The Gilded Age Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: Who betrayed the Russells?

The Gilded Age, Season 3, Episode 7, Ex-Communicated, answers its central question in-house: the Russells’ leak is revealed to be Bertha’s maid, Miss Andre, unmasked by Church’s sting operation and confronted after she’s seen taking payment for stories.

The one hour tracks three fronts - a society scandal over Ward McAllister’s memoir, Oscar’s grief after John Adams’ death, and a corporate turn that ends with gunfire against George, while the household betrayal is the problem fully resolved on-screen. It serves as the penultimate chapter before the Season 3 finale. The main cast featured includes Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Louisa Jacobson, Christine Baranski, Cynthia Nixon, Denée Benton, Taissa Farmiga, Harry Richardson, Blake Ritson, and Nathan Lane. The last scene cuts to black after a shooter opens fire at George Russell; the assailant is not revealed in this episode, which saves that answer for the finale.

The Gilded Age S3E7 recap: Church’s sting exposes the household leak

Inside The Gilded Age, Church orchestrates a trap to identify who has been feeding the press stories from 61st Street. The butler tails Miss Andre and witnesses an exchange that confirms she’s the source. When confronted, she admits receiving money per item, closing the “who betrayed the Russells?” loop in Episode 7.

Society erupts when Ward McAllister’s tell-all hits New York, prompting Mrs. Astor’s circle to excommunicate him and pushing Bertha to recalculate her standing in Newport. Across town, Oscar reels from John’s death and edges closer to honesty at home.

Oscar asks Agnes,

“How should I be, Mama?”

and later he asks again in reply to her "what's wrong with him",

“Do you really want to know, Mama?”

lines from the episode that frame his grief and the truth he can barely state.

The business track flips when Larry’s copper find shores up the Russell fortune, even as Bertha feels shut out by George and Larry’s alignment. The final minutes pivot to the office ambush: a gunman posing as a courier shoots staff and aims at George Russell, with a last shot before the cut to black, no culprit named yet.

As per an Entertainment Weekly report dated August 3, 2025, Christine Baranski told the outlet:

“She finally has to admit something that she never wanted to even consider because it’s so taboo...It would be so horrifying to her. And yet, when he plays out that scene and goes up the stairs a broken man, it's heartbreaking for me to realize that he can't speak to me about it.”

Release, director, and cast details for The Gilded Age S3E7

Ex-Communicated aired Sunday, August 3, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and streams on Max. Season 3 runs eight episodes, with the finale the following week.

Salli Richardson-Whitfield directs the episode. Series leadership this season includes creator/writer Julian Fellowes and writer/executive producer Sonja Warfield, alongside executive producers Gareth Neame, Michael Engler, David Crockett, Bob Greenblatt, and Salli Richardson-Whitfield.

Principal cast appearing in Episode 7 includes Carrie Coon (Bertha Russell), Morgan Spector (George Russell), Louisa Jacobson (Marian Brook), Christine Baranski (Agnes van Rhijn), Cynthia Nixon (Ada Brook), Denée Benton (Peggy Scott), Blake Ritson (Oscar van Rhijn), and Nathan Lane (Ward McAllister), Harry Richardson (Larry Russell), Taissa Farmiga (Gladys Russell).

As per the People report dated August 3, 2025, Morgan Spector, who plays George Russell in the show, stated, referring to the insurance company CEO Brian Thompson by Luigi Mangione:

“What I really thought was that maybe Julian Fellowes is a soothsayer or like some kind of seer because the United Healthcare guy had just been gunned down in the street — and suddenly it felt like The Gilded Age was the most topical show on television."

What Episode 7 establishes before The Gilded Age’s finale

The Gilded Age leaves two big threads for Episode 8: (1) the shooting - George’s condition and the gunman’s identity, and (2) society’s reshuffle - the consequences of McAllister’s exile and Bertha’s Newport calculus.

The personal stakes escalate inside the van Rhijn home as Agnes silently registers Oscar’s near-confession. As per Entertainment Weekly's report dated August 3, 2025, Baranski added:

“There were just many emotions, but a profound sense of sadness that it cannot be spoken of.”

The Gilded Age continues Sundays on HBO/Max. Episode 7’s cliffhanger caps a run that began June 22, with the finale set for next Sunday.

Stay tuned for more updates on The Gilded Age.