The Gilded Age stars reveal why Marian and Larry’s ‘frustrating’ season 4 scene changes everything

*Warning: Spoilers for The Gilded Age season 4 premiere ahead*

Larry and Marian have become the Ross and Rachel of The Gilded Age, and their relationship undergoes a huge development in the new season 4 premiere. But it seems this moment has only driven them further apart.  

The pair’s romance has been brewing since season 1 of the HBO series, when they first struck up a friendship after Marian (Louisa Jacobson) moved in across the street from Larry’s (Harry Richardson) family. 

After Marian endured two failed engagements, the pair finally kissed at the end of season 2, before secretly beginning a relationship in season 3. Things moved pretty quickly from there, with Larry eventually popping the question.

But their engagement fell to pieces when Marian discovered Larry had lied about visiting a rather scandalous downtown nightclub with his friends. Although she later learned he’d been telling the truth about nothing happening there, the damage was done.

By the season 3 finale, the pair had apologised and shared a dance, but it wasn’t clear whether they were officially back together.

In The Gilded Age season 4, they’re still not in a relationship. But they run into each other downtown of all places and enjoy the evening together. On the way home, their carriage breaks down and they’re forced to stay at a hotel. 

Although they’re in separate rooms, they end up in bed together and have sex. It’s a huge moment, and not just because of their complicated romantic history. They’re unmarried in a society where a woman’s reputation could be ruined by the mere suggestion she’d had sex before tying the knot. 

In the cold hard light of day, Marian wakes up feeling ashamed. She leaves in a rush first thing, telling Larry, “I’m probably ruined.”

The tragic truth about why Marian and Larry aren’t together in The Gilded Age season 4

Even before this scene, Marian and Larry still hadn’t fully given in to the love they clearly have for one another. According to Larry star Harry Richardson, a lot of the reason why is down to fear. 

Speaking to TVLine, Richardson said, “They’re both still holding their fears and attachments and trepidation, because love is terrifying. To really fall into it is a loss of self. 

“And I think both of them through season 3 come to this place where they both have their own reasons. They’re like, ‘I don’t know if this can work,’ and I find that so relatable. Love can be so terrifying.”

That said, Richardson acknowledged there was “unfinished business” between them, adding: “That attraction and that pull to each other is so strong because they know that, while they’re both terrified of each other, they have a lot of entanglement. That seems to be the medicine for their growth as well.”

Sadly, their night together should have brought them closer, but it seems it’s only created further distance between them. 

Marian is ‘f**king frustrated’ that she slept with Larry

Marian is so ashamed of herself that she can’t even bring herself to fully tell her best friend, Peggy (Denée Benton). And that all has to do with the time period The Gilded Age is set in.

Marian star Louisa Jacobson told TVLine, “We have to remember that this is taking place in 1886. It is not 2026. Women were not supposed to be having sex until they were married. 

“Women were supposed to be pure and untouched – as pure as the driven snow, I think Agnes once said. It’s like a cardinal sin. You could be ruined if someone found out that this happened. Marian’s life and reputation would be ruined.”

Some fans have questioned why Larry doesn’t understand why Marian is so upset, and to be honest, a lot of that could be down to selfishness. Larry isn’t a bad person, but a lot of men during that era would not know the first thing about the expectations placed on women – and how that feels. 

As Jacobson said, “The consequences are certainly much higher for her than they are for Larry, and I think that is part of this struggle, and part of why she’s so f***ing frustrated with the whole situation.  

“To a modern audience, that can largely come across as an internal obstacle, that she’s fighting with herself, that she’s at war with her own shame, but it’s actually external if you think about the societal ideals of the time, the restrictions that women were under.”

Creator Julian Fellowes separately spoke about this moment in a conversation with The Wrap. “We really wanted to show that our permissive society was not always so. It’s a good thing to remind people of the dangers they were facing [back then] that we are not,” Fellowes explained. 

“Louisa does an excellent job, and the morning when she comes back, we see [the stakes] from Ada (Cynthia Nixon) and Agnes’ (Christine Baranski) reaction saying, ‘It’s good that you took a carriage back by yourself because we wouldn’t even want the slightest hint about the impropriety of you staying out with him.’”

Given how much even the nightclub incident impacted the couple, it’s safe to say Marian and Larry are far from being in a secure relationship. But they clearly still have feelings for one another – here’s hoping they can reconcile later down the line. 

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Featured image credit: HBO