The Gilded Age season 2 episode 8 recap: a victor is crowned

Opening night at the opera is upon us in The Gilded Age season 2 finale when Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) makes a last-minute play for the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb) to be her guest of honor at the Met.

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While Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) is on Mrs. Astor's (Donna Murphy) side of the Met versus Academy opera war, she is dealing with the fallout after her son Oscar (Blake Ritson) fell for a major financial scam. Also, Ada (Cynthia Nixon) is mourning the death of her husband, Marian (Louisa Jacobson) must figure out if she wants to get married and Peggy (Denée Benton) has a choice to make.

Here's our complete breakdown of The Gilded Age season 2 episode 8, "In Terms of Winning and Losing."

A stolen duke and stolen money

Rather than a disaster, George Russell (Morgan Spector) thinks the Met opening will be a great success with or without the guest of honor, and he refuses to spend any more money on this endeavor. Unfortunately, to sell the last few tickets, Mr. Gilbert (Jeremy Shamos) leaks news of this special guest to the paper. Bertha must figure out a way to lure the Duke back.

Money is a big topic at the van Rhijns, as Agnes discovers she will have to live a modest life if she sells her plush 61st Street abode. Agnes directs all her fury at Oscar, who can do nothing more than apologize. The staff is told they won't all keep their jobs, but the wanted ads leave little to be desired.

Footman Jack (Ben Ahlers) does receive some good news: the patent application for the alarm clock escape wheel is accepted, but he isn't sure what to do next. Luckily, Marian takes him to see Larry Russell (Harry Richardson). While Larry knows nothing about clocks, he has connections and promises to look into how to turn this into a business venture. Larry also invites Marian to be his guest at the Met, which she seems excited about.

Loyalty and a changed meeting

Marian mentions this invitation at dinner, causing Agnes to scoff at her lack of loyalty. While Marian can get away with going to the rival opera house, Oscar must accompany his mother to the Academy.

Speaking of taking a side, Mr. McAllister (Nathan Lane) has made his choice and brokered the deal with the Duke to go to the Academy. Bertha is furious, but McAllister explains he is known for being Mrs. Astor's close friend and nothing will change that. McAllister tells Bertha Mrs. Astor can open New York and America to the Duke, which cannot be bought.

Over in Brooklyn, Arthur Scott (John Douglas Thompson) discovers the education board has moved the meeting forward by a day. The board is annoyed that Peggy's article highlighting the new bond between the Black community and Irish immigrants has made them look foolish. The group doesn't miss the meeting, saving two out of three schools the board wants to shut down

Broken engagements

The following day, when Daishell (David Furr) comes to take Marian to school, she breaks off the engagement. The reason? He is still not over his dead wife and she doesn't love him like that. After Daishell leaves, Ada admits she noticed a lack of spark. Better to call it off now than after Marian walks down the aisle.

Meanwhile, Bertha knows what she wants and stops by the Duke's hotel to change his mind. It will be hard, as Mrs. Astor promised the world. What has Bertha got that Mrs. Astor doesn't?

In Brooklyn, Thomas (Sullivan Jones) tries to convince Peggy to take back her resignation, but she knows she cannot work closely with him and not let her feelings get in the way. Peggy intends to keep using her voice and plans to write a novel.

A night at the opera and a deal with the devil

Earlier, Bertha offered housekeeper Mrs. Bruce (Celia Keenan-Bolger) two tickets to the Met, a dream come true. Mrs. Bruce is giddy and asks if she can ask chef Mr. Borden (Douglas Sills) to be her plus-one, to which Bertha has no objections. The Russell kitchen is all go, but there is time to say goodbye to Watson (Michael Cerveris), who is leaving his job to get to know his daughter.

Everyone is wearing their opera best and the Met is buzzing with patrons and excitement. Mrs. Bruce cannot believe her eyes, but Turner (Kelley Curran) is furious when she finds out she hasn't got the center box. Her husband tells her to be calm, but Turner is already plotting revenge.

Over at the Academy, there are many empty seats, but Mrs. Astor still expects the Duke to show up. Mrs. Fish (Ashlie Atkinson) isn't risking it and calls the Academy a morgue. When she arrives at the Met, she tells Bertha, "American society has been reinvented tonight, and you are at the very heart of it."

To top it off, the Duke picks the Met over the Academy. George asks what Bertha did to secure this prize, but his wife remains coy with good reason: it's inferred Bertha has promised Gladys' (Taissa Farmiga) hand in marriage. After George previously said he would support his daughter's choice of groom, this could set up an explosive battle for a third season.

Big changes

When Larry escorts Marian home after the opera, they share a long-awaited kiss. Larry also tells Jack he wants to go into business with him, so expect more alarm clocks to come.

Ada and Agnes are waiting for Marian as Ada has colossal news. After going through all of Luke's paperwork, she discovers Luke had a secret fortune, so no one needs to downsize. Bannister (Simon Jones) realizes Ada is now the lady of the house and acts accordingly. While it might seem like an easy financial fix, it is also a delicious twist that changes the power dynamics between sisters. Roll on season 3!

The Gilded Age season 2 debuts new episodes Sundays on HBO and Max for US viewers and Mondays on Sky Atlantic for those in the UK.