The disturbing truth about laudanum as The Gilded Age exposes George’s secret crisis

*Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Gilded Age season 4 episode 2*

George Russell is unravelling in the latest episode of The Gilded Age. And right near the end, there’s a dark twist as we find out the driving force behind his new struggles: laudanum.

In season 4 episode 2, ‘You Won’t Hear Me Beg’, the Pinkertons capture George’s (Morgan Spector) would-be killer, allowing the two men to finally come face-to-face. 

The culprit is Will Morris (Will Pullen), the son of Patrick Morris, who took his own life back in The Gilded Age season 1 after George’s ruthless business dealings left him financially ruined. 

Will has been seeking revenge for his father’s death. But George ultimately decides to spare him, despite confronting him at gunpoint. It’s a surprisingly merciful decision from a man who seems to be losing his grip on almost everything else. 

His behaviour towards Bertha (Carrie Coon) is equally unpredictable. He coldly rejects her when she returns to New York, having previously been in England for Gladys’ (Taissa Farmiga) difficult childbirth. But as Bertha goes to leave, he grabs her and kisses her. 

George also just looks very tired and rundown. We know he’s been having problems at work, what with John D. Rockefeller (Neal Huff) squeezing him over the cost of transporting his oil.

And then there’s the trauma of nearly dying after being shot in season 3. Clearly, George has a lot weighing on him. But his new coping mechanism could make matters even worse. 

What the heck is laudanum?

Towards the end of The Gilded Age season 4 episode 2, we discover George has been taking laudanum. This is a powerful opium-based medicine commonly used as a painkiller in the 19th century.

The moment arises when George’s carriage arrives to confront Will Morris, and the driver has to wake him up. He pulls a bottle of liquid out of his pocket which is labelled ‘Laudanum’, before taking a big swig from it. 

Essentially, laudanum was a tincture made by dissolving opium – the highly addictive narcotic used to make heroin and other opioids – in alcohol. It typically contained around 10% powdered opium by weight, equivalent to approximately 1% morphine.

It was used to treat everything from serious pain and sleeplessness to coughs, diarrhoea and even teething troubles in babies. And unlike today, you could buy it without a prescription.

But there was a huge problem. Laudanum was – like most opioids – highly addictive. And taking too much could cause serious poisoning or even death.

By the late 1800s, doctors were increasingly aware of the dangers of opium addiction. Even so, laudanum was still widely used and easy to get hold of.

So, it’s not particularly surprising that George might have been given laudanum after being shot and undergoing emergency surgery. What’s worrying is that he appears to be turning to it while dealing with everything else going wrong in his life.

And given he takes a swig shortly before confronting his would-be killer, the timing is pretty concerning. 

What this all means for George in The Gilded Age season 4

In short, things aren’t looking good for George right now. And it appears his dependence on laudanum may be exacerbating his issues. 

Earlier on in this week’s episode of the HBO series, George lashes out at his son Larry (Harry Richardson) after he intervenes during a meeting with Rockefeller. Then there’s his unpredictable behaviour towards Bertha.

Thankfully, George decides against taking revenge on Will, instead ordering him and his mother to leave New York. But before he does, he reveals what went through his head after being shot. 

“Amidst the pain and the madness, I saw my own life with a terrible clarity, and it was nothing,” he says. He then returns home to Bertha, admitting that he feels lost. 

It’s clear that George is still struggling to deal with the trauma of what happened. Perhaps after being prescribed laudanum for the physical pain, he’s now using it for the mental pain. And this would explain why he’s become so erratic in all facets of his life. 

Speaking to TVLine, Morgan Spector said his character is “disintegrating somewhat” in season 4, adding, “George is a mess.”

In a separate interview with TheWrap, Spector explained that George is dealing with something he’s never really had to before: losing control.

“It was interesting to see what it feels like to be somebody who is usually really in control, really losing that control,” he said. “Control and his obedience to his own will has been really fundamental to George, and he loses that this season.”

And it sounds like Bertha’s troubles are far from over too. Carrie Coon told TheWrap that George isn’t being entirely honest with his wife about just how badly things are going.

“She knows something is wrong, but he won’t articulate exactly what it is, so she feels powerless to help him and it’s very frustrating,” she explained.

Whether he’ll come clean is up in the air for now. The Gilded Age season 4 episode 3 lands on HBO Max on Sunday, November 15, 2026, at 6pm PT / 9pm ET.

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Featured image credit: HBO