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Too often, characters gamble on “Industry,” and their bets pay off. But finally, a few see themselves crashing without much of a safety net.
| Aired (HBO) | 9/19/2022 |
| Director(s) | Isabella Eklof |
| Writer(s) | Mickey Down, Konrad Kay |
This content contains pertinent spoilers.
Recap
So This Is When You Take A Stand? – Robert, Nicole, Eric, Harper, Bill
No matter who Eric and Harper meet, it becomes clear multiple companies are leaving London for New York, which is a no-go for Harper. Going to New York is a defeat, and she has no desire to look or return to the States. On the other hand, Eric has no desire to uproot his family, so New York isn’t advantageous for him either. So, with that in mind, a new play is made where Eric will man a team, consolidate FX and CPS, and make MHFS (Macro Hedge Fund Sales), a lean money-making machine.
However, two cuts will be made to make this lean: Danny and Rishi. Now, as for Robert, who you’d think would potentially be offered up? He isn’t. Nicole makes him a notable amount of money, and while he originally takes a stand against her, the money is far too good to pass up, so he takes her call and order.
A Humbling Experience – Gus, Aurore, Robert, Yasmin, Celeste, Venetia, Charles, Jesse, Leo, Nicole, Harper
Unfortunately for Gus, learning from Aurore that Amazon isn’t going to have to deal with anti-competitive questions is discovered by Harper, who passes this on to Jesse, who blows up the deal the conservatives were working on. Now, for Harper, this isn’t the worst thing since she gets back in Jesse’s good graces, but there is an accusation of this being insider trading. And as for Gus, because he snitches on himself, while Aurore might be positioned to be health secretary, after the blow-up, Gus is positioned to pick up his papers as he is dismissed out the door.
Luckily though, with Leo securing a position at Oxford, Jesse is happy, and with that, he offers Gus a job as an assistant. But, while Gus finds a soft place to land, the same can’t be said for Yasmin. She acts as if she has sway without her father and pushes Celeste to drop Charles as a client, leading to a quick and flat no. Yasmin also tries to confront her dad about all he has done and even accuses him of grooming Maxim’s cousin.
As you can imagine, this isn’t taken well, especially since Yasmin says this in a public space, thus leading to an escalating back and forth that causes Charles to completely cut Yasmin off. Since it is attached to his, he freezes her account and changes the locks to her flat, thus making her homeless. So when she tries to fix her karma with Venetia, she has to dine and dash, and while Robert allows himself to be used, it isn’t clear how long.
Why? Well, one of the first things she asks him for, beyond clothes and temporary shelter, is to get coke, and he is unlucky enough to get pulled over and when pulling out his papers, he drops a dime bag. This leads to him getting put in a sober tank overnight and hoping nothing will come of it. But, with Nicole picking him up, since he had her card and she is the only reliable person in his life, he furthers her bond with her. Partly through some odd comparisons to his mother, but as he shows himself to be someone who reciprocates, even welcomes her touch, and isn’t easily scared off by the rougher parts of her, the two grow closer. Heck, they may even become a couple if this goes on.
It’s All Good Until It Happens To You – Danny, Rishi, Harper, Eric, Bill, Yasmin
Harper’s willingness to do whatever it takes to maintain her job and a power position is noted by Eric. It’s part of what makes her an asset, and Bill, after Eric’s impromptu meeting, with Harper in attendance, agrees to part of his vision. This leads to Danny being dismissed but not Rishi.
This confuses Harper since she thought Rishi and Danny would be gone, and considering she had sex with Rishi on his wedding day or the day before, not having to see him after thinking she screwed him over would be nice. Alas, he is at Pierpont, bringing someone new on, married, with a child on the way, and Harper is called into a meeting with HR.
Why? Well, just as Yasmin has talked herself out of a job with her actions, Harper has done the same. Eric has peeped Harper’s abilities and willingness to do whatever it takes to stay in London, even to the point of potentially committing insider trading. So, he uses the card that has long been in his back pocket regarding Harper faking her education credentials, allowing him to fire her without destroying her career. Though, with now not having the requirements for a work visa to stay in the country, Eric may not understand how much damage he has just done to her.
Things To Note
Episode Content
- Dialog: Usual Cursing
- Violence: No violence
- Sexual Content: Sexual situations but, surprisingly, no nudity
- Miscellaneous: Drinking, drug possession
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- I understand most places have the ability to hire and fire at will, but can Celeste truly just get rid of Yasmin due to her ruining her relationship with her dad? Also, was she officially fired, or did Yasmin just see the writing on the wall?
- What is Harper going to do now? Beg Daria for a job or something else?
- Considering all the debauchery we’ve seen salespeople get into, what in the world would make a cop think a record of possession would cause Robert to lose his job?
- Was Rishi really waiting for an opportunity to have sex with Harper? Never mind, did Harper long to see if Rishi was good, or was that all just to fill a sex-per-episode quota?
What Could Happen Next
- Harper seeking out Daria or Danny for her next role and playing down how she screwed them over
- Yasmin going on a journey of self-discovery as she comes to terms with how much her father’s money and influence shaped who she is
- Robert and Nicole being in a legit relationship
- Gus competing with Harper for Jesse’s ear
- Eric and Harper’s relationship being contentious for nearly an entire season, while he pushes the idea he is trying to make her better than him by not having her be loyal to a company that she has to fight with to see her value. If not show her how dangerous it is to get too comfortable anywhere.
- Meeting Harper’s mother in the flesh
Collected Quote(s)
Every dollar, every client, you probe deep enough, an advantage has been taken, an angle has been played. Do you wanna operate within a system and be successful? Or do you want to dream you can change it and be left behind?
– Celeste
Ours is power in performance. His is power in reality.
– Aurore
Review
Highlights
The Fall Of Harper and Yasmin
Both Harper and Yasmin have lived privileged lives on “Industry.” Yasmin has had a safety net with the most luxurious pillows, bed sheets, a duvet, a weighted blanket, you name it. This entire season has pretty much laid out that Yasmin never really found herself. She just kept taking advantage of her father’s wealth, and he just kept molding her through nannies and opportunities. All the while, as he noted, she wasn’t all that remarkable without his fingerprints.
Charles notes her grades were average, the university she went to, and even in terms of getting into Pierpont, that was because of him. Just as much as Celeste hiring Yasmin for her department. So now stripped of all that her father has done and could, Yasmin truly has to discover who she is without him, and go on a long overdue journey.
Then with Harper, she is living out what Jesse talks about in the episode, or rather the accusation of flying too close to the sun. Harper, similar to Yasmin, has long had a safety net. But rather than it being her father or network, it has been her ambition, her drive, that has often allowed her to bounce back to where she was, or higher, as others fell through the cracks. But as shown by Daria doing well, even Eric getting his old job back and having a new opportunity, everyone has to be humbled and take one on the chin.
The problem for Harper, though, is her network is largely built on what she could produce. Without a job, she isn’t able to be productive in the way she likes or knows how. So like Yasmin, she will be forced to rediscover herself, and while Yasmin seems to have been prepping for this and anxious but excited about what comes next, that isn’t the case for Harper. She seems legit terrified, and considering what she does when desperate, Eric may rue the day he tried to teach her a lesson.
Robert and Nicole
Yes, there is something deeply twisted about Nicole and Robert’s relationship, but that is what makes it intriguing. He is this kid who sees the worst in her, yet he finds her lovable because of how much his experience with his mom has prepped him for women like Nicole. Which you can see is frightening for Nicole and throws her off in ways that make her sharp-tongued, mainly to see if he is a man of his word or not.
And that’s why we’re interested in these two being in a relationship because Robert’s patience and grace have thus far been wasted on Yasmin. So for someone like Nicole, who has had to grab and force her way to where she is, getting someone like Robert could really be a quality storyline. Add in the rare dynamic of an older woman and a younger man, and there are a few untread roads.
On The Fence
Losing Danny, Venetia, and Who Knows Who Else
One of the things “Industry” does incredibly well is crafting its supporting cast. The world doesn’t revolve around Harper, Yasmin, and Robert to a point. Gus, even in a lessened role, has a full storyline. Rishi is getting married. Danny is a golden boy who came up under Eric and tried to usurp him. Daria made a comeback and has gone beyond the role she was under, Eric, and you could go on and on.
With that in mind, though, it does make the uncertainty of who may return for season 3 a bit frustrating. Venetia seemingly has no interest in Eric’s combined CPS and FX desk and is on her way out. Danny has been fired off-screen and is likely heading back to the States to work for who knows who, doing who knows what. Celeste’s affair with Yasmin ended abruptly once she was no longer an asset, so is she gone?
Clearly, with the shift Yasmin and Harper are going through, new characters outside of Pierpont have to be introduced. But there is no desire to lose who we gained this season, even if those we meet in season 3 are on par or even better.
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