"The Gilded Age" Season 2: Opera, Transformation, and Devastating Twists

The second season of Julian Fellowes' HBO/Max series, "The Gilded Age," set in 1880s New York City high society, sees the transformation of Carrie Coon's character, Bertha Russell, into a ruthless antihero reminiscent of Walter White from "Breaking Bad." As Bertha plots to conquer the New York social scene, her quest to outdo the old money elites leads her to do cold and monstrous things. The new season revolves around the "opera war" and features a large cast of characters dealing with love lives, financial peril, and career ambitions. Fellowes skillfully incorporates the antihero arc into the soap operatics of the show, creating a grand and complicated tapestry of triumphs and tragedies. "The Gilded Age" Season Two premieres on October 29 on HBO and Max.