by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Prestige TV lost some of its most remarkable shows in 2023. Succession, Barry, Ted Lasso (allegedly), and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel all ended within a few weeks of each other. HBO took the biggest hit, with two of the four shows coming from the network. Since then, HBO has struggled to find a show that can replace some of the most acclaimed television shows. They keep trying with The Gilded Age and House of the Dragon, but those have yet to gain much traction. Hacks is technically on Max, as are The White Lotus and The Last of Us, and we’re awaiting both of their returns. Viewers are looking for something incredible in an age where we need instant gratification.
It’s time we all look at Industry as HBO’s latest quality show.
I wasn’t sure it would get a third season when Season Two finished. Industry had no buzz, because it was relatively unknown, with unknown actors, and it was in the shadow of Succession. Often, Industry is compared to Succession due to parallels of corporate greed, characters that are hard to root for, and the lack of consequences for anyone’s actions. However, what sets Industry apart is looking at greed from the eyes of Gen Z and capturing a type of work that is more akin to gambling than performing tasks.
Industry Season Three takes place only a short time after the events of Season Two, where Harper (Myha’la) is getting back in the trading world, but has to start at the very bottom after striking it rich. Back at Pierpoint, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and the rest of their crew are bringing a new company called Lumi to market with an IPO. Lumi is run by eccentric CEO, Henry Muck (Kit Harington). The season focuses on the fallout of IPO launch for Lumi.
Front and center is the notion that caring about something is a fad. It’s similar to how we pay lip service to caring about a tragic event, but then don’t do much about it. Industry specifically comments on the ESG (environmental, social, and governance) sector, a branch of business Lumi is a part of. They are a company which specializes in providing government subsidized clean energy to customers. This conflict often happens when people, mainly the rich and powerful, invest in the company and look to yield influence for profit. After all, that is the point of a business. Money drives everything in Industry, but this time, influence, purpose, and power become more desirable for the characters.
Industry has had some very capable antagonists, and Muck is among the most sinister. Harington is electric in this role, going from furious to someone’s friend at the drop of a hat. Muck, as a character, is complicated. He comes from money, but doesn’t know how to manage it, plus he has a habit of harassment, particularly among his female employees. It sometimes feels cliché to have a CEO accused of harassment in 2024, but that still doesn’t change the fact that seeing it should be alarming. This is another example of how people of money seek influence, this time in a negative way by taking advantage of workers. Jesse Bloom (Jay Duplass) is missed, because he spoke about the stock market, similar to the characters. However, Muck is a whole other animal, which leads to dire circumstances for the Pierpoint team.
Another character introduced this season is Petra (Sarah Goldberg), who works with Harper and recognizes that ESG is only a temporary stopgap for profit. Petra and Harper are two peas in a pod. They are both ruthless risk takers, and will trample everyone they know to get ahead. This season, they begin to discuss venturing out on their own, working for themselves instead of the name on a building. This plot line helps drive home that ambition is just as risky of a gamble as the actual stock market. Questionable individuals fund their plan, and Harper continues to show her true colors. Goldberg’s addition to the cast is substantial, harkening back to some of her most toxic moments as Sally from Barry.
Another thing we receive to this season is actual character development from Yasmin and Robert. Over the years, Harper has been the main character of the show. She’s away from home, constantly has a chip on her shoulder, and knows how to take risks that pay off, but she is legally in a gray area that most of the others on the show are firmly not on board with. Yasmin and Robert have the education and family pedigree to become well-known in the stock market. For two seasons, both have been seen as future leaders of the company, but didn’t show much growth from who they were from the beginning. They wanted money, success, and a partying lifestyle that was filled with careless decisions and a level of invincibility that allowed them to feel like they could get away with anything.
Yasmin’s season is filled with chaos, as her father is embroiled in a scandal with his business, threatening her future. She’s always been seen as spoiled, and she uses tools like nepotism and her sexuality to get her way. This season, we see some of the fallout of those choices. From the first scene in Season Three, we know Yasmin will have a rocky time. The press is all over her, asking about her father. She’s intimately involved with the Lumi IPO, and is looking to prove herself as a trader. Her friendship with Harper is tested when we get a whiplash of various events from the season. They have a verbal altercation that might be the best scene in the entire series. In addition, just when you think she’s about to turn the corner and make steady choices, the rug is pulled from under you in the most shocking way. If there’s anyone who has a chance to make some splashes around the award circuit next year, it’s Abela.
Robert experiences something almost no one in this series truly experiences: a crisis of conscience. He hasn’t changed much from his early days, but something happens to him early in the season, making his world unstable in a way that changes everything for him. I didn’t think Robert would become the most human character on the show, but by the end of the season, he’s striving for something more meaningful than money and power. He genuinely wants to make a difference.
One character that we get to know a lot better this season is Rishi (Sagar Radia). As the guy calling out what he needs from clients, he’s built a reputation as a brash, toxic bully. We never really understood why that was the case until this season. Industry doesn’t usually do character-focused episodes, but Rishi gets one which sheds some much-needed light on why he is the way he is, creating a tense and lasting impression on the viewers.
We also see a lot more of the behind-the-scenes goings-on at Pierpoint. Eric (Ken Leung) has been promoted to a partner, but finds himself with egg on his face for his management style and track record with IPOs, including Lumi. We learn more about him as a character and how much he cares about Pierpoint and the brand. Also, we see more of his relationship with fellow partner, Tom (Harry Hadden-Paton), and how they work together to try and salvage what is left of Pierpoint after a disastrous couple of months. When you think Eric will turn a corner, he makes decisions in his own best interest that break your heart for others, causing you to genuinely loathe him. While surveying the industry’s landscape, Eric is the byproduct of unchecked greed and the quest up the corporate ladder, which sacrifices morality and values.
I’m so happy that the Industry is finally getting the recognition it deserves from viewers and critics. It’s been one of the most vital shows on television over the last few years, but I feel like this is the first year people have noticed it. Strong writing and a dynamite story anchor an excellent cast and complicated characters facing situations which test the boundaries defining who they are. For anyone looking for a show that can fill the void left by the absence of “prestige television,” Industry has come to save the day.
Rating: Loved It
Industry is currently streaming on Max
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