Industry is a new series that debuted on HBO on November 9th, 2020. It follows starting analysts at Pierpoint & Co., a fictional top investment firm based out of London, UK. All the analysts in the cohort are competing for permanent positions. The show follows the trials and tribulations of five of the starting analysts: Harper, Yasmin, Robert, Gus, and Hari.
I won’t spoil the show; however, I do want to dive into the main tantalizing characters.
Harper is a Black New Yorker. She came to London in order to pursue a dream of making a lot of money…. something she is unaccustomed to. Although she’s in trading, she has an edge to her… she begins her job by wearing a nose ring, something that is deemed uncouth by her peers. She is hiding something massive from her past, and attempts desperate measures to hide it.
Wealthy middle-eastern heiress Yasmin is used to being underestimated. She seemingly has it all: she is pretty, rich and lusted after. However, her successful mother critiques her choice of work. To her mom, Yasmin is not working hard. To Yasmin, she is proving that she can be independent without help from her family.
From the outside, Robert is a “Chad.” He is white, attractive, and well-off. One would think he is a hard worker. However, he is not. This is met with chagrin from the senior analysts above him.
Gus is an upper-class Black British man. He went to Eton then Oxford… and it shows. Handsome, witty, and self-assured, Gus is the epitome of Black excellence. What isn’t excellent is his tryst with a closeted senior analyst at the firm.
Public university-educated Hari is a go-getter. He is of working-class, South Asian descent, and he knows that his background is one that is not welcomed at the Ivory Tower of Pierpoint & Co. He suffers from imposter syndrome that will eventually lead to tragedy.
Industry gives me everythinggggggg, and then some. It pulls back the curtains on the finance sector, and gives viewers a dramatized look into the world of banking.
I highly recommend this show, and I hope you tune in each Monday at 9pm EST to enjoy the sordid lies, secrets, and excess that each character’s life encompasses.
Feature image courtesy of HBO