On the HBO drama series “Industry,” a baseball bat makes a recurring appearance. Early in the show’s first season, which follows a group of recent college graduates during their cutthroat first year at the London office of fictional investment bank Pierpoint & Co., the baseball bat becomes synonymous with grizzled Pierpoint veteran Eric Tao ( Ken Leung ), who menacingly swings it around the trading floor.
Equal parts mentor and adversary to his underlings, Eric reveals himself to be much more than he appears, thanks to the strength of the show’s writing and Leung’s decades of batting 1,000 in small but memorable roles. But Eric’s baseball bat always returns, like in the show’s new season, when he tells the typically bombastic Rishi (Sagar Radia) to rein it in during a disastrous trading day. “You can’t threaten violence on the floor,” Eric says, baseball bat in hand.
Few shows create tension like “Industry,” a show that dials up the anxiety and takes big swings, all while punching far above its weight. In a given scene, you don’t have to know anything about the financial jargon being thrown around to know that something is going terribly, terribly wrong: a risky trade, a deal falling through, a character making an ill-advised decision. During its first and second seasons, “Industry,” inspired by creators Mickey Down and Konrad Kay’s experiences working in banking, built up a small but mighty fan base.
Compared to some of HBO’s more high-profile series, it has never quite had the platform and reach it deserves. It has always felt like the show is just on the verge of becoming a phenomenon. Now, HBO executives finally seem to have noticed, giving “Industry” the network’s coveted Sunday 9 p.
m. slot for its third season, which premiered Sunday. At its best, this new season boldly and ambitiously reminds audiences why the show is so great.
The show’s central trio — Harper ( Myha’la ), Yasmin (Marisa Abela) and Robert (Harry Lawtey) — are now more seasoned, no longer the fresh-faced grads from Season 1. After her stunning exit from Pierpoint, Harper, now at hedge fund FutureDawn, finds a new mentor in one of her new managers, Petra (“Barry” star Sarah Goldberg). Yasmin and Robert become tangled in a risky partnership with green tech startup Lumi and its old-money CEO, Sir Henry Muck (“Game of Thrones” star Kit Harington).
Pierpoint is about to take Lumi public, which sets off the central arc of the season. In addition to two HBO alums joining the cast, there’s a lot more ambition in Season 3. The show experiments with form, like different episodes taking different approaches with time ― or location-specific episodes, like an ill-fated yacht vacation, an anxiety-filled conference or an all-night bender.
Like its scheming characters, “Industry” has adeptly played the long game. There’s a confidence in its plot maneuvers, resulting in an emotional payoff when you realize the show has been laying the groundwork all along. That’s best encapsulated in the electrifying Season 2 finale , when Eric fires Harper, his protegée.
In the moment, it felt like a stunning turn of events. But when the dust settles, you remember why it was exactly how the season needed to end. By plunging us back into the action at the start of the season, the show immediately reminds us why it demands a viewer’s full and undivided attention.
There’s so much to appreciate in the density of the writing and the way the show builds tension. Its characters lob vicious criticisms and out-scheme each other, culminating in thrilling confrontations and shocking bait-and-switches. “Industry” has often been compared favorably to “Succession.
” On one level, grouping them together does both shows a bit of a disservice: They happen to be set in similar worlds, but take vastly different angles. The latter is a family saga, and the former is more of a coming-of-age tale , each with a particular voice and cadence. Also, “Industry” deserves to stand on its own.
But if the comparison helps more people find the show, I’ll take it. Both series are a reminder that expensive spectacle is far from the only way to make prestige television. No need for dragons and blood when precise writing and acting can deliver blows that are just as stunningly explosive.
A “less is more” portfolio is worth the gamble. Season 3 of “Industry” premieres Sunday on HBO and airs weekly. HuffPost will be blogging this season of the show, so follow our coverage each week.
Kit Harington Makes His HBO Return As Sir Henry Muck Y’all, don’t jump me...
I hope I don’t sound ridiculous...
but I never watched “Game of Thrones.” I was in middle school when it first came out; by the time folks were buzzing about it, I just felt too far behind. But I love that Kit Harington is booked and busy! Sir Henry Muck seems like a very pretentious individual.
I’ll cut him slack because he’s under extreme stress, but he definitely has erratic, narcissistic tendencies. Not sure what to make of this “man of the people” yet. (Also, don’t ask me to watch “House of The Dragon,” I don’t have time.
) — Ruth I tell people this all the time, if you missed the “Game of Thrones” wave, it is totally fine and acceptable. There is no need to try to fill that void. It’s over! (I’m not watching “House of the Dragon” either.
Those first few episodes are so hard to get through, it could turn off even the biggest TV fan. (I also think I only really liked the show because it was fun to keep up with other people’s tweets.) Anyway, I love me some Jon Snow aka Sir Henry Muck aka Kit Harington.
I think he and his character are going to add an interesting dynamic to the show. Also..
.with the last name Muck..
.I couldn’t help but think of Elon Musk. I don’t have much more to say about comparing them other than their names but you know, I’m keeping my eye out for correlations.
— Erin FYI, I never watched GoT either. I found the spectacle of it not for me: too much blood, too many men, etc. “Industry” is a nice counterpoint to the idea that prestige television has to contain a lot of spectacle.
It’s a real mark of this show’s excellence that someone as big as Harington chose to join the cast this season — I hope it brings more people to the show. Also, shoutout to another HBO alum, “Barry” star Sarah Goldberg, who is fantastic. We only see a bit of her in this premiere, but she will become significant in future episodes.
— Marina Harper Has A New Vibe And A New Job I love how much costuming, hair and makeup tell a story. In Season 1, we saw Harper in braids, which made her look youthful. In Season 2, she was often wearing a tightly wound bun, likely indicative of the high stakes for her.
But in Season 3, she has a no-nonsense pixie cut contrasted by a lax work attire. It’s leaning more mature but also giving chameleon behavior, like she’ll contort to fit her needs. It looks like Harpsichord has been demoted to personal assistant at Anna Gearing’s green-friendly company, which is wild considering we know how brilliant she is, but hey, she gets to stay in London.
I’m fascinated by Anna’s insistence on feigning as though her employees aren’t her employees, people on her payroll. Hot take: It is fine if your colleagues aren’t your closest friends. — Ruth Ruth, yes, I’m so glad you pointed that out about Harper’s hair and costuming! It was jarring to see Harper with this cropped haircut, but I quickly realized that it totally makes sense for her character in this moment.
Who among us hasn’t chopped off their hair after an earth-shattering transition – be it a break up, job loss or other big moment. I also kept analyzing her interactions with her colleagues. She seems like she is truly dying inside.
To go from trading on the floor in high-intensity moments to moving her boss’ car, presumingly because of some parking laws? What a fall. — Erin But we know Harper is ambitious, and she’s already making moves in this first episode: striking up a conversation with Petra (Sarah Goldberg), who is clashing with Anna on whether the firm’s investment strategy is sound. I clocked the line when Anna says to Harper that “gross incompetence” isn’t going to expedite her being able to get back into trading, and when Harper asks to meet with her to cast doubt on whether investing in Lumi and these “ethical” companies is the right move.
Harper is hungrier than ever, and we shall see where that leads. — Marina Also! I love that this show makes me laugh at the most mundane things. There’s a moment when Harper is still at her computer late at work.
And the lights go out. She tries to wave her hands in the air, hoping the motion sensor will realize the lights need to come back on. That has definitely happened to me at work before, and so many times at a doctor’s office.
— Erin The Season Kicked Off With Yasmin On A Yacht — With Her Horny, Embezzling Father Yasmin screaming at her naked father within the first two minutes of the episode? Oh, we are SO back! We don’t know where he is, but publishing tycoon Charles Hanani is on the run from *checks notes* embezzlement allegations. I can’t imagine leaving my child to defend themselves from the infamously blood-thirsty British papz. Also, I clocked that Robert and Yas live together now.
..are they roommates or “ roommates ”? Now, when Yas said, “I actually accrued quite a passionate gay following for some reason” because of the scandal, I did laugh.
— Ruth Yes, I did laugh at that too, Ruth. I kind of loved her moment of bewilderment about her new fans. I rewatched the episode before joining this chat, and was quickly reminded of how quick-witted the writers are on this show.
But I’ll get to that a little more later. Let’s talk about this yacht drama. I found it funny that her dad was just hiding out on the yacht named for his daughter.
I didn’t notice it at first, but the woman Charles was performing oral sex on was definitely pregnant in that scene. I was kind of cheering for her then before I realized what actually was going on with his finances and this embezzling story. I was hoping she and her future baby were about to come up on some $$$, but clearly, that does not seem likely to happen.
— Erin I loved this opening scene because it really sets up the ambition of this new season: a far-flung location, time jumps, dramatic stakes for the characters that come from outside of Pierpoint, etc. Also, small but significant detail: That woman is the same woman who was helping Yas wipe off the champagne earlier in the day. — Marina We Talked To The Cast And Creators Of 'Industry' About What To Expect This Season Related From Our Partner.
