Critic’s Rating: 4.35 / 5.0
4.35
In Industry Season 3 Episode 2, perception is reality, or at least that’s the argument the aptly titled “Smoke and Mirrors” makes.
If one can’t take anything else from this installment, Henry Muck is just as royally f*cked up as the rest, and Kit Harington slays this role.
Overall, these complex characters experienced many highs and lows, and the power plays never let up.
Did Pierpoint Overvalue Lumi?
It’s the question of all questions as Pierpoint hedged its bets and put everything behind this IPO led by a toddler masquerading as a CEO.
Oof, bless their hearts, this shitshow is going to be so great it’s Shakespearean.
The first half of the hour immediately follows Il Mattino ha L’Oro Bocca, and it is the type of delicious chaos that Industry does so well.
The floor descends into pandemonium and all of the characters get lost in the wheeling and dealing of the industry that may go over many in the audiences’ heads, but the feelings it evokes still make a thrilling ride.
Rishi was breaking out in hives.
There was so much shouting, and the stress induced by a power cut and mass hysteria surrounding whether Lumi went live and was a sure thing caused so much delectable tension it was mesmerizing.
The Series Thrives in Chaos
Do we know what was going on amid all of that chaos? Not exactly. Does it matter, though? Not at all.
They sold us on the sentiment that hitching themselves to a man-child like Henry and the sham that is Lumi is such a disastrous mistake, but Pierpoint is deep into it now, so they will make this work.
The wheels are already falling off the wagon, and Pierpoint and all of its associates on the floor and outside of it spent more time having to play defense because Henry Muck was, well, mucking everything up at every turn.
It almost felt as if he was their adversary rather than their investment and goodness; the man would keep them on their toes, popping, snorting, or downing their vice of choice to manage the stress of it all.
The disaster of taking Lumi live is surely going to impact the rest of the season, as Pierpoint & Co. will have to clean up and fend off crisis after crisis at every turn.
In this explosion of chaos, Adler descended to the floor in one of the most amusing power plays of the hour. It elicited a cackle.
Eric is an astute character. He didn’t get to this point without an ability to see the signs and suss things out, and he’s already catching on that Adler is a devious man.
Frankly, Adler wouldn’t be where he is if he wasn’t, though, right?
Adler, cooly, calmly, and smoothly speaking to investors on the phone to put them at ease and reminding everyone to simmer down as the floor spiraled out of control was actually scary.
It’s rare that we get to see how this man works, and the insight they’ve given into him this season has served the series well.
A Clash of the Titans is Brewing
There’s always that macho power struggle between Adler and Eric that’s only bolstered by the vastly different approaches and places they come from, making it all the richer.
Adler is conniving and slick, making his moves and subtly making digs while maintaining this British poshness. In contrast, Eric’s specific bravado is always that of a man navigating and adapting to the world he’s in.
It’s like watching a fencing match during the Olympics.
But Eric is picking up that Adler has set him up and readily awaits Eric’s downfall. He peacocks his way onto the floor to put Eric in his place and degrade him in front of his staff.
Then, after strongly advising Eric to get rid of someone and making it seem like it was of the utmost importance and needed to take place promptly, he criticized Eric for letting Kenny go ahead of the drop and sending the understaffed floor into disarray.
The mind games never let up, and while Eric may hold a title and have a presence in that room, it’s evident that the power he thought he might have is all an illusion or smoke and mirrors.
Ken Leung is a master at conveying so much with a microexpression.
Once again, he was a masterclass during this hour, from those moments with Adler to Yasmin and even that tension-fueled, wordless phone call between him and his protege that genuinely left me holding my breath.
Knuck If You Buck, Muck; The Biggest Balls in “Smoke and Mirrors” Were in the Playpen
Industry is a flashy, adrenaline-fueled financial drama that should be getting far more recognition than it does.
It’s also one of the most unserious pieces of work out there, and that only adds to the fun.
Did anyone else belly laugh at Henry and Robert having a brawl in Lumi’s conscientious, workplace, family-friendly playroom?
The two of them wrestling in a multicolored ballpen and Robert trying to suffocate this man with a stuffed animal was so befitting of their childish antics and the summation of the two as man-children struggling to navigate Industry’s world that requires them to prove themselves to the “big boys.”
There’s an apparent chasm between the two as they are worlds apart regarding caste systems, but they’re also similar enough to mirror one another.
Robert and Henry are both too soft or incompetent for the circles they’re trying to navigate; thus, no one takes them seriously.
Yet they can harshly push until it hurts, slicing right through one another’s deepest vulnerabilities and insecurities. It’s painful to witness but also entertaining.
They’re both relatively on point about one another. And neither realizes that they’re equally guilty of seeking validation from the same people.
Hell, they even are drawn to the same woman, Yasmin.
Poor Little Rich Boy: Henry is One of Industry’s Most Compelling Hot Messes
Interacting with Henry in a professional setting is the equivalent of managing a rambunctious toddler.
It remains a mystery how Industry transforms some of the most problematic and offputting archetypes into sympathetic characters.
On paper, Henry should be loathsome.
He’s a spoiled brat and the pinnacle of privilege, being white, male, handsome, and ridiculously wealthy, and someone who does the absolute most and rarely faces any consequences.
It’s almost laughable to see him seek his assistant, whose name he promptly forgets mere seconds after saying it (Katie, you dolt), for some desperate form of validation and reassurance that everything will be okay.
Yet, you also sympathize with the man because, as pathetic as it is, it’s also uncomfortably human.
He doesn’t listen to a soul, runs off of sheer emotion and impulse, and then reels when things don’t work in his favor.
Henry has the ego, temperament, and mindset of an artist, which results in him coming across as a square peg shoved into a circle when trying to run a business.
The committee was right to say that his passion project, which he built on air and Daddy’s money, has expanded beyond his specific capabilities and skillset.
Henry conjures up speculatory observation of “what would the world have been like if Bush Jr. got to pursue his love of art rather than politics.” Henry simply isn’t cut out for this, but expectations are a bitch, and now everyone else suffers the consequences.
“All Bitches Must Wear a Muzzle”
Robert is no better in that he’s constantly seeking Henry’s validation while recognizing that he’s a disaster not worthy of it.
And yet Robert persists. He couldn’t do anything to keep Henry from sabotaging himself and the company.
He couldn’t get the man off the bathroom floor or even get a modicum of respect in the Gentlemen’s Club.
Robert is coasting through Pierpoint and much of the financial industry at this rate, but what’s fascinating is that we still don’t know how his position may change after Nicole’s death, as the series still hasn’t addressed that yet.
He’s the glorified babysitter for everything that he seems to loathe, desire, and love at once.
Like Mummy, Like Daughter: Is the “Pierpoint Preacher” in Another Pickle?
It was interesting to learn that Nicole had a family, including a teenage daughter.
It was less interesting to see a foolish Robert succumb to the mechanizations of this grieving teen siren who is the spitting image of her mother.
It’s completely unrealistic that Robert could sneak into this wealthy woman’s estate and find the necklace Venetia gifted him still on the ground by the pool.
They had that whole area roped off and crime scene tape when she died, and I would imagine someone would’ve scooped that necklace up, but whatever.
It was a surprising contrivance for Industry to have Robert cross paths with Nicole’s daughter, who has as screwed up of a relationship with her mother as all the other characters in this series have with their parents.
She clocked that Robert was involved with her mother and had the audacity to have feelings for her, something he couldn’t even deny.
And then some level of suspension of belief had to happen for one to process that Robert would physically comfort this girl and fall victim to her advances without realizing that she was likely underaged.
Perhaps he was so eager to have this little piece of Nicole there that all rationale escaped him.
I’m secretly hoping we don’t have to revisit that situation again, but it’s doubtful.
“We Don’t Need to Cheat; We Just Need to Be Better Than Everyone Else.”
Has Harper found her match in Petra?
It’s like two complete sociopaths finding each other in the workplace and then playing a chess match.
They’re quick allies, and Petra didn’t waste any time digging into Harper’s past and testing what she could get her to do.
Her assessment of “Harper’s boss” calling Anna nine times to warn her off of hiring Harper was astute.
Did he genuinely hate Harper, or is it that he doesn’t want anyone else to have her?
As was a strong point made throughout Industry Season 3 Episode 2 about this either/or, black or white, binary thought process everyone attempts to have being for the birds, it’s both.
The answer to that question is both!
Petra got her answer by the end of the hour as she consulted Harper on many occasions on who to speak to (the naive and amenable dig at Yasmin was brutal), how Pierpoint would operate and respond, and what she should do as far as undercutting Lumi by investing in natural gas was all on point.
She quickly saw how savage Harper was and that she had a winning streak that wasn’t serving her well, making coffees for an idealist.
They start to feel like partners, something Anna notices and attempts to shut down, but she’s no real match for Petra. She’s like a minnow trying to assert dominance over a shark.
Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girl Boss: Is Petra Industry’s Newest Sociopath?
Anna has already lost this battle, and Petra is a force on her own, but she’s got Harper in her pocket, too.
It was downright uncomfortable to witness Anna bringing up their friendship and Petra dismissing it callously and gaslighting her.
Petra has found more of a kindred in Harper, but she’s intent on putting her in her place and using Harper to her benefit without much else.
She couldn’t wait to let Harper know that she was aware she didn’t graduate.
Every bit of praise from Petra comes with a sharp jab as well.
The power play between these two ladies during “Smoke and Mirrors” was fascinating and will continue to be so as neither of them ever really has the upper hand.
Yasmin Asserts Her Power to Dizzying Degrees
When you can’t beat them, you join them.
When she wasn’t having panic attacks and fainting on the floor, Yasmin proved that she could handle business when she put her mind to it and got creative.
For one, kudos to her ability to retain everything that the lovable Sweetpea says while acting like the woman is a nuisance.
Yasmin’s desperate attempts to prove herself fell apart throughout the hour.
Still, she was the unsung hero when she managed to talk Henry off Lumi’s floor and use her notoriety to Pierpoint’s advantage.
Sadly, she went to Eric seeking praise, and he quickly put her in her place.
However, he also seemed to recognize that Yasmin was seeking some form of paternal validation from him, and he gave into her in the end.
They agreed to treat each other as peers while on the floor, and she pulled him up on that.
There’s still a fascinating undercurrent between the two, volleying between a pseudo-paternal dynamic and misplaced sexual tension that’s similar to but entirely different from Eric’s dynamic with Harper.
Sex and Power: Yasmin and Henry’s Dom/Sub Dynamic Begins
The two privileged kids screwed up in the head would undoubtedly find one another.
Henry seems his most self-assured when he’s pursuing Yasmin, and he certainly comes across as someone confident and capable when he’s blowing smoke up her ass and fulfilling her desires by removing that damning photo and article from the internet.
It was the ultimate play for him, removing this blemish, and his intentions were clear regarding it as a seduction move.
But Yasmin loves to be in control, and the mere idea that he could have this hold over her by doing that got to her, so she had to “put him in his place” slightly.
Their bathroom antics were as seductive as they were twisted, and it felt similar to how she would toy with Robert.
But she sealed the deal when she peed, knowing about his urine kink thanks to Sweetpea.
Naturally, Yasmin is the dominant one for the little boy who just wants attention and validation, which suits this pairing, which, in some ways, mirrors each other.
Industry’s Yacht Story Only Gets Darker
Of course, Yasmin’s control was short-lived when that rare, expensive wine offering triggered her yacht memories and left her fielding off paparazzi all over again.
There has always been an unspoken incestual vibe to Charles and Yasmin’s relationship, and every scene they share ratchets it up even further.
It makes each moment deeply uncomfortable to watch as we wait for something horrific and unsavory to happen.
Her and Charles’ confrontation on the yacht took that to new heights.
Charles is narcissistic enough to see Yasmin as this extension of himself, and despite some of his words, he always wants to have control and hold over her.
It speaks volumes as to why she constantly grapples with control in return, specifically in her sexual relationships.
It sounds like he intended to use that yacht to disappear and never return to the UK because he knew they were coming for him over his embezzlement and that he trapped Yasmin there so she’d accompany him.
He knew she wouldn’t say no to him because she never managed to stay away, something he taunted her about in a profoundly disturbing scene.
Charles speaks to Yasmin as if she’s his personal plaything, including with a sexual undertone.
The mere fact that he pushed her back onto the bed and sat on top of her, completely bare beneath his robe, was sickening in itself.
But then he threw wine in her face, in another instance of provocative imagery, invaded her personal space, and sniffed around her, and it suggests he was leaning in for a kiss before the scene shifted.
We’ll likely see even more of what happened in that room during those moments as the season progresses, but it’s all enough to make you recoil every time someone even mentions Charles.
Is Harper the Key to the Charles Mystery?
Harper was on the yacht with Yasmin, and it felt as if their friendship was in as good a place as it could be for those two at the time. However, it makes you wonder what else happened and what role Harper played in it all.
We can guess that Harper may have assisted Yasmin in some pivotal way. After all, while under the influence, Yasmin gave Harper props for being a good person underneath it all.
They leave us to wonder what happened on that yacht and what happened to Charles on that yacht. What’s his fate? Would the series dare venture into the territory of an accidental killing and his death?
Over to you, Industry Fanatics.
What are your yacht and Charles disappearance theories? Will Robert face more consequences from his moment with Nicole’s daughter? How screwed is Pierpoint as they continue to work with Henry? Hit those comments!
Industry returns on Sundays on HBO at 9/8c, and you can stream on Max.
