Wedding plans cause celebration and consternation as Ada Brook (Cynthia Nixon) contends with her sister Agnes van Rhijn's (Christine Baranski) bad attitude in light of her big news in The Gilded Age season 2 episode 5. Navigating these waters is far from easy, but thankfully, Ada has support from other family members.
In Newport, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) makes final preparations for the societal event of the summer season with a dinner to honor the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). However, Bertha's former lady's maid, Turner (Kelley Curran), plans to ruin this triumphant moment with some well-placed co-conspirators. Will Turner get revenge? Meanwhile, Peggy Scott (Denée Benton) experiences inspiration and terror in Tuskegee.
Read on for an in-depth breakdown of everything that happens in The Gilded Age season 2 episode 5, "Close Enough to Touch."
Preparations for a Duke and a wedding
Bertha is in full hostess mode, awaiting the Duke's arrival at their lavish Newport home, which means extra footmen and chefs. While the staff are on top of their duties, her son Larry (Harry Richardson) is nursing his heartbreak by getting drunk. Bertha cannot risk his presence in this belligerent state, so she sends him back to New York. When he arrives home sober, he runs into Marian (Louisa Jacobson) and tells her about current woes with undertones of their ongoing flirtation — despite his breakup sadness.
The only romance Marian is currently entertaining is between Ada and Luke (Robert Sean Leonard). Ada gathers the family and tells them about Luke's proposal. Marian and Oscar (Blake Ritson) are thrilled, with Oscar offering to walk his aunt down the aisle.
Unfortunately, Agnes instantly objects to the wedding and forbids Oscar from attending. Agnes refers to the engagement as "tomfoolery" and is overly cruel, referencing Ada's prolonged spinsterhood. She even makes their butler, Bannister (Simon Jones), rescind his congratulations. Ada plans to marry in a week, but will she follow through without her sister's approval?
After this awkward non-celebration, Oscar tells Maude (Nicole Brydon Bloom) he will defy his mother if she will be his date. She agrees.
Opening the largest building in Tuskegee
In Alabama, Peggy continues interviewing students from the Tuskegee Institute to understand what these young Black men and women hope to gain from the practical classes. They turn the questions back on her, asking how she became a journalist; the inspiration goes both ways.
The following day at the dormitory's grand opening, Peggy asks one student, David (Khamary Rose), how he feels about this event celebrating a building he helped create. David is proud, as this achievement makes him feel like he can do anything. He dreams of owning a farm that will provide the produce for his mother's restaurant, which has just opened, inviting Peggy and Thomas (Sullivan Jones) to check it out.
Who's the boss?
Agnes visits Luke to ensure he knows her sister has no money, but she clearly hasn't been paying attention if she thinks this is his intention. Agnes reflects on how Ada is the only person she can rely on, but her honesty hits a brick wall when she calls Luke selfish. The rector tells Agnes he isn't going anywhere and plans on wedding her sister.
Later, Ada is an emotional wreck because of her sister's behavior. Luke tells her she needs to have faith everything will work out. He also says she should talk to Marian before making any decisions. Listening to her fiance, Ada consults Marian about this predicament, as she has no one to give her away. Marian suggests Dashiell (David Furr), immediately boosting her aunt's resolve.
Across town, Larry uses work to distract himself from his broken heart. His father asks him to look in on the Brooklyn Bridge engineer, Mr. Roebling. George (Morgan Spector) is a trustee of the project, but he must focus on the impending strike action in Pittsburgh. Larry discovers that Mrs. Robeling (Liz Wisan) has been doing all the work behind the scenes after her husband fell ill.
Back in Newport, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) doesn't get a say in what she will wear to dinner with the Duke. It appears her mother is already plotting a potential love match.
Vengeance and fury
Earlier, Turner met with Peter (Michael Burrell), a footman from the Russell household, with whom she is still friendly, asking him to participate in her scheme along with one of the chefs. Amid the final preparations, Watson (Michael Cerveris) notices something is awry with the chef. When they taste the first course, they realize something has been slipped into it to make it taste awful. Crisis averted.
Watson continues to pay attention, realizing Peter is serving the Duke, and he plans on dropping the bowl of hot soup on the Duke's lap. Church (Jack Gilpin) steps in, and the Duke is saved from a scolding. Turner is furious her plan failed.
The stakes of that bash fade into insignificance compared to Thomas and Peggy's encounter at the recommended restaurant. All is going well until the white County Commissioner and his racist friends enter. A civil meal quickly turns potentially deadly, so Thomas and Peggy return to the Washingtons and promptly pack. They are to hide overnight in a barn until they can get the first train in the morning. In the heat of the moment, the pair kiss.
Wedding bliss and late arrivals
Back in New York, the wedding party leaves for the church without Agnes. Despite the lady of the house protesting this celebration, the servants will attend and Bannister tells Agnes if she doesn't support her sister, she will regret it for the rest of her life.
After all, Oscar is on hand to walk a beaming Ada down the aisle. As the ceremony is about to start, Agnes makes a dramatic last-minute entrance, not to stop the wedding but to honor her sister, who has always been there for her. It is a happy moment that Ada deserves.
The Gilded Age season 2 debuts new episodes Sundays on HBO and Max for US viewers and Mondays on Sky Atlantic for those in the UK.
