The American Dream, glimpsed through skeptical British eyes

IN THE THIRD SEASON OF HBO’S THE GILDED AGE, A FROTHY costume drama set amid the robber barons and socialites of 1880s New York City, a servant suddenly comes into money. So much of it, in fact, that he’ll never have to work again. But instead of seizing his newfound freedom, the man keeps his windfall a secret and continues toiling below stairs. He simply can’t imagine leaving a household staff that has become his surrogate family.

- BY JUDY BERMAN

Even for a show that’s famous for its silliness, this is a ridiculous storyline. No one in their right mind would choose a 19th century servant’s labors as a hobby. It isn’t surprising, though, to see The Gilded Age telegraph such complacency among the lower classes or alarm at the prospect of sudden social mobility. Created by Downton Abbey mastermind Julian Fellowes, a bona fide aristocrat and Conservative politician in his home country of Britain, the series aspires to be more than what it is: a historical soap par excellence decked out in prestige drag. Successful or not, it’s a reflection on the American Dream of equal opportunity as pursued by the self-made strivers of its era. Season 3, in particular, suggests that Fellowes does not wholly approve.