Critic’s Rating: 4.2 / 5.0
4.2
For now, Pierpoint may be going green, but “green” isn’t remotely how you’d describe Industry.
It sank its teeth into a third season with “Il Mattino ha L’Oro Bocca,” a premiere that deftly transports us right back into the intricacies of Industry‘s most complex characters and their relationships.
And it’s clear early on that the third season is about to take us on the ride of our lives, or at least of the television season.
Big Girls Don’t Cry; They Get Screwed Over
Despite Harper’s firing serving as the ultimate cliffhanger to Industry’s second season, we don’t dive into Harper right away or much at all.
Instead, Industry’s third season premiere appears to center on our Nepo Princess, who already feels like she’s on a pathway to flying too closely to the Sun.
It’s an interesting choice to make shifting gears like this when
Myha’la has been this tour de force that sucks you in like quicksand with her riveting performance time and again.
Harper is effortlessly one of the most complex and compelling protagonists (though it seems faulty to even consider her such a character) of the past decade.
When one thinks of Industry, it’s typically Harper at the center that we’re most respondent to, so shifting gears to Yas is a CHOICE.
But it can pay off by elaborating on her character a bit more and expanding the nature of the series more than it has thus far.
When we last saw Yas, she laid down the law on her father in some ill-prepared declaration of Independence.
Fireworks went off, but not in a fun way. We saw the Persian rug yanked from beneath her feet and Yas fall from grace, totally unprepared for navigating the world outside her place of privilege.
Industry’s season premiere smartly makes us sympathize with her as she faces the brunt of the UK’s ire over her father’s embezzlement scandal and misdeeds.
Oh, Industry, you’ve certainly gotten our attention with this one.
Yas having to slum it with “the poors” was an exciting prospect, but it doesn’t seem as if the season intends to deliver on that in the way that we’d expect.
Instead, we have her staving off the onslaught of paparazzi and her father’s frenemies and employees with their pitchforks and outstretched hands.
Yas is Damned By Daddy Dearest
Everyone wants a piece of Yas for the sole purpose of her still being there. They can take their anger out on her while Charles is off sixty-nining pregnant stews on the sea.
Yas is holding the bag for her father’s misdeeds without the actual bag. She’s a victim of her father as well, but the rest of the world doesn’t see that.
She’s just the rich girl who reaped the benefits and must pay.
It’s no wonder Yas is viewed as a liability in a workplace her father bought and paid for.
And that version of rock bottom is where there’s a clever take on where to take her next.
Armed with the knowledge that she wouldn’t have gotten where she was at Pierpoint without her father, she finds herself in a tenuous situation.
Her first true feat of asserting her independence is proving that she’s an invaluable and indispensable contributing member of the team.
Harper Stern: Imitated, But Never Duplicated, But That’s OK
Whether she’s cognizant of it or not, Yas is clamoring to become the new Harper, right down to fostering some variation of the abstruse dynamic between Harper and Eric.
It already pales in comparison, but isn’t that the whole point?
Abela and Ken Leung don’t have the same electric magnetism as the latter and Myha’la, but what they do have is intriguing in its own right.
It’s evident that Eric is searching for a new wrecking ball — someone else he’d never deem a protege but is one all the same, and with Harper gone, he’s shuffling around Pierpoint a bit anchorless.
It is fascinating that Harper hasn’t been in his life that long yet has left this much of an impact on him professionally.
It has him latching onto Robert and Yas a bit, and there’s this strong sense that he’ll be trying to mold the pair of them somehow to make them something they’ll never actually be.
And it’ll inevitably disappoint him. It’s a fool’s quest, but he’ll do it anyway.
Eric and Yas Make an Unlikely But Intriguing New Industry Dynamic
Yas is eager to participate in this because she’s essentially lost her father figure with Charles on the lam and now needs something to prove to someone new. Eric is the perfect substitute.
Their coke-fueled interaction at her lawyer‘s office was purely entertaining because they’re both self-absorbed that they were talking at each other rather than to and with one another.
That moment perfectly displayed how they were similar in ways that one couldn’t have envisioned before since they rarely interacted much before this.
There’s a simmering sexual tension between the two that’s jarring. There were at least two small moments where it felt as if they’d kiss, including when Eric dismissed her so he could actually get it on with her lawyer.
But it’s as if Eric sees something in Yas, just a tiny glimpse of whatever has become the key to her keeping her job rather than getting walked out the door.
It’s as if Eric couldn’t care about her until it seemed like she hit rock bottom and had the odds stacked against her.
He likes an underdog, but that’s also where you’ll find someone at their hungriest and most ruthless.
Another Potential Industry Love Triangle Exposes Deeper Identity Issues
The unusual love triangle between Yas, Robert, and Sir Henry is already on the horizon.
These men are two different conscious choices Yas could make about her future and how she would like others to perceive her moving forward.
With Henry comes the life she’s accustomed to, one of privilege and power, and her association with him only brings her closer to the prestige she’s used to.
Robert has always been the opposite of that (until now).
Yas is in a predicament right now. Rooming with Robert and the others doesn’t provide her with the safety and security that she’s used to and needs, nor does it make her feel powerful.
However, if she gets into bed (figuratively or literally) with Henry, she’d get that. And Henry didn’t hide his interest for a single second.
It’s already clear that those two will collide on multiple fronts, and that could be Yas’s best way to prove herself.
What makes her an asset is the same thing that curses her right now: her father’s name. But if she wields it to her advantage, she’ll be a force like Harper.
However, despite what things may look like for Yas, Robert, and Henry, her dynamic with Eric is already interesting.
And, of course, it’s her consistently toxic and disturbing dynamic with Charles.
Below the Deck: Yas’ Yacht Scandal May Have Grim Roots
Let’s hope that whatever happened on the yacht won’t stay there because, from what we saw, it wasn’t a pretty picture.
The yacht is this trigger point for Yasmin that will likely set up the course of her character arc for the remainder of the season and beyond.
A picture can say 1000 words, but it is also all in how the viewer interprets it, and one simple click in an increasingly voyeuristic and boundaryless world shifted everything for Yas as far as public perception is concerned.
But it’s whatever happened in that cabin that disengaged something in her.
During those quick flashes, we got an insight into something far darker than the trauma of seeing your dad’s erect penis during another vile interaction with someone with less power than him.
It looks like Charles assaulted Yas, and we’ll likely spend the rest of the season unpacking that and getting the full story of how she’s ended up here, fending off those frothing at the mouth to get to her father as she plays coy about where he really is.
Chances are Yasmin doesn’t know, but she may not want to know.
You Know What Comes After Hubris …
Taking Lumi public and focusing on green, eco-conscious investments is an apt area for Industry to explore as it continues to stay relevant.
The conversation behind eco-consciousness and ethical practices bodes well, given that the series is constantly unpacking the moral quandaries of their field and what it does to destroy a person or build one.
If there was any fear that Jesse Bloom and Gus’ absence would cost the series something, no disrespect to either character or the portrayers, but Kit Harington‘s Henry puts that to rest with ease.
Harington completely loses himself in this role in a fantastic way.
They thrust him on us without any painstaking attempts to draw out an introduction, which works well.
And it’s already intriguing to note the damning near-satirical performance of Harington as Henry.
He’s another wealthy man selling the illusion that he’s eco-conscious and “woke” when it’s such an inauthentic front every bit as much as ESG is a fad.
He’s no less a shark than many others and already feels like a chaos magnet.
And that indictment James lobbed against him was apt. Henry’s hubris will be his downfall, but until that point inevitably comes, I’m here for the chaos.
Henry’s been fudging numbers at Lumi, and he’s already sending Pierpoint into a tailspin with so many of the characters having something at stake if they don’t keep this train on the tracks, or shall we say bike on the path, as we’re trying to reduce carbon footprints?
Will Another Loss Pave the Way for a Darker Version of Robert?
The fact that poor Robert is running point with Henry doesn’t bode well for either of them.
Robert has always been the dark horse of this series, masquerading as a golden retriever; at least, that’s what my hopes have been.
Right out the gate, Industry Season 3 Episode 1 couldn’t wait to kick the puppy again, this time with Nicole’s morbidly satisfying death.
There’s no love lost for this predator here, but if ever we’d rightfully excused the death of a female character to further a male character’s storyline, it’s here.
Nicole was a cancer that the series had to excise, but her impact still spread.
One of the season’s most interesting potential storylines is how her death will affect Robert.
Robert would’ve never rid himself of her had she not died, and that speaks to the toxicity of that dynamic.
But without her, he’s untethered.
As offputting as that dynamic was, Nicole did make Robert feel seen in a way that he doesn’t have anywhere else in his life presently, so her loss is devastating for him.
It’s also triggering, which we saw when he reached out to Yas hoping to get something from the woman he still loves, only to get blown off as she couldn’t grasp why he was rambling on about death and losing people.
To its last moments, Robert was still seeing something in that dynamic with Nicole that didn’t align with her perception.
For one, he’s just the type of idealistic romantic to confuse a slow screw with making love. Even that works as a perfect analogy for Industry itself, but I digress.
“I Am a Man, And I Am RELENTLESS.”
Robert’s breakdown at Pierpoint was easily one of the standout moments of the hour. I’m obsessed with what Harry Lawtey brings to this character.
But that moment with Eric indeed took it to the sublime.
Pairing Leung with anyone is a gift that forever gives, and it’s exciting that they’re mixing and matching with the characters more than before.
Eric loves a good underdog. In his own way, he shows a bit of mercy to them, or at least he likes the challenge of creating his mini-monster.
Yas may be in the running for becoming Eric’s “Poor Man’s Harper,” but so is Robert.
Eric calling Robert a “pussy” and goading him into saying, “I am a man, and I am relentless,” with his full chest will live in my head rent-free.
It seemingly did the trick, and the intensity of that moment was matched by the look in Robert’s eyes when it finally clicked. You could almost see something die in him or something spark.
However you want to view it, Robert will perpetually be the puppy of the series, but with Nicole’s death, the Pierpoint culture continually whittles away at him. Under Eric’s discerning eye, he may have more bite than we could’ve envisioned.
Is Dark Robert on the horizon?
Eric Clings to Power, Youth, and Control in Industry
Of course, Eric’s affirmation was as much about him as it was about Robert. The fact that he had to tell himself the same before he savagely took Kenny down with a kill shot speaks volumes.
Eric’s flaws have always been on display, but the hour unspooling even more of this complicated character and giving us a bird’s-eye view of his vulnerabilities was positively delicious.
Hopefully, the audience won’t have the same fate as Kenny because of the crime of seeing past Eric’s defenses and steely exterior.
You’re never on top when you reach the top, and Eric’s ascent to the coveted room of wheeling and dealing at Pierpoint would always come for a cost.
He’ll always find himself tap dancing to meet a bar that’ll keep moving until they see any reason to cast him from Mt. Olympus.
Ironically, while Yas told him she had something to prove, Eric found himself in a similar boat.
Real Friends Stab You in the Front … Except at Pierpoint
They wanted a head on a platter, and goodness did Eric deliver in the most Shakespearean ways.
Yas was the easiest pick and who the board was pushing for, as her father was the only reason she was there in the first place. The scandal disrupted Pierpoint’s delicate sensibilities and sterling image.
Let’s take a moment to laugh at that implication.
They wanted an associate so Eric could prove that he’s still an Apex predator and likely to test him further after Harper.
But he delivered Kenny — a bigger fish than they would’ve anticipated.
Eric is so great because even when someone thinks he’s not paying attention or aware, he is, and he is always on top of his game.
He filled in the lines when he was prodding a high Yas about Kenny and filed it away to use it to his advantage.
Eric Cuts Off Evidence of His Own Weakness
It speaks to the quest to maintain some form of virility, the toxic masculinity of society and this specific culture, and Eric’s fear of aging and losing relevance that he couldn’t reconcile Kenny as a friend who helped him through his lowest point.
Instead, Kenny is a reminder of Eric’s weakness and vulnerable points.
Every concerned word from Kenny served as a reminder of Kenny seeing past Eric’s exterior and getting too close to him.
Eric couldn’t have that, and if it meant dragging up Kenny’s past misdeeds to fire him, so be it.
From Kenny’s observations about Eric’s drinking again and wanting him to come to an AA meeting with him to Kenny pointing out that Eric still had dye on his neck from dying his graying hair, Kenny walked right into that firing.
He never stood a chance against Eric’s ambition, fear, control, and self-preservation.
The irony in all of this is that it’s doubtful that Eric’s divorce is what’s sending him into a tailspin like this, giving him this new lease on life and not saying “no” to things.
Knowing Eric and the indefinable dynamic with Harper, her absence and the move he had to make against her led to his spiral.
She inspired something in him, that adrenaline-pumping vigor for what they do.
But that sly move against Kenny was such an underhanded Harper move.
It will be so satisfying when those two finally chew up a scene together.
The Prodigal Daughter Plots with Petra
The Prodigal Daughter still landed on her feet, even though we didn’t spend much time with her in the premiere.
She may be sporting a ’90s “Waiting to Exhale” do, but she already has a girl out of breath because she never stops plotting.
Harper Stern is no one’s personal assistant, and it won’t be long before she bulldozes through FutureDawn.
Her poor boss won’t see it coming, although she’s already starting to suspect that Harper could be a problem.
One of the hour’s most subtly amusing moments was how the motion-detection lighting never acknowledged Harper, no matter how hard she tried.
On the one hand, studies have shown that many of those automatic sensors have a difficult time picking up on melanin, so the commentary on that alone is worth a chef’s kiss.
But more directly, FutureDawn’s sensors may not be shining their light on our favorite problematic child, Harper, right now, as she’s a virtual nobody.
However, you can bet your ass; Harper will have the last smirk!
Harper Won’t Be Down and Out for Long
The Harper and Petra duo is already gleefully anticipated.
They both agree about the self-congratulatory but fleeting outlook on ethical investment.
The very concept of it is an oxymoron, so you can’t fault the women for their bleak outlooks.
Harper isn’t at Pierpoint or crossing paths with Eric yet, which is a bummer.
But her and Petra? They’re about to be a diabolical duo, a damn entertaining one.
Over to you, Industry Fanatics! What did you enjoy most about the premiere? What do you think happened on the yacht? Let’s discuss it all below!
Industry airs on Sundays at 9/8c on HBO and MAX.
