The sex trafficking plot in HBO’s “The Gilded Age”
Spoiler warning for seasons 2 & 3 of “The Gilded Age” (2022-)
I have done most forms of sex work since 2017 and recently caught up with the HBO drama, “The Gilded Age”. The ongoing series focuses on New York City’s wealthy residents between 1880 and 1900. During the second season, Oscar Van Rhijn becomes smitten with a woman who, unknowingly to him, is being sex trafficked. The line between sex work and sex trafficking does blur in real life [DSW. 2026] and Maud Beaton is no exception.
Van Rhijn falls in love at first sight with someone who felt pressured to deceive him. Oscar is the only son of his parents so he feels pressured to marry an heiress and continue the Van Rhijn surname. In addition, marrying a woman would enshroud his bisexuality. Maud Beaton alleges that robber baron, Jay Gould fathered her out to wedlock. The costuming in “Gilded Age” is phenomenal but most outfits worn by Beaton are cheap by upper echelon standards. I should’ve noticed that Beaton didn’t belong in high society but I was too engrossed in the courtship to care.
Van Rhijn and Beaton make each other laugh during a boring play. I can relate to Maud as I’ve shared countless jokes with my clients during public outtings. The fact that clients pay me for my time doesn’t negate the experiences we share. Whilst Oscar wasn’t compensating her for her time, Beaton was appeasing him so that she could eventually introduce him to her pimp. While a myriad of real sex workers are in abusive relationships, I’d relish in fictional depictions of sex workers in love. There was never an implication that Beaton dreaded the moments spent with Van Rhijn. She enjoyed his companionship candidly so it hurt that her pimp was targetting him. It’s a shame Oscar and Maud’s honeymoon period was brief…the audience deserves hope that sex trafficking survivors can find true love. This explains why I’m attached to these second fiddle characters in “Gilded Age”.
I, myself, am secular but I’ve met sex workers of varying faiths. Beaton and Van Rhijn’s aunt meet an amicable Bishop. Beaton describes the Bishop as “courageous” to Oscar and his cousin, Marian Brook. Maud tells Oscar and Marian, “I just wish I was brave enough to do something practical to help [the Bishop]”. Oscar ardently offers to make a donation in Maud’s name and beams brightly. Brook tells his new muse that she has never seen him act that way with anyone. “You bring out the best in him, and I’m glad!” Marian exclaims. Despite belonging to old money, Marian spends her days teaching art to girls from low income families. Had modern language existed back then, the show implies that Marian would be the most supportive relative of Oscar’s sexual orientation. If Brook knew her cousin was courting a sex trafficking survivor, I believe she would still support his romantic endeavour.
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Biphobic sex workers exist but I doubt Maud would judge Oscar’s queerness. Oscar is undeniably a dandy figure — a man who subverts traditional masculinity through fashion [Britannica. 2026]. Oscar’s garments subtly hint to the audience his queer sexuality before he is kisses anyone onscreen. Van Rhijn is the only person in “Gilded Age” to wear gaudy sunglasses and a Homburg hat — a German hat which didn’t become mainstream in America until decades later. The one time I can recall Oscar not dressing like a dandy is during a brief tennis match.
Every time Maud speaks of her “father” to Oscar she is likely referring to her pimp, Mr. Crowther. Beaton explains to Van Rhijn that her “father” conducts business under her name to prevent rumors about his “illegitimate daughter”. Oscar suggests she says no to him. Beaton asks if he would ever say no to his late father which leaves Van Rhijn speechless. Later on, Oscar’s aunt announces that she will marry the Bishop so Oscar implores Maud to attend the wedding. The HBO showrunners torment me for not including Maud at the Bishop’s wedding. I recall the first wedding my boyfriend and I attended as a couple; our friend who tied the knot is also a sex worker who now has a son. If “Gilded Age” ends with Oscar having children, I hope they’re named after his ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend.
Beaton finally introduces Van Rhijn to her pimp inside an office for Mr. Crowther’s shell company. Crowther purports that Casterbridge Pacific is a railway company and lies about being business associates with Jay Gould. On numerous occasions, Van Rhijn meets with Crowther (without Beaton) to invest into the shell company. The con man informs Oscar that Maud is “innocent” and that Oscar “shouldn’t be using her”. Van Rhijn states he only wants to make his lover happy. Van Rhijn thinks of proposing to her at the 1883 opening of the Brooklyn Bridge [Brooklyn Eagle. 1883].
After learning that Maud absconded and that Crowther’s a fraud, Oscar Van Rhijn informs his mother, aunt, and cousin that he was scammed. Depressed, he eats meals alone and his concerned aunt fails to persuade him to become sober. Things finally start looking up for Oscar when his ex-boyfriend signs a check to get him back on his feet. Van Rhijn discovers that his former muse works at a brothel and his ex-boyfriend urges him to not seek revenge. When Van Rhijn confronts Beaton at the brothel, she leads him away from Crowther’s view. Oscar asks what Maud has done with his fortune and she woefully admits that she’s penniless due to Crowther’s greed.
Oscar does what I’d never expect anyone else to do…he forgives Maud.
Oscar gives his former muse $100 and buys Maud a train ticket to Sandusky, Ohio. They lock eyes as Beaton places her gloved hand upon his face and holds back tears. When Oscar tells his ex-boyfriend that he helped Maud escape her pimp, he is proud. Bittersweet moments move me so much that I almost forgive the showrunners for not adding more depth to Maud’s character. Van Rhijn giving Beaton a fresh start is one of the most, if not the most poignant moment in the entire show.
While I believe she’s an underrated character, it’d be unnecessary to revive Maud in future seasons. I want her to remain the most elusive character on “Gilded Age”. One fictional woman cannot encapsulate all nuances in adult entertainment, but I’m overall satisfied with Beaton’s arc. I’m glad that she was in, not one, but two seasons of “Gilded Age”. Future media should humanize trafficked women the way Beaton was humanized. I am disappointed that she and Oscar will never have happily ever after…but I look forward to future depictions of trafficking survivors.
I would like to credit the blogger, Maurine, for creating the gifs used within this article. Please support Maurine on tumblr and Archive Of Our Own.
