Matt Damon & David Letterman Make Blink & You Missed It Cameos On ‘The Gilded Age’ Season 4 Premiere
SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from HBO‘s The Gilded Age‘s Season 4 premiere.
Surprise! The Gilded Age kicked off its fourth season with multiple surprises, including the quiet appearances of Matt Damon and David Letterman. At about 8:33, two gentlemen are crossing the street together, played by Damon and Letterman.
Damon is wearing a top hat, a white shirt with an ascot, tucked into a long coat with slacks. He looks different because he’s got sideburns and a fuzzy mustache. Letterman has the same beard he’s been wearing for some years now, a bowler hat, and an all-black ensemble.
Neither character utters a word, but they look like serious businessmen on their way to close some major deals for buckets of money. It’s rather comical to see Damon and Letterman make such small appearances, because they could’ve played larger roles. But it’s actually perfect that they exist in this world and didn’t take away from the story or the characters.
Some of the other surprise moments include Oscar van Rhijn’s (Blake Ritson) wedding to Enid Turner (Kelley Curran), a lavender marriage that seems to be the happiest and most functional pairing in town. After leaving the older folks at the reception, the newest Mrs. van Rhijn recruits Marian (Louisa Jacobson) to join her and Oscar, as well as a few others, for a little after-hours fun.
Marian bumps into her former fiancé, Larry Russell (Harry Richardson), at the soiree, and he ribs her for previously saying she would never be caught at a party like that. Not exactly a house of ill repute, but a bit racy and risque. From jokes to dancing together alongside Oscar and Enid, the night leads to Larry leaving with Marian as he tries to get her home safely in the rain. A little driving incident leads the former couple to take cover at a local hotel, where they become lovers.
In the morning, Marian freaks out about them having spent the night together and how it could ruin her reputation, and rushes home. Larry is beside himself, but at that point, nothing could be done. Read more on this in our latest interview with Richardson and Jacobson.
Elsewhere, Peggy is celebrating the release of her book, which dazzles everyone but Elizabeth Kirkland (Phylicia Rashad), her future mother-in-law. Speaking of Mrs. Kirkland, she has lots of plans for Peggy and her mother, Dorothy Scott (Audra McDonald), though her true intentions are as yet unknown.
Across the pond, Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) nearly dies in childbirth, but luckily she and her baby boy are well and healing after a medical emergency. Unfortunately, the doctor had to give Gladys a hysterectomy to save her life, and as a result, she will be unable to have any more children naturally. More on this from Deadline’s interview with Farmiga.
The next day, Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) is basking in the glow of her son’s new marriage when Armstrong (Debra Monk) interrupts the gaiety to let her in on a secret: Agnes’ new daughter-in-law was Bertha Russell’s (Carrie Coon) former lady’s maid. Agnes is, of course, furious that Armstrong didn’t tell her before the nuptials, but now it’s too late.
However, Agnes and Enid meet up for a chat to clear the air. The latter admits to her past and comforts Agnes by saying that her past didn’t affect her when she was Mrs. Winterton. She also admits to her new mother-in-law that both she and Oscar have entered into this union with their eyes wide open, gently letting Agnes know that her son’s sexuality is no secret. And for a little added pizzazz, Enid sweetens the pot by telling her she’s looking forward to supporting Oscar’s passion for the arts and the charities Agnes supports.
The rest of the season continues with new episodes on Sunday nights airing at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO. Here’s a look at the rest of the season below.