If Finance is the Food of Power, Pay On: ‘Industry’s Slick Third Season Trades on Earned Currency
It’s been almost two years since the second season of HBO’s gripping coke-addled roller coaster about investment bankers in their cutthroat financial jungle, Industry debuted. Stylish and smart, Season 3 delivers fantastic plot twists and an ensemble of exquisitely talented actors and continues to confound its audience with near-incomprehensible financial jargon. The language is a barrier to reaching a wider audience which is unfortunate given how good this show is, this season particularly. I’m here to tell you it doesn’t matter if you understand what they’re saying about ESG, debt ratios, or shorting stocks; it’s the characters you’ll care about – how they perform under pressure, and to what lengths they’ll go (or not) for personal gain.
This season’s theme references a type of manipulation specifically applied to the finance world of Pierpoint & Co.: Perception is reality. Rishi (Sagar Radia) clarifies this even further: “Money is an illusion; it’s a social contract built on trust.” Much how in last season, a mega-investor spoke a canceled government inquiry back into existence, Season 3 explores how public perceptions can turn on a dime and how much the market is maneuvered by rumors, lies, and the risky machinations of greedy behind-the-scenes bankers (and politicians).
When we last saw our main characters, Eric (Ken Leung) got Harper (Myha'la) fired from Pierpoint after exposing that she never graduated; Yasmin’s (Marisa Abela) rejection of her father cut her off from the family’s money, and Robert (Harry Lawtey) accepted his submissive role with predatory client Nicole (Sarah Parish). (Regrettably, David Jonsson did not return as Gus this season.)
