Industry season three
The world of corporate finance is as chaotic and cutthroat as ever before in the third series of HBO and BBC drama Industry, which wastes no time in jumping headlong into the fray. The season opens with “nepo baby” Yasmin (Marisa Abela) finding herself at the mercy of the tabloids following her father’s recent disgrace. Meanwhile, her boss (Ken Leung) is put under pressure to look tough in front of the board following a promotion, with this new dynamic creating friction between the pair. All of this is before the posh CEO of an energy firm (Kit Harrington) fumbles the company’s launch and causes catastrophe in the market, all of which is just some of what happens within the first two episodes of this eight-part series.
Everything moves at a ferocious pace. There’s barely any room to breathe as the script moves between each of its plotlines, with most of the drama happening through screaming matches between colleagues on the trading floor. Although viewers without an in-depth knowledge of banking will occasionally get lost within a sea of financial jargon, the intensity of the performances is enough to convey how volatile the situation is. An early scene involving Leon and Harry Lawtey (Robert, the employee working alongside the new energy company) where they scream “I’m a man!” at each other as a form of pep talk not only highlights the superb acting on display but underscores the broader themes of toxicity within the industry that have permeated throughout the previous seasons.
Whereas the last series focused on the then timely impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the latest offering shifts its attention to topics surrounding ESG, talking points that viewers will have likely seen bandied about across social media. A boardroom scene could be read as a commentary on the disconnect between a corporation and the social issues that they claim to promote (it’s all about the bottom line, after all), but the dialogue comes across as empty buzzwords than it does a satirical critique.
Although the sheer power of the high-stakes drama onscreen verges on becoming pure melodrama, there’s enough entertainment in the ensuing insanity to make this latest season of Industry a compelling watch.
Andrew Murray
Industry season three is released on 1st October 2024.
Watch the trailer for Industry season three here:
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