Denée Benton appears in The Gilded Age season 3 on its way, it's as good a time as any to take a look at one of the period drama's most interesting characters and her actress, Peggy Scott played by Denée Benton. Peggy is an ambitious African-American writer who becomes Agnes van Rhijn's (Christine Baranski) secretary after a fortuitous meeting on a train.

Peggy is one of the most fascinating characters in The Gilded Age, and it's an excellent showcase for Benton's acting range. Benton began her professional acting career on the stage in 2012, appearing in productions of Annie, Fiddler on the Roof, and Sunset Boulevard, and she's continued to appear in theater productions since. Her first professional screen role came in 2016, after which she appeared in movies like Our Friend as Charlotte, Genie as Julie, and Dreams in Nightmares as Z. It's the first role of her career that is probably her most famous after The Gilded Age.

Denée Benton Played Ruby In UnREAL

Ruby Carter Is A Contestant On Everlasting

Denée Benton appeared in the cast of UnREAL season 2 as Ruby Carter, a contestant on the dating show Everlasting. Ruby is an outspoken Black Lives Matter activist who s the reality show as a way to promote her message. Instead, despite not intending to, she falls in love with another contestant, Darius Beck (B. J. Britt). An honest and earnest character, Ruby worked hard to be herself and not change her personality or attitude to fit within the confines of the fictional reality series that UnREAL is centered on.

How Benton's UnREAL Storyline Mirrors Her Character In The Gilded Age

Both Characters Have Difficult Relationships With Their Fathers

There are definitely some similarities between Ruby Carter in UnREAL and Peggy Scott in The Gilded Age. Both characters have to deal with being a black woman in America. Though their lives are over a century apart, there is an eerie similarity between the roadblocks they are forced to overcome in both time periods. They are both proud black women, but their racial and gender profiles put them in precarious positions, and there is always a microscope hovering over their actions. Despite the barriers they face, they are both ambitious and wish to succeed.

Both characters also have key arcs that involve disappointing their fathers. In The Gilded Age, Peggy defied her father and ran away to Philadelphia with a man named Elias Finn, where they were married. Peggy's father forced Elias into dissolving the marriage, leaving Peggy alone and pregnant. Ruby also had issues with her father. In season 2, episode 5, "Infiltration", Ruby has sex on camera, which disappoints her father, and she has to have a difficult conversation with him. In both cases, Benton's characters' fathers have their best interests at heart, but are unable to show that without being domineering.

Why UnREAL Was Canceled After 4 Seasons

UnREAL Did Not Have High Viewership Numbers

Ruby Carter was only an UnREAL season 2 character, which means her storyline was not cut short when the series was canceled after four seasons. Season 4 of UnREAL debuted on Hulu in July 2018, and at the same time, it was announced that season 4 would be the series' last (via Deadline). While the show was an instant critical darling when it debuted in 2015, the series did not have staying power. It did have a core devoted fanbase, but it was not a strong ratings performer.

According to Hulu, fans were binge-watching 3–4 episodes in one session and completing full seasons in a matter of days, which is just what a streamer like Hulu would be looking for.

According to Hulu, fans were binge-watching 3–4 episodes in one session and completing full seasons in a matter of days, which is just what a streamer like Hulu would be looking for. While it may have been disappointing news for fans, four seasons of a show without strong viewership that was allowed to end on its own is quite the coup in the modern TV landscape. It's an underrated show, and for fans of Denée Benton in The Gilded Age, UnREAL is certainly worth checking out.