Industry Is Operating at Optimal Bleakness

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The fourth season of Industry features several shocking moments that are sure to generate discussion, including explicit sexual content and characters clearly inspired by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell. The show increasingly blends extreme displays of wealth and depravity with the high-stakes world of international finance. Industry continues to deliver the provocative and over-the-top drama viewers anticipate from an HBO series, and it does so with a blunt, unapologetic approach.

The most captivating thing about the new season of Industry isn’t the money – it’s what happens when the characters realize changing the system is impossible. Set after the bank from season one has been sold, the show continues to explore the world of high finance – the banks, investments, and markets where wealth is accumulated. But now, the characters who once hoped to make capitalism more fair have given up. This season brilliantly examines what people become when their attempts to disrupt the status quo fail, and they realize they can’t achieve the success or change they craved. Industry paints a bleak but compelling picture of a society obsessed with having more – not just money, but happiness and power – and how that pursuit leaves everyone feeling empty. The show is filled with sharp, meaningful dialogue, complex performances, and a pervasive cynicism. The characters are more troubled than ever as they desperately seek fulfillment, making this the best season of Industry yet. Despite being incredibly wealthy, everyone is deeply unhappy, and that contrast is what makes the show so compelling.

The season begins with fallout from the acquisition of Pierpoint by the Egyptian sovereign-wealth fund Al-Mi’raj, which is being dismantled for its assets. Harper is unhappy and stifled at her job, feeling overlooked and controlled. Rishi has become isolated and disconnected, estranged from his family and colleagues. Eric is retired and wealthy but restless and bored. Yasmin is enjoying the privileges of marriage to Sir Henry Muck, but feels a lack of personal fulfillment. These characters, all stuck in their own ruts, find their paths converging due to two key events: the passage of the Online Safety Bill, which threatens the profitable pornography industry, and Tender, a fintech company that handles payments for many adult content platforms. Tender’s ambitious co-founder, Whitney Halberstram, envisions it becoming a comprehensive financial service, and throughout the season, Harper, Eric, Yasmin, Henry, and other returning characters become entangled in Whitney’s plans.

Each season of the fast-paced series Industry uses the collapse of a major firm to explore the deep-seated anxieties of its driven, flawed characters. When it first came out in 2020, it was often compared to Succession due to its suspenseful atmosphere and frequent betrayals. However, Industry now feels more like a successor to Mad Men. This isn’t just because Kiernan Shipka, who starred in Mad Men, now plays Whitney’s assistant, Hailey. The show’s creators, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, are clearly influenced by Matthew Weiner’s approach of showing how characters’ past traumas affect their present actions. They understand how a phrase like “Forget this ever happened” can be both a coping mechanism and a form of self-deception.

Like Mad Men, which repeatedly disrupted its advertising agency to see how its characters would react, Industry constantly throws its ensemble into new, challenging situations. This allows the characters to reveal their complexities when faced with problems like tough questions from the press or investigations by regulators. The season’s boldest episodes, including a flashback and one with extensive narration, succeed because the characters’ internal struggles are so well-developed. We see Yasmin and Henry worried about repeating their fathers’ mistakes, Harper uneasy with her colleagues’ focus on personal gain, and Eric haunted by his failed marriage.

It’s easy to feel discouraged by the current state of things. Financial success isn’t shared by everyone, and we’re facing rising prices alongside extreme wealth inequality. Powerful individuals and corporations often prioritize profit over ethics, even supporting actions that violate international law. The increasing use of AI also presents troubling possibilities, from job displacement to harmful misuse. The show Industry sometimes relies on obvious jokes, like poking fun at Donald Trump or having villains openly express prejudiced views. However, more often it acts like a magnifying glass, highlighting the injustices we’ve become numb to and challenging us to consider how we might act differently. The show asks us to examine our own complicity in a flawed system. We might sympathize with characters driven by ambition or a desire for change, but Industry ultimately reminds us that we, too, are trapped by capitalism, limited by fear, selfishness, or a lack of imagination to envision a different future.

A standout feature of the show Industry, especially this season, is its ability to portray conversations where characters seem to be talking at cross-purposes – discussing family, work, or even trying to change things – only to reveal that they’re all actually grappling with deep loneliness. These individual stories initially feel separate, like marbles bouncing around, but eventually converge, highlighting a shared sense of isolation. This happens with multiple characters – Harper and Eric, Yasmin and Henry, and Whitney with her colleague, Jonah. The show consistently reminds us that while these characters aren’t always good people, they are human, and their mistakes deserve understanding just as much as their successes. The complex world of finance is a backdrop, but ultimately it’s fleeting and feels insignificant compared to the characters’ pursuit of both money and emotional stability. They’re constantly struggling to make ethical choices in a deeply flawed world, as Jonah puts it, sometimes just focusing on excelling at what they do. And Industry fully embraces this messy reality.

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2026-01-07 20:55