Agnes has no interest in seeing a world-changing event. Peggy is going with Fortune to represent the Globe. Not only is this an important public interest story, but both of them also want to see Edison fully credit Black inventor Louis Latimer for inventing carbon filaments for light bulbs.
Marian can’t fit in with Bertha’s carriage party as Raikes and others are taking up seats. George is going as a dignitary guest of Edison. Marian has some simmering jealousy but she has decided to make the best of it. Her meeting with Raikes at Mrs. Chamberlains did end with a kiss and some strengthened resolve towards defying the odds.
The Gilded Age is correct on everything about Edison switching on the lights and overall public reaction except the location. Edison’s Pearl Street Station in downtown Manhattan really was powered up on September 4, 1882. The episode moved the New York Times headquarters from close to the power plant further north to Park Avenue.
The Gilded Age Episode 7
Episode 7 of The Gilded Age is clearly gearing up for the major events bound to occur in the season finale on March 21. Thomas Edison switching on electric power for the first time in New York City is the symbolic backdrop for the characters who are resisting change and those who are seizing the opportunities a changing society will bring. Before Edison shows our cast the wonders of what we take for granted, however, there’s quite a bit of drama to sort through.
George incorporates electricity into his display model for the new “Union Central Station”. His model is a hybrid of the old Penn Station and the first iteration of Grand Central Terminal exteriors. The investors and workers are definitely impressed by his plans but there are a few bumps in the road ahead before the station can be built. Continue reading “Everyone has a plan to see Edison switch on the lights except Marian and the Aunts”