Who is Will Morris? ‘The Gilded Age’ finally reveals who shot George Russell
'The Gilded Age' finally revealed who tried to assassinate George Russell (Morgan Spector). The man was none other than Will Morris (Will Pullen), the son of Patrick Morris (Michel Gill), who took his own life in the first season. Patrick had taken his life because a bad deal with George had put him under immense financial stress. Episode 2, titled 'You Won't Hear Me Beg', picks up with George and the Pinkertons entering a tenement building to capture the assassin. The audience and George were both surprised to see Will and his mother, Anne Morris (Katie Finneran).
Ardent fans know Anne as the snobbish socialite who looked down on Bertha (Carrie Coon) in Season 1. George and Patrick initially had a mutually beneficial deal. Patrick was supposed to buy shares in George's railroad company and pass a law to benefit the establishment. Patrick left George dry by selling his shares and refusing to pass the law. George double-crossed him by buying the shares at a higher price, which left Patrick and his family destitute.
Throughout the hour, George keeps Will in his custody, trying to decide his fate. He has two options: either to kill him or surrender him to the police. In a thrilling sequence, George is pointing his gun at Will's head, while Anne is on her knees begging for her son's life. Anne's situation is like Patrick's, who also knelt before George to spare his family. Ultimately, George spares Will and comes back to Bertha.
Sonja Warfield, the show's executive producer, shared that it isn't in George's nature to be so cruel. "In Season 2, there were people who were urging George to shoot upon his workers, but because he had that interaction with the one worker and his family, and he had gone to his house, that humanized him, so he didn't do it," the executive producer told TVLine. "Despite the laudanum, despite the rage, despite the fact that this person intended to kill him, there's a part of George that could not take a life."
The mystery of his assassination may be resolved, but George still needs to deal with his laudanum. George is clearly struggling with this condition, which is facilitated by the use of opium and alcohol. According to Morgan, George is "disintegrating" because of the condition. George ends the episode in Bertha's arms, confessing he has "no sense of direction." To see how George faces the latest challenge, tune in every Sunday on HBO.
