As we reach the end of The Gilded Age Season 2, I’m reminded how I often felt throughout the first season of the HBO show. Namely, I wanted to take Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) out for a drink to scream at her she’s making major mistakes in her personal life. In The Gilded Age Season 1, it was falling in love with a creepy gold-digger name Tom Raikes (Thomas Cocquerel). (Lady! His name tells you everything! He! Is! A! Rake!) Now, at the end of The Gilded Age Season 2 Episode 6, I need her to down a shot of tequila and let me explain to her how she’s made an equally messy mistake accepting nice cousin Dashiell’s (David Furr) very public offer of marriage. It’s not that Dashiell’s a bad dude. On the contrary, he’s a great dude. However, it’s painfully obvious that Marian was guilted into marrying the widower through a combination of peer pressure and panic. Once again, Marian has whiffed her love life and I’m left screaming at my television.

Let’s set the scene, shall we? Dashiell Montgomery and his tween daughter Frances (Matilda Lawler) have been crushing on sweet, pretty Marian for a while. He’s been escorting her around town while Frances has been casting her favorite watercolors instructor as her replacement mom. When Frances tells father and daughter she won’t be able to make a fussy botanical gardens party to celebrate all the money their family’s given to the flowers, the Montgomerys are crestfallen. When Marian explains she has a prior commitment teaching underprivileged children basic employable skills, like reading, writing, and arithmetic, Dashiell says she could skip it because it’s not like she’s a real teacher anyway. Frances also suggests she reconsider because, quote, “I don’t think the poor people would mind.”

Now, you would think — you would think! — that Marian would be like, “Ick, these people are being really classist and the moral imperative is for me to help the poor.” However, she only skips the class after first arriving at the school and realizing, “Nope, I’d rather be where the rich people are.” What Marian doesn’t realize she’s stepping into is Dashiell’s very public proposal, done in front of Aunt Agnes (Christine Baranski), her extended family, friends, and a desperate Frances.

Marian says yes, but her eyes say no.

So what gives? Why would the woman who previously told Aunt Ada (Cynthia Nixon) she didn’t want to be put into a cage accept this extremely coercive proposial?

“I mean, she’s nice and a little non-confrontational,” The Gilded Age executive producer Sonja Warfield explained. “And also this is a really good offer.”

“Like, here’s the thing: a woman in the 1880s, what was Marian going to do? She already screwed things up with Tom Raikes, or Tom Raikes found somebody else. Aunt Agnes is literally saying to her, ‘This is really good. Because are you going to live in this house for the rest of your life and then become a spinster and take Ada’s place?'”

“So it’s really that fear of will I take what’s in front of me or will I continue to have faith for what I really want? And do I go after what I really want?” Warfield said. “I think all of us can relate to that.”

We can relate to that, but it doesn’t stop me from wanting to intercede big time once again in Marian’s life! For two seasons now we’ve watched this impoverished beauty luck her way into New York society, narrowly avoid eloping with a disaster artist, and discover a love of teaching. Now she’s going to put her passions — romantic and professional — to the side for stability? I don’t think so! That’s not the flighty, feisty, Marian I know! (Or maybe it is. It is rather flighty of her.)

Anyway, much like the situation with Tom Raikes, I just don’t see how marrying Dashiell Montgomery works out well for Marian. Unless of course, she dreams of marriage to a kind, handsome, loaded man who dotes on her and a stepchild who will worship her. Wait, then again, this doesn’t sound so bad…

But here’s the real problem: There’s no way Marian doesn’t eventually break Dashiell’s heart. She’s going to snap to and remember she’s the hot, young blonde on a television soap opera. Ergo she deserves nothing less than true love. So when she does eventually bolt from the Montgomery situation, she’s going to not only hurt Dashiell, but a sheltered doll-child who has transferred very powerful attachment feelings onto Marian.

Marian, you should have just said no. Better yet: you should have taught the poor kids how to read. That way you’d have avoided this awkward entanglement and kept your word.