Reviewer Rating: 4/5.0
4
Since its premiere on HBO in 2020, Industry has been a well-kept secret, or at least one of the lesser-known series on HBO and Max.
Created by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, the London-set series follows employees at a London investment bank called Pierpoint. It doesn’t capture the zeitgeist as accurately as Game of Thrones, Succession, or Euphoria.
However, this season it’s on HBO’s coveted Sunday night slot, which could be a boon for this well-deserved show. We think streaming will change that trend, but airing it on HBO on Sunday nights can boost the network’s confidence and keep fans happy.
However, since the show was launched, the reviews have been mostly positive and the reputation has been good.
Several actors, including Michal Herold and Marisa Abela, have been thrust into major film roles.
Herold (sometimes just by her first name) starred in Bodies Bodies Bodies, while Abella played Amy Winehouse in the recent Back to Black biopic.
Five years and three seasons
Additionally, like many shows, Industry has been slow to produce new seasons in an era of pandemics and strikes, with a two-year gap between seasons one and two, and another two before season three arrives .
The show’s second season ended with a lot of seeming disruption to its status quo.
Harper (Herold) is fired after her company discovers she lied about her college degree.
Yasmin (Abela) has been cut off by her wealthy, philandering father.
Soon after the wedding, Rishi (Sagar Radia) surprisingly was not fired.
As a result, the new season is more spread out and shows us more of London’s financial world.
Optimistic about the industry
But the new season of Industry takes some leaps forward while maintaining quality.
It addresses a number of interesting real-world questions: Are green energy entrepreneurs up to par? What about ESG investing? Are financial research analysts trustworthy or conflicting?
Do those who complain about “woke investing” have a point? Has this particular world become more welcoming to women?
All of this and more is coming in the new season. And these things fit naturally into the plot.
It also, like other financial prestige series Billions, appeals to people in the financial world and those who believe the world is the source of all evil on earth.
“Randolph and Mortimer Pierpoint”
While “Industry” is not a show known for its humor, there are occasional laughs.
At least two of them are direct references to the best comedy about finance ever made, 1983’s “Trading Places.”
One thing the major players in the industry have in common is that they all seem to be falling apart.
(Mild spoilers ahead for Industry Season 3, of which I have watched four of eight episodes.)
You know nothing, Henri Munch
Yasmeen is frustrated and angry at further betrayal by her father.
Recently divorced Eric (Tony Leung Ka Fai) is going through a major midlife crisis.
Pierrepoint is presiding over the IPO of a clean energy company (led by Henry Munk and played by Jon Snow himself, whom Kit Harington inherited from Jay Duplass in season 2) Guest star position in.
Meanwhile, Harper goes to work at a rival financial firm, where her boss is Petra (Sarah Goldberg, a veteran of another HBO series, “Barry.”)
Another new character is Sweetpea Golightly (Miriam Page). She is an influential person who works on the trading floor.
Over the course of its run, Mad Men has always made mergers and acquisitions, bringing together former colleagues in different configurations that feel very similar.
Upholding the tradition of quality television
That’s not the only part of the new season that’s reminiscent of other well-known TV shows. With all the characters gathered at a strange retreat, the third episode felt like something out of Succession.
Meanwhile, the fourth episode, which focuses on Rishi and the tightrope act of being in a specific trading position, feels like a direct homage to the Safdie brothers’ Uncut Gems.
It was more intense than normal for this very intense show.
He also started complaining about the British Conservative Party, which until recently was led by another man named Rishi.
The table is filled with wonderful performances
The cast’s performances remain strong, led by Marisa Abela as Yasmin. The actress is clearly a star, even if that Amy Winehouse movie feels like a bit of a cursed project.
Harry Lawty plays Robert, who remains the show’s most heartbreaking character, a working-class figure who feels out of place in the world of posh finance.
Ken Leung has long been a talented character actor who makes the most of his opportunities to play fleshed out roles, especially now that his roles are spiraling.
Kit Harington made the most of the opportunity, playing a character who was 160 degrees different from Jon Snow. For one thing, there was more swearing in this show.
still a well kept secret
If you haven’t watched Industry before, the first two seasons are only 16 episodes long, so catching up isn’t that daunting.
The new season will premiere on August 11 on HBO and Max.
The remaining seven episodes will air every Sunday until the end of September.
The best news is that we’ll be reviewing the entire season as it airs, so join us each week for enlightening discussions!
