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Storyline Recap
Is It Murder If You Let Someone Die? – Charles, Yasmin, Harper
Yasmin and Charles’ volatile relationship led to Charles calling his daughter the nastiest things, her replying that she wanted him to die, and then he jumped from the boat, and she got her wish. Mind you, as she watched her father drown, a part of her wanted to save him, but the part of her that wanted to save him didn’t move fast enough to do so.
Luckily, Harper was there, calmed her down, helped with an alibi, and more. This effort seemingly herself in Yasmin’s eyes after all the things she has said and done in the past.
Raising A Red Flag – Harper, Petra, James, Sweetpea
With Harper knowing blood is in the water, she looks for information. She feigns an interview with Sweetpea to get a confirmation and to see how sure she is that something is wrong. Harper runs into James and gets his take, alongside information that Petra may have a substance abuse problem.
Note that Petra doesn’t, and her son does, and that only comes up when Harper is trying to keep Yasmin from becoming collateral damage in what she and now Petra are planning.
A Series Of Messed Up Conversations – Eric, Yasmin, Denise, Alexander
It took a while, but Charles’ body is discovered and is barely recognizable, and for Yasmin, this doesn’t bring her peace. Never mind her role in his death, but then Alexander calls with the narrative that someone thinks Yasmin is involved, and he tries to push her to be with Henry in exchange for him potentially burying or altering the story. Mind you, it sounds like the woman Charles was having relations with is making the accusations, so that’s not great, for there is likely a desire for money there.
But the problems don’t end there for Yasmin. Someone leaks pictures of her dad’s dead body, and to follow that up, Eric is once again in this weird place with Yasmin where it is hard to tell if he sees her as a friend, a potential love interest, an ego booster, or what, and Yasmin doesn’t have it in her to play the game. She assumes the worst, embarrasses Eric, and storms off. Forcing him to live in that awkwardness when they see each other later before Yasmin has a meeting with Harper.
Each With A Nail For The Coffin – Harper, Petra, Jackie, Daria, Kenny, Yasmin
The last thing Harper wants is to take advantage of Yasmin, but she chose a partner in Petra who doesn’t believe in the personal getting in the way of business and that they aren’t friends, they are co-workers who respect each other’s expertise. So, with that in mind, Yasmin is taken advantage of by doing the same thing Petra and Harper have done to every other bank, in seeing how invested they are into ESG, how that burden likely is, and who to pounce on.
With what Yasmin gives, Pierpoint is clearly vulnerable, and as Rishi noted when he spoke with Harper before, “[…] money heals antipathy as fast as it creates it.” Hence, Harper can go to many of Eric’s former employees, or PierPoint in general, in Jackie, Daria, and Kenny, and seemingly get them on board with PierPoint’s destruction, even with one or two not having the best relationship with Harper either.
I Defended You – Eric, Yasmin, Harper
Eric learning of what Yasmin did leads him to storm to Harper’s office, and they tell each other off. Following that, Eric and Bill talk, and between the embarrassment during lunch and now this, Eric relinquishes whatever he felt towards Yasmin, fires her, and makes sure she knows it is because of Harper.
This leads to Harper and Yasmin going at it, and everything about Harper being questioned; Harper countering by using old talking points and the words Charles used against Yasmin, and it could be questioned who won. I mean, Yasmin is the one without a job and who lost her father, but considering Harper only has her job, has no friends, no family, and her value is purely in her manipulation tactics leading to money? Did she really win in the long term?
New Characters
Check Out The Character Guide For More Information.
Tom Stourton As James Ashford
James is one of the many investors in the world of “Industry” but hasn’t been treated as a big fish, mainly because he doesn’t take too many notable risks with his business, Ashford Asset Management.
Review
Highlights
Harper As A Scene Partner
I thought about highlighting Eric going off, Yasmin’s scene with Harper, or Petra setting boundaries, but concluded that part of what made them all great is who they play off of. Even Sweetpea, not being eaten alive but nibbled at by a shark, felt notable because of Harper. And the best thing about it is that Harper isn’t performed in such a way that it is all about her, her takedown, and anything you say is like when a child calls you a name they think is a hard insult. There is a give-and-take there, so both people look good, and I don’t think enough credit is given in how much effort is put into both characters being protected and rarely exiting looking like a fool.
The Fall of Pierpoint
Watching the destruction of Pierpoint would be one hell of a finale. Especially when you consider how, less and less, the business matters as much as the characters do. I’d even say the downfall and the eventual comeback of some characters could make for a hell of a season 4.
Though, if we’re being honest, it would probably be easier for those behind “Industry” to do damage to Harper and make her fail, but with this series being a bit bold, I’m hoping for the worst so we could get the best.
Eric’s Search For Friendship
Admittedly, there are times when Eric is a sad, strange little man, but I think at his core – he is just lonely. Almost all of his relationships were built at Pierpoint, and the higher up he goes, the more he realizes he doesn’t have friends for when he is struggling, questioning life, or anything like that. In many ways, it is sad, but again, one of the things this season is really pushing on is what it means to be a man, and for Eric, there is something about how he wants to lean heavily on the women in his life but keeps getting rejected.
From Harper to now Yasmin, it seems with him getting the validation of his male peers, in terms of power, now he wants the women in his life to see something positive in him. Beyond being a good lover, I think he wants reassurance that he is still a good person, that he isn’t being punished and that there is more to him than the money he could make.
On The Fence
Wondering If The Imagery Is Just For Shock Value
From seeing Charles’ little friend to his body after being in the ocean for, I want to say a month, a part of me wonders how much was that depiction for shock value? In some ways, I get it, this is about you getting into Yasmin’s head and being bewildered and uncomfortable by seeing some of the things we did. Yet, at the same time, there is the need to question if it is necessary? Can Yasmin’s actress not give us the same feeling without giving us her eyes to see?
The Gist
The TLDR Recap/ Review
- Harper regains the focus of “Industry” as her role in Yasmin covering up Charles’ death is shown – mainly in helping with the narrative that Yasmin didn’t watch/allow her father to drown.
- But, while Harper came in the clutch in the past, in the present day? Harper lives up to her sordid reputation as she not only screws over Yasmin but joins other former PierPoint employees in constructing its demise.
- Mind you, this couldn’t happen at a worse time as Yasmin learns not only her dad died, but there is a potential story out there she might be involved in Charles’ death. Pair that with Eric still testing boundaries with Yasmin? It’s all too much.
- But Yasmin revealing how she helped give Harper the ammunition she needed, rejecting Eric’s weird attempt at friendship, and the social liability she has become, ultimately leads to her being fired.
- Which triggers Yasmin and Harper having a nasty, personal argument, similar to the ones they had before, but whether or not their friendship may recover again is hard to say.
- While “Industry” is great without featuring Myha’la, it is even better when it puts her front and center, for she makes Harper someone you love to hate yet also root for.
- I mean, taking down your former boss and company with the people who you played a part in getting fired, yet they hate their former company more than you? That’s diabolical.
- Never mind, as you watch Eric, Yasmin, and even Petra react to how Harper protects herself and is proactive in her offense, you see the stages of how she uses people and paints herself as the victim when the other person surmounts a comeback.
General Information
- Previous Episode: Season 3/ Episode 5
- Series Page
| Episode Title | Nikki Beach, or: So Many Ways to Lose |
| Release Date (Max) | September 15, 2024 |
| Director(s) | Isabella Eklöf |
| Writer(s) | Joseph Charlton |
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Charles | Adam Levy |
| Yasmin | Marisa Abela |
| Harper | Myha’la Herrold |
| Petra | Sarah Goldberg |
| James | Tom Stourton |
| Sweetpea | Miriam Petche |
| Eric | Ken Leung |
| Denise | Fiona Button |
| Alexander | Andrew Havill |
| Jackie | Caoilfhionn Dunne |
| Daria | Freya Mavor |
| Kenny | Conor MacNeill |
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