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Merritt Wever debuted in The Gilded Age season 3 in episode 4, titled Marriage is a Gamble, which saw Gladys Russell get married to the Duke of Buckingham, much to Bertha Russell's happiness. Wever joining the cast of the series for its third season was announced back in August 2024, along with several new names like Presumed Innocent star Bill Camp and Deadpool's Leslie Uggams.
Merritt Wever plays the role of Monica O'Brien in The Gilded Age season 3. She's part of the Russell family's entourage during what Bertha calls "the wedding of the century" in episode 4. However, while some in the family are happy with her visit, there's one person who is not excited about Monica being part of the festivities.
Disclaimer: This article may contain some spoilers for The Gilded Age season 3 episode 4. Reader's discretion is advised.
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Merritt Wever plays Monica O'Brien in The Gilded Age season 3
Merritt Wever's character, Monica O'Brien, debuted in the recently released The Gilded Age season 3 episode 4. Her character arrives in the Russell household as one of the family's guests, but based on the shock on Bertha's face, she wasn't the one who invited Monica to stay with them during the wedding week. In fact, Bertha didn't know that Monica would be staying with them.
Monica O'Brien is Bertha's estranged sister, and she has purposely left Monica out of the wedding celebration. She didn't send her an invitation, and her reason was that it would have been a long trip for her sister. However, unknown to her, Larry had already sent a letter to his aunt Monica, inviting her to stay at the mansion during Gladys' wedding.
As Monica says in episode 4, she has decided to accept the invitation, much to Bertha's annoyance. Despite Monica and Bertha being sisters, they couldn't be more different from each other. Monica doesn't shy away from asking the hard questions, and she's not as focused on her image as her sister.
At one point during their interaction, the stark contrast between the sisters and the lifestyles they have chosen for themselves shows when Monica matter-of-factly says that she will rewear her dress to dinner to meet the Duke at the wedding. Bertha is, of course, opposed to that, but she knows she can't change her sister's mind.
Read more: The Gilded Age season 3 full cast list
That said, Bertha is also someone who gets what she wants. During the dinner, she engineers a coffee spillage scenario to ruin Monica's dress, forcing her to find another one to wear to the wedding. Monica is also not someone to mince words, and it's evident in how she grilled the Duke's sister during the dinner.
She's unafraid to ask questions that everyone has thought about but never dared ask in person, like whether the Duke's sister has a husband and kids, and whether she would leave the Duke's mansion once Gladys is there as the new Duchess.
Society chatter at the church during the wedding also reveals that Bertha has kept the fact that she has a sister secret. It's most likely because Monica and her lifestyle don't fit the lifestyle Bertha is trying to portray. This is the same reason why she has conveniently forgotten to invite Monica to the wedding.
Read more: The Gilded Age season 2 recap
Catch Merritt Wever as Monica O'Brien in The Gilded Age season 3, now streaming on Max.
