The Gilded Age: Was Agnes’ Butler Sabotaging The Russells?
Warning: SPOILERS for The Gilded Age Episode 4 — «A Long Ladder»
Bannister (Simon Jones) paid a visit to the Russells' home in The Gilded Age episode 4 but did Agnes van Rhijn's (Christine Baranski) butler have the ulterior motive of sabotaging his neighbors' servants? The Gilded Age is juggling multiple characters and storylines but, at its core, Julian Fellowes' period drama is about the conflict between Old New York and New Money like George Russell (Morgan Spector) and his wife Bertha (Carrie Coon). Despite Bannister's dignified manner, Agnes van Rhijn's prejudices against«new people» may be shared by her faithful English butler.
Just as his employer did, Bannister spent months watching the Russells erect their splendid palatial estate just across the street from the van Rhijn townhouse on Fifth Avenue and 61st Street. While Agnes has no qualms about airing her grievances against the Russells and all of the new millionaires who dare to try to buy their way into high society, Bannister has been a picture of proper decorum. The butler smoothly plays peacemaker to the other servants downstairs and he even showed no signs of being racist when Peggy Scott (Denée Benton), an African-American, came to live in the house and work for Mrs. van Rhijn. Whatever Bannister actually thinks about anything, he wisely keeps to himself. Yet, when the butler was sent to the Russells' home to retrieve Ada Brooks' (Cynthia Nixon) lost dog, Bannister's actions were curious and possibly destructive on purpose.
Related: The Gilded Age Went Too Far With Patrick Morris' Death
Church (Jack Gilpin) was delighted by the honor of Mrs. van Rhijn's butler coming over to visit but he was soon taken aback by Bannister politely skewering how things are
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