The Gilded Age Season 2 Goes Full Breaking Bad Mode with This Character

Summary:

• In Season 1 of The Gilded Age, Bertha Russell is seen as an underdog.
• Season 2 reveals that despite that, Bertha is a cold-blooded villain.
• Mrs. Russell’s character development mirrors that of Walter White who followed a very similar path.

At first glance, The Gilded Age has nothing in common with Breaking Bad. It only sounds right: why would a show about the wealthiest members of 1880s New York society remind us of the unhinged adventures of a self-proclaimed drug lord?

In Season 1 of The Gilded Age, we get introduced to the setting and learn about the high-end struggles of the main characters, specifically, Bertha Russell, the richest woman on the show and the protagonist, and her husband George, the railroad tycoon. As their journey into the noble society begins, we’re all rooting for them.

But with Season 2, things change quite a lot in our book, and we start to see uncanny similarities between Bertha Russell and Walter White.

How Do We See Bertha Russell in Season 1?

Let’s recap what we know about Bertha up to this point, shall we?

In Season 1, we watch Bertha and George Russells try to wiggle their way into the old-money society — an idea that repeatedly fails due to the Russells themselves being the so-called new money. Their attempts to associate themselves with the blue bloods fail to impress their noble and arrogant peers who don’t think much of them.

At that point, we see Bertha and her husband as underdogs, save for the fact that they have a ton of money. They’re the outsiders of the story, the ones we as viewers sympathize with. They’re treated terribly by the society that surrounds them, and we root for the Russells: Come on, show those stinky aristocrats! Or something like that.

But Season 2 shows us a different side of Bertha Russell.

How Did Bertha Russell Change in Season 2?

We’ll avoid spoilers here in case you haven’t watched S2 yet, don’t worry.

Even in Season 1, we witnessed Bertha do some…questionable things in her quest to outdo her old-money rivals and show them their place. But back then, we still saw her as the underdog of The Gilded Age, so it was only understandable that we tried to come up with excuses for Bertha and her at times very unpleasant approach.

But Season 2 revealed the darker side of Bertha Russell, and we saw that it wasn’t just her defense mechanism. She is, in fact, more than willing to do monstrous things to achieve her ends, and she doesn’t shy away from some truly horrible tactics. Bertha Russell is not an outsider we can pity; she’s a straight-up villain of the story.

Bertha’s character development largely mirrors that of Walter White.

How Are Bertha Russell and Walter White Alike?

In the end, it all comes down to the way we perceive a character, and our perception of Bertha followed that of Walter White. Let’s see why they are similar.

Like Walter, Bertha started as a relatable underdog character who’s just trying to get by against all odds and unfavorable circumstances. We sympathize with her and root for her, and she appears to be the hero despite some pretty questionable moves.

Like Walter, Bertha is gradually revealed to be downright villainous and unhinged, with each consequent decision and action she takes cementing this truth. She doesn’t need our sympathies; she needs to destroy her enemies by any means.

Oh, and like Walter, Bertha has a distinctive hat that makes her stand out from the crowd. Have you seen the tower of feathers and fruits they’d have her wear at the beginning of Season 2? That beautiful monstrosity perfectly sums up its wearer.

So as we said, Bertha Russell is the new Walter White. And honestly? We are so down for it!

Source: Rolling Stone