The Gilded Age: Who Shot George Russell?

The fourth season of HBO’s ‘The Gilded Age’ ramps up the rivalries between the different families of high society in New York. There are all sorts of clashes, social and romantic, and for George Russell, his business remains his most pressing matter. With his marriage to Bertha in tatters, he already seems to be on the brink of breaking down. What truly challenges his sanity is the discovery of the man who tried to kill him in the Season 2 finale. The shooter’s identity is revealed in the second episode of Season 2, and the perpetrator turns out to be someone the Russells have known since the beginning of the story. SPOILERS AHEAD.

George Russell’s Shooter Turns Out to be an Old Enemy

In his quest to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful people in New York, George Russell has made quite a handful of enemies. So, when he gets shot, the suspicion falls on all the people who would benefit in business from his demise. However, it turns out that the shooter is the son of a man who killed himself because of George’s ruthless business acumen a few years back. In Season 1, when the Russells are still new in town, the old money people want them to remain at the fringes of society. Patrick and Anne Morris are among the many who don’t want the Russells to become part of high society. Bertha faces ostracism, most famously at the charity bazaar, where George buys up everything in a fit of spite.

At the same time, George also wants the backing of old money people to further his ambitions. So, when the Morrises come to the Russells for dinner, George puts a grand offer in front of Patrick in the form of his railway expansion plan. He needs Patrick and the other aldermen to pass a law to facilitate his work. In return, they can buy the company’s shares, which would increase when the law is passed. However, later Patrick conspires with Charles Fane to bring the Russells to their knees. They decide to short the stock and, to ensure its price goes down, rescind the law. This would ensure that the Russells go bankrupt, but George has a few tricks up his sleeve.

George has enough money to outmaneuver them, ensuring that the company doesn’t go down. When the stock price stabilizes, the Aldermans lose everything. Patrick falls so far that he is practically bankrupt. He begs George to save him and his family from financial ruin, but George refuses. He remarks that if it were just about the money, he might have considered saving Patrick. But the ill-treatment of his wife is something he cannot ignore, so now, the Morrises must face the consequences of their actions. Unable to live with his failure, Patrick takes his own life, leaving his family with an entirely uncertain future. Patrick’s son, Will, holds George responsible for his father’s death and decides to retaliate in kind.

Will Morris’ Actions Prompt George to Get His Own Revenge

After surviving the assassination attempt, George puts the Pinkertons on the task of finding his shooter. After many months of investigation, they finally come through and uncover Will’s current residence. Instead of handing him over to the cops, George decides to get justice on his own terms. He and his bodyguards show up at the new Morris residence in the middle of the night to take away Will. George thinks Anne is complicit in her son’s actions, but it turns out she has no idea what her son was up to. She begs George to forgive Will, but this is too great a transgression for George to ignore. He takes Will away with every intention of killing him. This sends Anne to seek out Bertha and ask her to change George’s mind.

Bertha is shocked to discover that Will Morris tried to kill her husband, but what shocks her even more is how George has responded to it. She thinks Will should be turned over to the cops, but George points out that he would most certainly hang in that case. Bertha asks him to be kind to the boy whose mother has already lost her husband. At the time, George doesn’t promise anything, but his wife’s words pull him back from committing murder. The next time he sees Will, he decides not to shoot him. In return, the Morrises are to permanently leave New York, because if they show up there again, he won’t be so kind.

Read More: Is The Gilded Age Based on a True Story?