Lust for power, sex and control are central on ‘Industry’
Some say that there are no more impactful and destructive forces as sex and power, uniquely intertwined with each other. These are easily observed in “Industry,” a show that runs on chaos. The pressure of the world of banking consistently hangs over the show as the main characters employ sex and power as their main engines to survive the rush of the corporate world.
“Industry” follows recent college graduates who all come from different upbringings and compete for a limited number of jobs at a competitive, top investment bank in London. In the high-pressure environment, the entire cast competes with one another as they eventually become rivals. The graduates slowly are consumed by the toxicity of the banking world, leading them to cope with toxic vices like sex, drugs and manipulation.
The show’s main driving force is the contrast between the two main female leads, Harper and Yasmin, played by Myha’la Herrod and Marisa Abela respectively. Harper strives for all of the power in the world, having grown up in a lower class family. She is an engine that never stops. Her consistent drive is only blocked by her past trauma — an absent brother and an abusive mother — which causes panic attacks in moments of high stress.
Yasmin has the same drive, but not the same stamina as Harper. Yasmine comes from an uber-wealthy family and never had to worry about money growing up, which is intentionally unrelatable to most viewers. She struggles with balancing her confidence in her sex life and shyness in her work life. Additionally, she has all of the tools to be successful, given the world she comes from, but her lack of understanding of her class and privilege causes rifts and challenges between Yasmin and her fellow colleagues and clients.
The show uses power as the characters’ ultimate desire, while using sex as a transactional vice. The pressure of their career path doesn’t allow people to make friends, but rather strategic alliances instead.
In “Industry,” sex is used to understand the different layers of power within the show, as the characters’ sex lives are inexplicably intertwined with their jobs. The sex scenes in the show are rarely romantic, but rather a power move. In theory, a threesome between coworkers should be steamy on screen, but instead, the power dynamic reflects a constant push for the upperhand.
The characters in “Industry” come off as greedy and care only about their own power status over another, from the bedroom to the trading floor. This greed translates into how the sex is depicted in the show. Each intimate encounter feels imbalanced because the characters bring their greed from their everyday jobs into their personal lives.
While there are memorable sex scenes, “Industry” deliberately keeps them long, to the point where the viewer feels awkward and guilty for watching. But this is a show designed to make you feel as uncomfortable as the young financiers are. Beneath the confident, powerful figures they outwardly portray, deep down they are all just 22-year-olds fighting for a position they aren’t ready to hold.
The performance of Eric, played by Ken Leung, is a highlight for me on the show. Eric is an executive at Pierpoint who takes Harper under his wing. But as one of the few characters with actual power and an older man in an ever-younger field, he spends his time discovering that he’s afraid of watching his power wane in real time.
The idea of running away instead of confronting your problems is a common theme in the show alongside the young leads’ naivety. The demands of their high-pressure job cause them to sacrifice their sleep, morals, and dignity to survive in their monitor-lidded hellhole — but even still, their jobs aren’t something they can just leave behind. Their positions breathe through their entire identity, as every action feels like life and death.