The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 2 “What the Papers Say” marks something of a coup for Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon). Fans of the HBO show have known since Season 2 that Bertha’s greatest ambition now is to marry her daughter Gladys (Taissa Farmiga) to the Duke of Buckingham (Ben Lamb). Even though Gladys has her father’s support to marry for love, her chosen suitor, Billy Carlton (Matt Walker), takes himself out of the running for her hand this week. It’s a situation that Gilded Age star Taissa Farmiga described as “total heartbreak” to DECIDER.

**Spoilers for The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 2 “What the Papers Say,” now streaming on MAX**

The Gilded Age Season 3 premiere ended with Gladys defiantly running away from home so that her mother couldn’t ruin her plans to marry Billy Carlton. Gladys is soon discovered, however, and returned safely home.

With George Russell (Morgan Spector) back in New York City this week, Gladys believes she has her best shot at appealing to her father for his blessing to marry Billy. In The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 2 “What the Papers Say,” Billy promises to approach Mr. Russell at an upcoming society gathering to plead his case. However, at the pivotal moment, Billy crumbles. He’s too cowardly to ask the powerful robber baron if he can marry his daughter.

When DECIDER spoke with Taissa Farmiga recently, she explained “that moment” convinced Gladys that Billy Carlton was not actually the man she should marry.

“It’s total heartbreak because she thinks that this is the love of her life,” Farmiga said. “She’s trying to follow her heart.”

“She knows that she has her brother on her side, she has her dad on her side, and they said, ‘If you are happy, you make the decision that makes you happy.’ And she chose this man who, when the time comes, didn’t love her enough to meet the standards to fight for her.”

Billy actually makes the situation even worse later in the episode. When Gladys learns from her brother Larry (Harry Richardson) that Billy has snuck back to the Russell house for a meeting, she feels a glimmer of hope. Billy soon crushes that by ending their romance, admitting that he doesn’t have the strength to fight her mother forever.

“I think you see it in this scene when Billy and Gladys are talking,” Farmiga said. “It’s just utter heartbreak because the person you love doesn’t reach the standards you have for them or the expectations you have.”

She sighed. “I think it’s one of the saddest feelings in the world.”

Of course, for Bertha, it’s victory. The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 2 ends with the Duke of Buckingham arriving at 61st street. To George’s shock, the Duke has brought a lawyer with him to arrange the marriage contract.

During a recent press conference DECIDER attended, Carrie Coon described Bertha as “hungry for her daughter to have a kind of power she didn’t have.”

“I have a lot of respect for what Bertha’s doing because I understand why she’s doing it,” Coon said. “You may disagree with the way she’s going about it, but it is rooted in a deep love for her daughter.”

The Gilded Age creator Julian Fellowes agreed with both Coon and Bertha. “There was Billy Nice Guy, and [Gladys] could have kissed him, got to live in the Hamptons,” Fellowes said. “The fact is that the future Bertha wants for her is infinitely more interesting.”

So will Gladys actually go through with marrying the Duke? First the marriage contract has to be agreed upon and then a proposal has to come. And don’t get us started on the possibility that Gladys could be a runaway bride!

The Gilded Age returns next Sunday, July 6 at 9 PM ET on HBO and MAX.