The Gilded Age

The Gilded Age doesn't waste any time before thrusting you right back into its realm of unadulterated glamour, cutting ambition, and precarious scandal, all set to the Gregson-Williams brothers' sweeping orchestral score.

In its delicious Season 2, "Gilded" has its own debutante coming out party, establishing itself as more than a "Downton" duplicate and embracing the richness of the story it has to tell. The best elements of Season 1 are even bigger in Season 2.

Is The Gilded Age a whimsical indulgence or an artful, well-acted work of historical fiction? The answer, dear reader, is yes.

Some storylines flow more satisfyingly than others, but it all passes easily and, at choice moments, humorously, as Fellowes goofs on the excesses of rich Americans and gives us Nathan Lane as a soulless hanger-on with an absurd drawl. The best reason to watch is Carrie Coon.

It is a grand and complicated tapestry, and while Bertha is doing whatever she can to make Caroline Astor kneel before her, everyone else is dealing with their own, more palpable triumphs and tragedies. With a world this big, everyone in the audience is likely to prefer some characters and stories over others.

There are actual plots now! Fast-moving plots—with real consequences! And twists! The power dynamics between characters have changed, blessing us at long last with some meaty feuds and villains over which to obsess! And people are finally doing some capital-A acting!

Fellowes focuses on what made the first season so successful but allows the show's sprawling cast to shine with the introspection each of their characters must face. Though it may never live up to the global success of “Downton Abbey,” this new series has made a name for itself on its own.

The first season of “The Gilded Age” sometimes felt as if it repeated its premises so compulsively it forgot to develop them. The best thing I can say about this new season, besides the fact that it’s fun, and that a lot more happens, is that it doesn’t make the same mistake.

The spell cast is more softly narcotic than it is soporific—it’s relaxing, not tedious. A cast of New York theater legends helps keep things lively, all seeming to relish in the chance to put on some fine costumes and swan around with old-timey decorum. Nixon is particularly affecting this season, as Ada’s life is irrevocably altered by the arrival of a new character.

The Gilded Age Season 2 is a fine, fizzy treat. Julian Fellowes has once again crafted a perfectly elevated soap opera for the masses.

The Gilded Age Season 2 represents a marked improvement over the series’ first outing and concludes by leaving enough dangling plot threads to point the way to an even stronger third season. And while its gaudy delights may occasionally seem a little gauche, viewers everywhere will have a great time rolling about in its excess.

The Gilded Age Season 2 continues that fine tradition with a fierce rivalry over the creation of the Metropolitan Opera and a thread about the invention of a better alarm clock, even while bigger issues brew in the background. Sometimes, it feels like these characters aren’t just living in a different era, but living on their own planet. It’s a fun planet to escape to, either way.