‘Gilded Age’ Finale Director Michael Engler On Establishing Tension in a Fantastic Opera War Climax

Season two of HBO’s The Gilded Age is now in the books. While we wait for official word on a season three renewal (which has hopefully already come by the time this article posts), let’s take a look at the season two finale, “In Terms of Winning and Losing,” with director and executive producer Michael Engler.

Engler directed five out of the eight season two episodes, and he’s again tasked with bringing to a close the many plot threads that ran through season two as he was for season one. Here, Engler sits down with Awards Daily to discuss Christine Baranski’s fantastic pouting as Agnes van Rhijn struggles to deal with a new life without the van Rhijn fortune. He also discusses the season-long redemption of Arthur Scott (John Douglas Thompson) and what the future holds for him and his wife Dorothy (Audra McDonald).

Finally, he deep-dives into the filmmaking behind the long-anticipated opening night at the new Metropolitan Opera House and the new season of the Academy of Music. How are the two sets differentiated from each other? How does he build tension throughout the scenes? What was it like working with Carrie Coon as Bertha takes court in the new Met? And what exactly do all the Faustian references have to do with The Duke and with Bertha?

Take a look at this interview with The Gilded Age director and executive producer Michael Engler after you’ve watched the season two finale, now streaming on MAX.