For a drama that trades in punchy dialogue, many of this week’s Industry’s most telling moments are non-verbal. Silence speaks volumes as loud as the music blaring in Rishi Ramdani’s (Sagar Radia) ear in the anxiety-building final 10 minutes of “1000 Yoots, 1 Marilyn.” It is an enthralling, jam-packed episode, pushing some to hit the self-destruct button and others to consider whether they have overplayed their hand. At the halfway point of the fourth season, Team Tender comes out on top thanks to the powerful tools at its disposal being used to maximum effect. Still, it doesn’t mean all is well within Whitney Halberstram’s (Max Minghella) growing empire as allegiances and power dynamics remain fluid. Loyalty is hard to come by, even between husband and wife, with Yasmin’s (Marisa Abela) influence quickly diminishing by the time the closing credits hit. The concern she wears on her face replaces smug satisfaction; the ongoing battle is far from over.
But Yasmin is not having the worst week. Not by far. That honor goes to either Jim Dyker (Charlie Heaton) or Rishi, whose coke bender takes an extremely dark turn in a sequence rivaling last season’s tense, Uncut Gems-esque outing. Instead of dedicating the entire hour to this disastrous pairing, the episode, written by creators Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, sheds further light on Rishi’s downward spiral in a couple of scenes before the jaw-dropping climax. Nothing is a coincidence for the desperate duo, as Rishi and Jim’s paths cross at the pub thanks to the Tender investigation that is falling apart.
The bottom of Jim’s world has also evaporated thanks to a one-two punch from Tender, orchestrated by Yasmin. She uses the Norton Media Group and police to threaten ruined reputations. Because we didn’t see what happened after Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) passed out in the premiere, there is a possibility that Yas is using Hayley’s blackout to manufacture an assault. Hayley is uncertain, and Jim vehemently denies doing anything to his editor. The truth comes out when Jim is coked up to the eyeballs. He tells Rishi that Hayley consented to oral sex, implying he continued after she passed out. It is a bad sign when even Rishi says, “I hope you stopped, mate.”
Kay and Down ensure Rishi is more than a hollowed-out villain. The interaction with his mother-in-law about whether his son Hugo knows who he is comes from the heart. Nevertheless, he is still the trash-talking hustler, switching out the Pierpoint trading floor for dealing drugs from his car and getting blowjobs in exchange for fancy gifts. While Radia hasn’t had a ton of screen time this year, he makes the most of it, showing how far Rishi has fallen and that he still has the gift, albeit a pathetic one, of the gab.
Rishi and Jim barely listen to each other, and the music’s increasing volume makes it purposefully difficult to concentrate on the specifics. Like Rishi, I tune out Jim’s ranting and raving. Michelle Savill directs her second episode of the season here, keeping everything in constant motion while the music is at odds with the dialogue. Every time Jim yells for the stereo to be turned down, I can’t help but agree, even if it is banger after banger (“Vienna” by Ultravox, “Set You Free” by N-Trance, and “Forever Young” by Alphaville). Industry music supervisor Ollie White selects different genres and eras to complement the blood-pressure-spiking scenes unfolding toward the end.
It also amplifies Rishi’s desperation after he finds an unresponsive Jim, who has snorted a Henry-Hill-from-Goodfellas volume of drugs. (His paranoia in the opening sequence also reminds me of Ray Liotta’s performance, though Jim’s wardrobe is definitely not as sharp.) Is Jim dead? He isn’t breathing, but rather than linger on any life-saving measures, Rishi contemplates jumping off the balcony. In fight or flight, Rishi picks the latter.
But Rishi’s story doesn’t end after he leaps. The sickening thud as he hits the ground is followed by a still very much alive Rishi struggling to get up. Industry is not shy in showing the consequences of actions. I struggled to look at Rishi’s broken ankles—even as someone who can handle the many bloody body parts on a show like The Pitt. Is Rishi’s story done now? The HBO drama rarely keeps characters around to spin their wheels after, and I can’t see where Rishi goes from here. Either way, hats off to Radia, who paints a picture of relief washing across Rishi’s face as the cuffs are slapped on his broken body.
Being backed into a corner is an Industry speciality. Whereas Rishi and Jim are on their own, Yas and Harper (Myha’la) have allies, even if they cannot count on each other at this present time. The staredown between the two frenemies post WebHorizon presentation, as Jim peppers Henry and Whitney with probing questions, draws attention from the dick measuring. There is a knowing quality to Harper’s expression that needles Yas. Once again, they don’t actually have a conversation, but even with the limited screen time, their brewing tension is spicier than most dynamics at play.
It is all a question of how far either is willing to push their agendas. Yas claims that “morality might as well be fucking Latin” to Harper, a snobbish sentiment proving that Yas has been spending too much time with the upper class and that her cockiness could be her downfall. After being let go, comms director Robin (Jonjo O’Neill) is blunt, telling Yas and Whitney to Google the “Dunning-Kruger Effect.” This definition of it sure does sound like Yas by the end of the episode.
The Tender office, with its many windows, blinds, nonsense neon signs (“THE STARS ARE REAL” is seen throughout this week’s episode), and elevators, is an ideal place for asserting power and backstabbing. Yas stands alone in the conference room in a power pose after Whitney gives Robin a dressing-down on a call, but she shrinks in the elevator when Hayley reveals another side. Earlier at WebHorizon, Yas, in an all-white suit, plays at ruling the roost, using her father’s playbook, in suggesting that Hayley was the one who was sexually coercing Henry and Yas. For what it is worth, I was as convinced as Yas that Hayley was falling into line because Shipka plays Hayley as timid and unsure during that conversation. It is only later that I realized how much Hayley is playing Yas.
Given that Robin has just dropped the “Dunning-Kruger Effect” line, the timing of Hayley’s loaded declaration is even more delicious and diabolical: “It’s not like I haven’t been sexually harassed before. I was a child model for fuck’s sake.” Yas struggles to keep her face neutral as this is not the reply she was expecting from Hayley regarding the promotion news. But that is just the start of Hayley’s review of her boss. Hayley addresses Austria (“I wonder, why did it feel like it was your cock in my mouth?”) and brings up some advice an ex-boss told her about anxiety relief. It is another shot aimed directly at Yas’ attempt to sway Hayley early on, but Yas has nothing on the men Hayley has worked for. That advice? “He said, ‘Hayley, baby, when it all gets too much, just remember: Not a single one of us gets out alive.’” That isn’t all. Hayley flashes her underwear and says, “Thank you, mommy.” Yas is speechless, and she doesn’t even know what her husband is doing upstairs.
Playing provocative sex games has pushed Henry (Kit Harington) away because he seems utterly repulsed by Yasmin’s methods. Whitney strikes during Henry’s moment of anxiety, thrusting his silver tongue so far into Henry’s ear that it comes out the other side. After last week’s ménage à trois, a different psycho-sexual threesome heats the office, and Yas has zero control. Whitney massages Henry’s ego, tapping directly into what drives the aristocrat. He also knows how to placate Yas with compliments and a fancy job title. Still, when Yas walks in on Henry and Whitney physically touching, it’s shot like a ’90s erotic thriller. Later, the two men are framed behind blinds, as if something illicit is occurring. Henry even pushes past Yas to give Whitney a long embrace after his presentation, cementing Whitney’s role as the support Henry needs. To lose her grip on the situation so quickly is not part of Yasmin’s grand plan, and there is still half a season left to fall even further.
Stray observations
- • After running out of cocaine, Jim moves on to the drugs provided by the random man from outside the pub. At first, I was convinced this guy was going to rob the place after giving them tainted powder. While there are still unanswered questions about the drugs he gave to Jim, the threat he posed is likely a red herring.
- • One highlight is watching Sweetpea (Miriam Petche) dive headfirst into the Tender investigation. First, she gets valuable insight from Jonah (Kal Penn), who gives insider knowledge about how Whitney operates. He also shares a trove of emails that leads to Accra. Whitney travels to the Ghanaian capital for less than 24 hours this week, and Team SternTao is planning its own field trip.
- • Finding an inroad to pick apart Tender is urgent, as SternTao needs the next negative catalyst because they are close to a margin call. Luckily, the dialogue explains the financial situation well enough, so I don’t have to rewatch Margin Call (though I might still do that anyway).
- • Henry hating Pierpoint with every fiber of his being is the kind of grudge you would expect after the Lumi disaster last season, and I welcome his rage. But that is far from the only emotion he is feeling going into this launch: “I don’t have it in me to be torn apart again.” I don’t see this ending well for Sir Muck.
- • I also can’t help but wince every time Yas refers to Hayley as “Calabasas” and thinks she is being provocative and playful.
- • “We gotta stop using the word “eventize” like it’s a serious word.” I might agree with Whitney on this one.
Emma Fraser is a contributor to The A.V. Club.
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