Are Larry and Marian in a relationship in The Gilded Age season 3? Details explored

The Gilded Age season 3 is a historical drama series that premiered on HBO on June 22, 2025. Created and written by Julian Fellowes, the series originally debuted on January 24, 2022, followed by its second season on October 29, 2023. Holly Rymon and Claire M. Shanley serve as the show's producers.

Set in 1880s New York City, the series focuses on Bertha and George Russell's rise into polite society. In the premiere episode of The Gilded Age season 3, their son Larry begins a relationship with Marian Brook, but they choose to keep it a secret from their families.

The show's official synopsis, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"In 1882, young Marian Brook moves from rural Pennsylvania to New York City after the death of her father to live with her aunts Agnes van Rhijn and Ada Brook."

It continues:

"Accompanied by Peggy Scott, an aspiring writer seeking a fresh start, Marian inadvertently becomes enmeshed in a social war between one of her aunts, a scion of the old money set, and her stupendously rich neighbors, a ruthless railroad tycoon and his ambitious wife, George and Bertha Russell.

It concludes as follows:

Exposed to a world on the brink of the modern age, Marian must choose if she will follow the established rules of society or forge her own path."

Larry and Marian get together in The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1

In The Gilded Age season 2 finale, Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) and Larry Russell (Harry Richardson) attended the opera together and later shared a kiss. As season 3 jumps a few months ahead in time, their love blossoms offscreen. When viewers catch up with the couple in the premiere episode of season 3, they are seriously considering plans for marriage.

However, they choose to keep their relationship a secret for now, worried about the response from her aunt, Agnes (Christine Baranski), and his mother, Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). Since Marian has faced two failed proposals, with the lawyer Tom Raikes in season 1 and Dashiell Montgomery in season 2, she decides to proceed slowly.

Since their first meeting in season 1, both Marian and Larry have shared great chemistry. Larry is more compatible with Marian than her past suitors due to their shared outlook on life, as both are considerably more forward-thinking than most people around them.

On June 23, 2025, Harry Richardson told The Hollywood Reporter that "friendship" is at the center of the budding romance between Marian and Larry.

"I think what’s really special about their relationship is that they have the opportunity to grow as friends first, which I think societally at that time, they didn’t have the space to be able to go out on the town or to get to know each other before they started seeing each other in a romantic light and I think their dynamic’s written very beautifully that they really start with that foundation of friendship and that foundation of care for each before they start contemplating a romance."

Also read: Van Rhijn-Brook and Russell Family Trees in The Gilded Age season 3, explained

A look at other characters in The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1

The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1, Who Is in Charge Here?, aired on June 22, 2025, on HBO. The episode showcases the changing dynamics in the Forte/Brooks/van Rhijn household.

After Agnes' son, Oscar, loses the family's fortunes, Ada uses the wealth she inherited from her deceased minister husband, Luke Forte, to save the family. With Ada now seen as the woman of the house, Agnes tries to hold onto any semblance of control by undermining her sister at every turn. It includes Ada's involvement in the temperance movement to ban alcohol consumption throughout the country.

Meanwhile, George is in Arizona working on his plans to build a direct train line from Chicago to Los Angeles. At home, Bertha plans to marry Gladys to the Duke of Buckingham, despite her daughter's desire to marry the non-royal Billy Carlton. The mother-daughter duo clash over their different views, leading to Gladys running away from home by the end of the episode.

The official synopsis of The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1, as per Rotten Tomatoes, reads:

"George has ambitious plans to build a railway line between New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but his plans are met with resistance; Bertha is busy preparing for the Duke's arrival."

Catch up on the latest episodes of The Gilded Age season 3 weekly on Sundays at 9 pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.

About the author

Deepti is an entertainment writer at Sportskeeda. She comes with more than 6 years of experience in the creative writing field and has written extensively for the entertainment and travel domains.

She holds a degree in Chemistry, but her true interest always lay in the creative field. A passion for reading from a young age fueled her desire to make a career change later in life and take up writing as her profession.

Apart from reading, her hobbies include watching movies, listening to music, and going to the beach. In her free time, she can be found looking up reviews of new and old films to add to her watchlist. She also enjoys watching foreign language films that help expand her knowledge base regarding different cultures around the world.

Asked to describe herself, she would promptly mention that she is a die-hard Swiftie and enjoys nothing more than listening to Taylor Swift songs on loop while writing.

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Edited by Shubham Soni