Industry: Season 2/ Episode 4 “There Are Some Women…” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

With being put in a vulnerable position, Eric evaluates his position and next move as Yasmin worries about her family’s wealth and how it defines her.

Aired (HBO)	8/22/2022
Director(s)	Isabella Eklof
Writer(s)	Zara Meerza
Introduced This Episode
Jamie	James Nelson-Joyce
Holly	Anna Wilson-Jones

This content contains pertinent spoilers.

Recap

Money, Power, and Influence – Yasmin, Harper, Charles, Celeste, Maxim

Yasmin continues to try to impress Celeste by using her father’s company, but as Maxim starts getting cagey with information, she is left to wonder why? The most obvious reason she can come up with is there is no money, and it is all a ruse that her father has somehow kept up. However, that’s not the case.

So, what’s the truth? Charles had multiple affairs, paid the women off, some on an annual basis, and while there is generational wealth, there are also skeletons. The kind which, because she knows her father, Yasmin doesn’t really care much about. At this point, she just needs a win.

Why? Well, once again, Yasmin finds herself in a conversation with Harper, and, as always, Yasmin doesn’t get warm and fuzzy feelings from it. She is just reminded how much money is part of what defines her, and Harper pushes her to feel negative feelings that, generally speaking, Yasmin doesn’t have.

Is It Genuine or Salesmanship? – Gus, Jamie, Harper, Daniel, Jesse, Robert, Nicole, Aurore

While Aurore cares about the people, this doesn’t mean she wants to interact much with the ones who clearly need psychological help and could potentially be dangerous. So she leaves one, Jamie, to Gus, who has to figure the guy out. Luckily, his sales experience translates to speaking with Jamie and getting the man who may have brought his own turd to Aurore’s office, a possible cry for help, to feel seen, heard, and a person again after losing his job a year ago.

And while Gus deals with a man who isn’t above bringing his own crap in a Tupperware container, Robert is reevaluating his relationship with Nicole. While he doesn’t necessarily mind whoring himself out to get her business, learning she pulled the same thing on Harper does give him pause. The type where, even though Nicole is the source of his bonus right now, he doesn’t pick up her call when she contacts his desk.

Which leads us to Danny and Harper. Danny has been flirty in the past, and Harper isn’t 100% sure what his motivation is. He remembers things she says, which are personal, and opens up to her, but at the same time, he is interested in Jesse and the clout such a client can give. So while she gives into the idea of him being into her and having sex with him, she can’t let go of Danny meeting Jesse, focusing on pitching to him and feeling like he was trying to outdo her work. So, for now, she may keep an eye on him and watch her back.

Play Your Hand, And Hope No One Knows Your Tells – Bill, Eric, Daniel, Holly, Candice

After being coerced into taking a vacation, Eric heads to New York to meet with Bill and learns his old mentor, last name Newman, has died. This is a bit of a treat for him since he had a bit of a love/hate relationship with the old man. Mind you, not purely because of the racist things the MAGA-loving man said, but because Newman’s eventual wife, Holly, may have jumped ship from Eric to Newman when they were together.

But Eric has outlasted Newman and tries to appeal to Bill his worth despite four bad quarters out of at least 100 and losing Felim. The problem is, even if Eric seemingly hired half the people willing to stab him in the back, loyalty only gets you so far. Hence Daniel and Bill agreed to allow Eric to continue to work for Pierpoint, just not in a demanding or highly visible role like the floor. They put him in CRMS – Client Relationship Management Services, which Eric calls the retirement home.

However, what choice does he have? Plus, Candice did say she wanted him around more for the girls, so she got her wish. But, with Eric needing to feel powerful and not castrated, he has sex with Holly because he can and to massage his ego.

Things To Note

• Unexpected Content Advisory: Sexual Content (Harper gets ejaculated on)

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. Is Danny going to takeover CPS?
2. Has Yasmin officially joined Celeste’s team?
3. With Celeste revealing she has a wife but having a moment in the bathroom with Yasmin, should we expect an affair? Also, was Celeste wearing underwear in that moment?

What Could Happen Next

1. Harper potentially losing Jesse and not having Eric as a safety net, and Danny not really trying to rescue her either
2. Celeste making an undeniable move on Harper
3. Nicole confronting Robert about becoming cold toward her, and him revealing he knows about Harper

Collected Quote(s)

They want women to be equal, until you start acting like them.
— Celeste

You’re born a 1000 men, you die as just one.
— Eric

Figures cut through hot air.
— Bill

If you stop producing, you’re simply a cost.
— Bill

Nobody owes anybody a tomorrow here.
— Bill

Review

Highlights

The Fall of Eric

Eric’s arc, since the beginning, has been played out wonderfully. He was the person of color who understood Harper, went to bat for her, and trained her up to be his mini-me, as he has apparently done for many. Yet, as shown in this episode, Eric didn’t change or break the wheel. He was a spoke. While not as bad as Newman in racial epithets, he trained the same kind of people who may have respected Eric for his mentorship but would turn their backs on him when he no longer suited their needs.

We got to see this with Harper when Eric needed a solid win with Felim, multiple times, but failed. While he enjoys Eric, Danny clearly has no issue with him being taken down a notch, especially since he would do the same to him. Then Bill? Like Danny, he gets it. Eric has spent his whole life fighting for validation and proving he belongs and his relationship, his legacy, has been about training younger versions of himself to add onto how he can prove he did something right.

But that’s the bittersweet thing of mentorship. There will come a time when you aren’t needed not only by your mentees but the place where you once thrived in enough to be trusted to rear the next generation. But with the way Eric tried to bolster his position before having to fall on the sword, it makes you wonder if he may settle into a less stressful role or, as when Daria tried to take him down, will he mount a grand comeback?

Danny and Harper

There is no doubt that Harper has desires to be close to someone, but whether it is just sexually or she wants romance too, it is hard to say. Robert and Gus, you can tell, give her the level of friendship she needs, and she may have off and on feelings for Robert, or it could just be, due to accessibility, she has wanted to have sex with him on occasion.

With Danny, though, something is different. You can tell when he remembered something she said off-hand, that touched the heart. Add in a level of vulnerability we don’t often see from Harper when she isn’t in a desperate situation? It pushes you to think she may have started to develop feelings for Danny.

But, thanks to her mom and exes, you can see her poisoning the idea no sooner than she found herself getting comfortable in it.

Celeste

The thing about Celeste is that she knows how to seduce people to a certain line. You aren’t sure if she is being friendly or flirty. It isn’t clear if you are making things up in your head or if she is leading you on. With Yasmin, there is this need to ask if Celeste is trying to teach her the art of what she does, is treating her as she would any client, or if maybe she wants a taste of Yasmin, if not have Yasmin taste her? It’s quite the game that, clearly, Yasmin has no chance of winning, but seeing her be treated in a manner that reminds you of what she did to Robert is satisfying.

Yasmin and Robert Reflecting

Robert has not been above whoring himself out for business. It helps you understand his desperation, but I think a part of him likes the idea that he is special and that no one can do what he does. I would even say, when it comes to his impotence at times, it is bound up in him needing to feel some sort of connection that implies exclusivity. Hence the dating app hookup not going well or with Harper since Harper isn’t necessarily bedding anyone and everyone, but Robert knows Harper didn’t want him specifically, just someone to take the edge off. So with him learning Nicole is handsy, it should be interesting to see if he can regulate the relationship in the way Harper couldn’t.

I’d even add that, taking note of what we’ve seen Eric go through, Robert’s need for validation and his place in the world he is in mirrors Eric’s. The only difference is that Eric’s hunger leads him to work harder, and Robert’s allows him to expose his belly in hopes that he’ll be taken mercy upon. It’s almost like toxic masculinity meets the opposite extreme.

Then with Yasmin, it’s interesting how they are trying to craft her. They want to acknowledge Yasmin’s privilege yet show her trying to break out to earn her spot. The problem is that adversity is foreign to Yasmin, and she is bewildered whenever she faces it. Now, to her credit, she does adapt. However, it’s increasingly clear that while she has the education, in some ways, she lacks the common sense or the type of social skills which would allow her to interact with people who aren’t at her level of wealth.

But that is the appeal, in some ways. Yasmin is so out of touch with the average person that her being on the side of things where she is asking people to trust her with their money, rather than people pursuing her, is a challenge. One she has stumbled with so far, but as she starts to learn how to interact with people when her money can’t influence them, you see growth.

Gus Using His Sales Experience To Think The Common Person Cares

What is a politician but a salesman selling you a dream with your own money? I think Gus has caught onto that, and knowing part of sales is making things seem personal, no matter how much it all is just business, that is how he calmed Jamie down. It’s all about transferrable skills, and being that political work is far more secure than banking and sales, Gus might be able to have all he desires.

Now, as shown, his ambition might not be what Aurore wants or needs, but he can grow his network through her. Which has always been Gus’ problem. He doesn’t know the right people or had the opportunity to secure them. Well, that and him being overzealous usually rubbed people the wrong way, but with him having diverse ways to show his worth now, maybe Gus can finally start moving up and not wallowing in the down.

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