Emmy spotlight: Christine Baranski brings tremendous depth to delightfully acerbic Agnes in Season 2 of ‘The Gilded Age’
The first season of “The Gilded Age” introduced viewers to the world of wealth in 1880s New York City and to the deliciously witty Agnes van Rhijn, the bastion of old world values played by Christine Baranski. In those first episodes of the HBO drama series, the Emmy-winning actress always made a meal out of Agnes’ barbs as she looked down on her haughty new neighbors and criticized her naïve niece, but she brings even more emotional depth to Agnes in the second season. Her rich, layered turn should bring her back to the Emmy Awards and the supporting category she once called home for “The Good Wife.”
The second season of “The Gilded Age” begins in familiar enough territory for Agnes, who finds herself embroiled in a battle of warring opera houses. She and her ilk support the established Academy of Music, while the upstarts of society are raising funds for the new Metropolitan Opera. She’s also particularly (and hilariously) aghast when she hears that her niece Marian (Louisa Jacobson) teaches watercolors at a children’s school, quipping that she doesn’t “care if it’s where George Washington learned to read” because the job is beneath the family’s station.
SEE our exclusive video interview with Julian Fellowes, ‘The Gilded Age’ season 2
Baranski’s standout installment is “Close Enough to Touch,” in which her spinster sister Ada (Cynthia Nixon), with whom she lives, reveals that she’s marrying their reverend, Luke (Robert Sean Leonard). As always, the actress balances Agnes’ orneriness, calling the nuptials “tomfoolery,” with a comedic flair, telling their butler to rescind his congratulations to Ada. But what might come off as curmudgeonly gets many new layers when Agnes visits Luke herself. Baranski is devastatingly good as Agnes admits that she opposes the marriage because her sister is her “only true friend” and that he will be taking her away. She tinges the dialogue with Agnes’ own horrific experience with marriage. What’s more, Agnes makes an incredible about-face and attends the wedding with a grand entrance once the ceremony has begun. Baranski mines every bit of gold out of that 25-second, silent walk down the aisle for a tremendously moving end to the hour.
If Agnes thought accepting her sister’s marriage was tough, the end of the season had much worse in store as Luke is quickly diagnosed with cancer and dies. The morning after Luke’s passing, Agnes’ son, Oscar (Blake Ritson), has some horrendous news of his own to share, namely, that he lost her family fortune on a sham investment. The scene in which he confesses is deliriously tense as director Michael Engler slowly pushes in to close-ups and we watch the realization that Agnes is now penniless break like a wave over Baranski’s face and results in a stunned, defiant expression. Nobody plays financial ruin better than the two-time Tony winner, whether on “The Gilded Age,” the series premiere of “The Good Fight,” in which Diane Lockhart falls victim to a Ponzi scheme, or in the series finale of “Cybill,” in which her Emmy-winning character Maryann is also swindled out of her wealth.
SEE our exclusive video interview with Morgan Spector, ‘The Gilded Age’ season 2
Although Baranski was overlooked for the first season of “The Gilded Age” — not to mention all six seasons of the unsung “The Good Fight” — the series is in much better position to break out at the Emmys this year. Following its Screen Actors Guild Award drama ensemble nomination, our odds currently forecast five nominations for the series in above-the-line categories, including for Best Drama Series, actress for Carrie Coon, supporting actress for Baranski and Nixon, and supporting actor for Nathan Lane. Baranski stands the best chance of any of these contenders, currently in third place behind only Elizabeth Debicki and Lesley Manville for “The Crown.”
The veteran actress, who has one Emmy win and 14 other Emmy noms to her credit, certainly has the backing of critics ahead of the nominations. Recently, Lorraine Ali (Los Angeles Times) said, “I can’t keep my eyes off Christine Baranski. She stands out, even against the blinding opulence of monied New York,” and Tracy Brown (Los Angeles Times) added, “Christine Baranski was criminally overlooked for her work on ‘The Good Fight’ and I hope that trend doesn’t continue with ‘The Gilded Age.’” Recognition this year would make her one of only four people to earn seven or more nominations in the Best Drama Supporting Actress category, tying her with Nancy Marchand (“Lou Grant,” “The Sopranos”) and Betty Thomas (“Hill Street Blues”). She’d trail Tyne Daly (“Christy,” “Judging Amy”) by one. That’s a rarified list that even Agnes herself would approve.
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