Spoilers for The Gilded Age are ahead! If you have not seen Seasons 1 through 3, stream them with an HBO Max subscription.
The Gilded Age knows how to shock. During its Season 3 run on the 2025 TV schedule, we got one deeply unexpected death and an assassination attempt in the span of two episodes. During Season 2, there was a shocking power shift right at the end. However, none of those are my favorite plot twists of this series from Julian Fellowes. No, no. My favorite plot twist is easily also the show's most ridiculous one, so let’s talk about it.
My Favorite Plot Twist Was When It Was Revealed That The Russells’ French Chef Was Actually Not French
As the wait for The Gilded Age Season 4 begins, my friend and I decided to binge-watch the first three seasons with our HBO Max subscription. Going into it, I knew the stakes got more intense as the show moved along, so I knew some shockers were coming – like the sudden and shocking death of Oscar’s lover, John Adams, in Season 3 and Ada inheriting her late husband’s wealth at the end of Season 2.
However, one of the big shockers at the end of Season 1 of The Gilded Age actually kind of came out of nowhere and left me most surprised.
I’m, of course, talking about the reveal where we find out that the Russells’ chef is not actually French, and he had been pretending the whole time! That’s right, Douglas Sills' character is not Monsieur Baudin, that was simply a disguise, as his real name is Josh Borden and he’s from Kansas.
It was a seriously big twist in the show, and it felt like it came out of nowhere. However, what makes it even better is that this wild reveal actually had a very serious impact on one of the major storylines in the final episode of Season 1.
This Plot Twist Wasn’t Just Unexpected, It Was Actually Important
Now, what makes this plot twist even more brilliantly ridiculous is the amount of lore behind it and how vital it is to the Season 1 finale of The Gilded Age.
So, as the Russells were preparing for their big ball, the seemingly French chef learned that his estranged wife had tracked him down and wanted to reconcile. This led him to tell George Russell that he was indeed “just a farm boy from Kansas,” who worked as a merchant seaman before leaving that job in France to wash dishes in Cannes, where he eventually learned how to cook.
However, when he returned to New York, he couldn’t get a job because no one wanted a “cook from Witchta,” they wanted a French chef. So, he held up the ruse for years.
Proving Borden’s point, Bertha did fire him right before her huge ball. And the Russells hired a drunk (real) French chef, who did them no good and almost ruined the event of the season. So, eventually, they hired Borden back. Then, everyone got a good laugh out of the whole situation at the start of Season 2, and it was promptly forgotten about.
However, I never forgot about it! And I never will. Thinking about him falling in and out of his fake French accent while telling the other staff about all this still makes me crack up three seasons later. However, I also can't help but be impressed by just how elaborate, impactful and unexpected this plot twist was.
Therefore, every time there’s been a plot twist in The Gilded Age, my friend and I have (and will continue) to compare it to the bar that was set by the fake French chef.
