Industry Power Rankings: “The Action Is The Juice.”
Ranking Pierpoint and their mates after episode 307.
Major Spoilers for Industry’s “Useful Idiot.”
London’s hottest club is Pierpoint’s 150th anniversary bash. It has everything: prosecco flowing in place of champagne, one Rishi, two juniors, a royal court upstairs, MILFS from Risk, and the Barclays CEO. Let’s get into it (yuh):
Sweetpea Golightly
Sweetpea remains the understated star of the season. She quickly senses Rishi’s nonsense and desperation. Rather than spending what might be the last few hours of the bank making calls, Golightly tells Anraj they should get “absolutely fucking hooned (aka wasted).” To many, Sweetpea can appear unintelligent, but Golightly showcases a grand intellectual performance. Sweetpea will always emerge unscathed, no matter the circumstances. Welcome back, Summer Roberts!
Robert Spearing
Using his Zipcar to make Yasmin feel safe before driving to Wales, buying them separate rooms, offering battered sausage dinners, telling her that his kindness towards her isn’t a ploy, and cleaning up her after she takes way too many mushroom pills … Robert is not the Step Friend, he is the Friend that stepped up.
Spearing aces the job interview at a medical research center, too. He sorta lands a position focused on securing funding from venture capitalists, a role that brings him away from Pierpoint and opens the door to a whole new life. Also if Rob heads to Silicon Valley, he might reunite with Gus. Five more points for the humble boy who deserves Greggs.
Madame Secretary
The U.S. Treasury Secretary, often referred to as Madame Secretary, is a Democrat who pretends to have a heart, but she also knows to leave disasters without breaking a sweat. When Pierpoint reaches out for assistance, she flatly spurns to aid the American bank during an election year. Madame Secretary’s rejection isn't just any ordinary Janet Yeller turndown; it happens in the midst of her elliptical workout, panting audibly as she talks on speaker. She even offers raw counsel: You’re all salaried capitalists, right?” she asks. “Order some Chinese takeout and find a solution.”
Anraj Chabra on Ecstasy
Anraj confronts Rishi about his personality, his Instagram explore page, and his questionable taste, all while Sylvester's “You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real)” roars in the background. I love that Industry avoids depicting Chabra taking pills. Instead, we see the aftermath with Sweetpea by his side, which hilariously boosts Anraj’s ego. It leaves us wondering if Chabra truly indulged ecstasy at all. His movements resemble Shoshanna when she accidentally smoked crack.
Eric Tao
Initially, Eric finds himself puzzled about his presence at the war table, a feeling shared by the new Pierpoint CEO, Tom Wolsey. Whenever someone poses a question to him, his answers are never clear-cut. Each response seems wrapped in layers of ambiguity and Shakespearean. However, Tao begins to notice the opportunistic behavior of those around him, leading to a pivotal moment where his allegiance to Bill falters as he recognizes a chance to surpass him.
Later, Eric throws Adler under the bus, feigning an apology for a minor typo. While it may not jeopardize the Mitsubishi deal, it certainly disrupts Bill's focus. Tao gaslights Bill into believing they had discussed it in private, causing Adler to unravel and confess about his brain tumor. Such treachery is hardly surprising from Eric. Yet Bill soon realizes that Tao's sympathy is nothing more than a knife. Eric then leverages his connection with Ali El Mansour to rope in some associates from “the Gulf.” They can deliver where Barclays fell short. The truth is obvious, though: Tao is a person who will use the ‘everyone’s collateral’ mentality that he once criticized Harper for adopting.
Rishi Ramdani
Rishi gets ranked under Eric because (1) he’s eager to align himself with Harper and (2) because I do have a soft spot for Ramdani. His financial tactics give him insight into the company’s downfall, ensuring that he doesn’t face Leviathan Alpha without some leverage. Comrade Rishi is the reason Harper discovers Pierpoint's imminent Barclay deal. In an effort to safeguard himself, Ramdani betrays Sweetpea and Anraj. But isn't self-preservation a universal instinct? After all, he has a family and a broken arm to care for!
Harper Stern
Oh, I know insider trading hates to see Harper coming. Unfortunately, Stern’s illegal actions only serve to cloud her judgment about the gravity of her position. As expected, Petra panics and calls Otto Mostyn, accusing Harper of being reckless with their finances, which prompts Otto to whisk Stern off the side of the street, Mission Impossible-mode, and that is the last time we see Stern. Despite everything, I think Otto isn't going to upbraid Harper. If anything, I'm curious if Mostyn will offer her a tougher demand: to sever ties with Koenig or remain loyal to the posh man who viewed her as “one of the bandits.”
William “Bill” Alder asking Eric “For What?!” in wide-eyed horror
Naturally, Bill Adler would say that. Who in their right mind would turn against their ally for incessant, baneful job periods? In this show, no one totally disappears, and the past has a way of looming over everyone's lives. Rest assured, we will definitely see Bill again.
Yasmin Kara-Hanani
Yasmin, unemployed, is facing another devastating revelation. Kara-Hanani Publishing has agreed to cover the financial fallout from her father's embezzlement, but they want Yasmin to take the blame publicly for Charles' inappropriate relationships with women he had financially silenced throughout his career. They expect Kara-Hanani to inform the media that she not only knew about her father's wrongdoing but was also “the primary beneficiary” of it. This is a entire fabrication, whereas the alternative is a protracted legal struggle, and as the Hanani executive points out to Yasmin, “By your own admission, you aren’t capitalized enough for that kind of fight.”
Yasmin is not her father; she is a victim of his abuse, a fact that continues to be ignored. Still, at the roadside inn, Kara-Hanani can’t shake off her call from Maxim. He reveals that he is aware of the blackmail scheme being orchestrated by Hanani Publishing and offers her a potential advantage: the business was complicit in Charles’ payments to the women. Yasmin understands she could use this intel to extort Hanani Publishing, whereas it would require sacrificing the women Charles had paid off. Terribly drugged, she cuts herself trying to make tea, requiring Rob to come in and help her.
The next morning, a sobered Yas tells Denise she wants to release the list of women bounty by NDAs. She’s prepared to betray those women if it means saving herself. Then again, how many individuals around the globe are really, really aware of the publishing house’s controversies? Surely, they’ll be prepared once things go south. I mean, let’s be real. Yasmin is capable of so much more.
Tom Wolsey’s aging
I find it hard to believe that Tom isn’t in his 40s. Look at the severe balding, the wrinkles, and those jaded eyes. My goodness, his youth (banking) hasn’t treated him well. At least Wolsey can affirm he was born before 9/11 around bars and nightclubs.