Though only three episodes have aired, Industry Season 3 is moving at a breakneck pace with drama, upheaval, and plot, plot, plot. Nearly every character has already had a season's worth of storylines unfold, and it's overwhelming to think what's to come. With that in mind, let's revisit the delightfully turbulent journey of our beloved characters.
Harper Stern: On and on! On and on! Harper Hive, we're back! And eating well around here. Last week, she fulfilled her long-dormant girlboss wishlist with Petra Koenig, showed she hadn't learned anything from getting Pierpoint fired, and was waiting for her moment of revenge. She helped Petra undermine her boss Anna by balancing out Lumi's plummeting stock price, and then cheated a little to get a better price for Lumi. But last week was just the appetizer for Harper's full-on supervillain turn on Sunday. She and Petra investigate under the surface of going solo, and just when it seems like she's about to explode on the launch pad, she decides to put all her chips on the table and take action in a public, bridge-burning fashion. And not only does she get the reward of a billionaire backer who seems to prefer her to Petra, but she also gets the added benefit of forcing the hand of Pierpoint (especially Eric) by becoming a customer. Harper played a hit role in this episode that was pure magic: showing wolfish delight in bringing Eric to his knees, manipulating her supposed friends Yasmin and business partner Petra, and winning the respect of Otto Mostyn. Her downfall was inevitable and will no doubt be one that sticks forever, but for now, Harper and her fans are shining bright like diamonds.
Eric Tao: Fall. Woof! It's been hard on his son. Eric is falling apart in typical divorced father fashion. It's just him and Ben Affleck in perpetual darkness. Eric has always maintained that Harper is a terrible person who can't respect rules, which is true. But that's not what Eric cares about her for. He resents her youth, resents his inability to control her, and feels threatened by what she's become in a do-or-die business. If he hadn't fired her, she would have replaced him. It makes perfect sense. But now he's created a monster who wants nothing more than to eat him whole. Sunday's episode was her first bite, but it was just the cap to what was already a downward spiral. Eric is feeling his bosses' loss of trust in him, which is further accentuated by the Summit debacle. On top of that, Eric is degrading himself by asking sexual partners if he has sex like a younger man and telling a sex worker that his name is Robert Spearing. But at least she told him what he wanted to hear: $20,000, probably the best he could spend.
Yasmin Karahanani: On the rise (?). Yasmin is in a precarious position. She's not exactly thriving, but she's not struggling anymore either. Her budding romance with Henry has helped her somewhat thwart the negative press she's been getting, and after a disastrous meeting, on a very uncomfortable private jet flight back to London, things have completely blossomed between the two. Her father is still missing, and she's shouldered all of his debts. She gulps down expensive wine on the bus, and even when she's doing well at work, Eric has to hold her back to keep her in her place, and Harper finds ways to manipulate her for his own ends. But she's doing much better on the outside when she keeps things strong on the inside.
Henry Mack: In decline (like most businesses). Henry Mack's rise and fall lasted about three episodes. Mack's renewable energy startup, Lumi, was overvalued and in decline as quickly as it was founded. Mack is a rich boy cosplaying as a forward-thinking creator, and no amount of illegally prescribed psilocybin can disguise the stench of Failson wafting from his imposing beard. In just two episodes, he's taken more punches than Mike Tyson's opponents. Robert once beat him in a ball pool game, but Robert looks like he's never been in a fight in his life. But at least he finds solace in Yasmin's loving embrace and her ass that looks like it's made of marble or something.
Robert Spearing: Depraved (?). In more ways than one, judging by the sexual tension in the sauna. Robert is a mess. Confused by Nicole's death and struggling to eat the shit out of both Henry Mack and Pierpoint. Not to mention he barely seems to talk to his girlfriend and is acting more in identity theft than personal behavior. At the very least, he's beaten a young child in a tiny nursery, flown a private jet, and roomed with his boss on a weekend getaway. But really, what happened in that sauna?
Petra Koenig: Promotion. This boss is a big talker who is slowly turning out to be a hypocrite. She's wise to the inherent cynicism of capital and finance, but aside from her bombastic attitude and gas-guzzling SUV, she's not as much of a beast as her new partner Harper. She's condescending and boastful about her ethics, but as with Eric, it's simply a matter of control. She's riding high on Harper's success, and so far so good, but it'll only be a matter of time before Petra realizes she can't control Harper and has to decide whether to break off their relationship.
Rishi Ramdani: On the rise. Rishi has been on the back burner for most of the season, but when he does show up, he's even crazier than usual. As the preview for the next episode suggests, we're in for a truly memorable Rishi meltdown. Still, I can't bring myself to put him down. Rishi never gets down.
