship.
So the power dynamics, it’ll be fun to watch what happens.
Does she hold any resentment toward Agnes for how domineering she was that we could see come out?
Listen, Agnes pushes people.
Even if you were forgiving and didn’t have resentment, she might stir it up again.
This cast is known for its stellar lineup of Broadway talent.
Who would be your dream to join the cast next season?
That would be big fun.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
