The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5 unravels some unexpected twists, but Maud Beaton’s return is the most shocking one

This week's The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5 takes the audience to the aftermath of Gladys Russell's wedding to the Duke of Buckingham. Gladys is miserable in her life as the new Duchess with Lady Sarah always undermining her, Larry is engaged to Marian, and Bertha and George are having some trouble at home.

However, besides this week's update on the Russells, one shocking return in episode 5 teases a continuation of a story that some have thought concluded last season. Con artist beauty Maud Beaton, played by Nicole Bryndon Bloom, is back to join the cast of The Gilded Age season 3.

As a refresher, Maud was introduced in season 2 as a beautiful and charming socialite who caught the closeted Oscar van Rhijn's eye. She's rumored to be the illegitimate daughter of Jay Gould, which explains her supposed wealth. When she tells Oscar about successfully investing her money with Mr. Crowther, Oscar also invests his money, only to realize later on that it was all a scam.

It turns out that Mead Beaton was nothing but a honeypot, and The Gilded Age season 2 ends with everyone believing she ran away with the van Rhijn's fortune.

Disclaimer: This article contains some spoilers for The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5. Reader's discretion is advised.

---

Where is Maud Beaton in The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5? What happened to her?

Larry Russell, who is newly engaged to Marian Brook, spends the night partying with his friend, who is getting married, in The Gilded Age season 3 episode 5. Instead of going to Delmonico's, Larry, who has also invited Jack to celebrate selling their clock, goes with his friend to the Haymarket for a bachelor party of sorts.

The Haymarket is like a club where anything and everything happens—ladies can drink, people can gamble, and anyone can hire s*x workers to entertain them for the night. While there, one working woman catches Larry's eye, but not in the way his friend is insinuating.

Larry recognizes the woman as Maud Beaton, so he goes to confront her and asks if she is indeed Maud. The woman freezes before playing dumb, saying that she doesn't know the person with that name. She claims to be Dolly Trent. While her client pulls her away for the night, it's clear in Larry's eyes that he recognizes the woman as Maud.

The following day, before going away for business, Larry tells Oscar about seeing Maud in the Haymarket. They get to talking about what has become of her after running away with the van Rhijn fortune. The Gilded Age season 2 ends with everyone thinking that after the con, she's now living a wealthy life somewhere far away.

However, it doesn't appear to be true. It turns out that she has no wealth to speak of if she's working at the Haymarket. It begs the question about where the money has gone and what has happened to Maud between seasons 2 and 3 that has landed her in the Haymarket. These mysteries will likely be answered in the coming episodes of The Gilded Age season 3.

---

What is Oscar van Rhijn planning about Maud Beaton?

After what Maud did to him, Oscar van Rhijn wants to see the woman who conned him. He has revenge on his mind because not long ago, in The Gilded Age season 3 episode 1, Oscar became a shell of his former self after losing his and his mother's fortune. However, during a meal with Adam, the other man gives Oscar a talking-to.

Adam tells Oscar that while Maud conned him, he also cheated the woman in some way. If he had married Maud, as he was planning to in The Gilded Age season 2, Adam says that he would have ruined the woman's life. Moreover, with Maud's current predicament, working at the Haymarket means she has lost her money and is now reduced to selling her body.

According to Adam, that is enough karma for what she did. Meanwhile, despite losing his fortune, Oscar has started to pick his life back up, and he should leave it at that. Only time will tell if Oscar will heed Adam's advice or if he goes through with his previous plan, which is to confront her about what she did and why.

---

Catch episodes of The Gilded Age season 3, along with the previous seasons, streaming on Max.

Edited by Kinette Sumadia