'Industry' S4 Episode 1 Breakdown: Cranking the Email Up a Peg | Prestige TV

Summary

The Prestige TV Podcast

'Industry' Season 4 Episode 1 Breakdown: "Cranking the Email Up a Peg"

Date: January 13, 2026
Host Panel: Joanna Robinson, Rob Mahoney, Jody Walker
Subject: Instant reaction and deep-dive to Industry Season 4, Episode 1 ("Paywall of Bukkake")

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Episode Overview

The panel reconvenes for the highly anticipated Season 4 premiere of HBO’s Industry. As the show evolves beyond its Pierpoint origins and dives into fintech, journalism, and power politics, Joanna, Rob, and Jody dissect the episode’s bold new directions, returning characters, the influx of “mid-level” famous actors, and the show’s unique, biting approach to class, race, and ambition. Through roving analysis, vivid quotes, and laughter, the team captures what makes Industry both uncomfortable and irresistible.

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Key Discussion Points

1. The Evolution of Industry

[02:52] Joanna Robinson: Reflecting on how Industry has transformed since Season 1, the hosts note that the series has deeply shifted tone, pace, and content, particularly in Season 3 and now radically in Season 4.

• The departure from Pierpoint as home base.
• Increasing focus on the larger world: journalism, politics, fintech.
• Show’s “successionification”: more globe-trotting, upping the power plays.
• The cast now includes bigger names (Kit Harington, Max Minghella, Charlie Heaton, Kiernan Shipka), but the panel agrees this still feels organic, not “stunt casting.”
  [12:05] Rob Mahoney: “I trust the substance … we're introducing like five new characters, we're touching base with all of the industry regulars … telling a fully-fledged, compelling story about a hostile takeover within a company I did not care about an hour ago, and now all of a sudden, I do.”

2. Comparing to Succession – or Not

[06:04] Jody Walker pushes back on “Succession” comparisons:

“Frankly, I have also never really found it very similar to Succession. … It’s really like, we dare you to consider this. … How ugly and broken it is and how we still find humanity in it.”

• The group explores how Industry demands the viewer consider both the world and the characters' flaws vs. mere plot maneuvers.

3. Grieving the Pierpoint Era & Losing Robert

[09:05] Jody Walker:

“It’s not a will they or won’t they, it’s a can they or can’t they…and they both sort of agree can’t. … He could only win also if he extracted himself and got the Silicon Valley alpaca haircut we saw him with in the season finale. … These people will always lose.”

• Season 4’s loss of Robert/Lottie's character and the pure “earnestness” he brought is discussed.
• Will the emotional sincerity move to other relationships, like Harper/Eric?

4. The Power of Relationships – Harper & Eric

[16:16] Joanna Robinson:

“Harper and Eric … my heart relationship on this show, toxic relationship on this show. … Having the plot put them back together in business together thrills me. … The heart wants Eric and Harper to fuck each other over yet again one more time.”

• Hosts revel in the show’s quick reunion of its most toxically compelling duo.

5. Episode Highlights (Plot and Style)

[19:03] The episode "Paywall of Bukkake" signals with its title and content that Industry is back in full form:

• Jody’s “Industry is BACK!” moment:

  [20:00] “When Harper hops out of that black car in her three-piece pinstripe suit … this is the Harper I've always wanted.”

• Rob’s “Industry is BACK!” moment:

  [22:16] “If I can encapsulate Industry in one line, it is this from Harper: ‘Is this all because you couldn't make me come? If you're going to have a fucking stroke, please do it outside my office.’”

• The body crashing through the glass desk and Harper’s deadpan: “Very convenient.” [27:19]

6. Music & Mood Swings

[28:30] Joanna points to the show’s deepening sense of style:

“We also get… Social Network [score]… they went real Social Network… La Mer, Love is Blue… New Order’s here. We close with Henry Purcell’s ‘Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary’ — the Clockwork Orange theme…”

• The scoring choices reflect the show’s growing confidence and ambition, with nods to Michael Mann and Tony Gilroy.

7. Pace and "Burning Through Plot"

[34:06] Joanna, citing the creators:

“A lot of shows… are one episode stretched over eight episodes. … We strive to put eight episodes of plot into one episode.”

• The hosts marvel at how Industry moves with ferocious speed, burning through twists, alliances, and betrayals at “soap” speed, but with prestige-TV depth.

8. The Fintech Shift & Real-world Parallels

[39:15] They break down the new world:

• Tender (the neobank) as a “ripped from the headlines” analog to real-world Revolut, Wirecard, etc.
• New regulatory and political storylines reference actual UK politics (Labour Party’s rise, the UK Online Safety Act, etc.)
• Mirroring current conversations about “wokeness,” tokenism, performative progressivism, and their backlash.

9. Class, Race, and Raw Office Politics

[53:36] Joanna and Rob analyze how race is discussed:

Rob: “There are more references… across every single storyline… every storyline is touching on this…”

• [54:16] Notably, Eric tells Harper:

  “But you are an angry, angry black woman.”

• The hosts discuss how Industry uniquely pushes uncomfortable conversations further than other prestige dramas.

10. Defining Shorts, Finance, and Explaining The Jargon

[39:15–42:32] The panel comically attempts (and mostly fails) to demystify short selling for listeners, invoking Margot Robbie’s bathtub from The Big Short.

11. Email Brainstorm – "Colonel Cream Pie" and More

[42:45–49:16] A recurring, lighthearted segment. The team tries to brainstorm an “Industry”-themed email handle for listener letters, riffing on episode neologisms like "Colonel Cream Pie," "[e-mail]," "[e-mail]," and "[e-mail]." The final idea is to let listeners decide.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Jody Walker [07:12]: “These really are two people who love each other. And it's not a will they or won't they, it's a can they or can't they…he asks him, how'd the lotto ticket go? He's like, ‘I lost. Of course, he'll always lose. He's Rob.’”
• Rob Mahoney [20:28]: “The birthday card from mom that says, ‘Look, shredder. Looks like you got everything you wanted.’ I mean, just the coldest shit.”
• Rob Mahoney [21:23]: “One of our emailers … compared that walk to Darth Vader sauntering in. … There definitely is a cloaky appeal to what Harper’s got going on here.”
• Jody Walker [26:43]: “To see the extent to which [Rishi’s] fallen…that’s a kind of like, the old way he used to talk is a low point for him now because his heart’s not in it because his wife got killed in front of him.”
• Joanna Robinson [30:15]: “I believe what Heated Rivalry has a lot of is pleasure. And there's very little of that on Industry. There's a lot of sex and like not a lot of pleasure.”
• Joanna Robinson [57:04]: “That’s what Industry is, very messy.”
• Jody Walker [63:51]: “I mean, I think the standout line for me is when Eric shows up and he and Harper are … talking about going into business together, getting both their names on the door. … And she says, ‘You came.’ And he says, ‘You called.’ These two. I know, I swear. I swear.”

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Important Timestamps

• [03:59] Rob’s thoughts on the show’s “mean” and “uncompromising” tone.
• [06:04] Jody’s dismissal of Succession comparisons; show’s mood of societal reflection.
• [11:42] “Journalism ethics are somehow dicier than the finance ethics in this show.”
• [19:03] Jody’s fashion highlight: Harper’s power suit arrival moment.
• [22:16] Rob's pick for “iconic Industry”: Harper’s no-holds-barred insult to a subordinate.
• [26:26] The “milkers” scene: “I believe the term is milkers, if you want to be specific.”
• [30:15] Comparing Industry’s early insecurity to its current stylistic confidence.
• [34:06] "Burning through plot" at breakneck speed.
• [39:15–42:32] Trying (and failing) to explain short-selling.
• [42:45–49:16] Hilarious “Colonel Cream Pie” and themed email brainstorming.
• [53:36] Noting the uptick in race-related dialogue across every story thread.
• [54:22] "But you are an angry, angry black woman." — Eric
• [62:41] Lightning round: favorite outfits, lines, and the show’s thrilling unpredictability.

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Listener Interactivity

• Listeners are invited to write in with:

  • Industry-themed email ideas
  • Jargon explainers (“shorting,” “fintech”)
  • Their assessment of which hosts are which Industry characters
  • All questions, notes, and corrections

  Write to: prestigetvspotify.com (email name still pending!)

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Tone & Takeaways

The hosts' language is playful, sharp, and invested, tinged with the show’s own “mean” but earnest spirit. They riff, laugh, and analyze with a mix of admiration, bemusement, and a touch of revulsion—mirroring the thrill and repulsion that Industry invokes.

Summary:
This fast-paced, insightful podcast episode treats the Season 4 premiere as a fresh start for a show unafraid to reinvent itself, push the limits of TV drama, and still make time for the messiest, most compelling human connections on screen. Whether or not you understand the jargon, The Prestige TV Podcast makes clear: Industry is back, and it’s must-watch television.

Transcript

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[Rob Mahoney]

Hello.

[Joanna Robinson]

Welcome back to the Prestige TV podcast feed. I'm Joanna Robinson.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm Rob Mahoney.

[Jody Walker]

I'm Jody Walker.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh my God, Jodi's here.

[Jody Walker]

Hey, you guys, thanks for having me.

[Joanna Robinson]

Oh my God, we're so thrilled to have you here for Industry season four. We should be. I should say thank you for having us since you are the reigning queen of covering industries.

[Jody Walker]

You know, you have to wonder a little bit what it says about you within your company that it's like, well, no matter what we're getting Jody on the industry coverage, sex, drugs and Harper, we bring in Jodie in.

[Rob Mahoney]

There are worse things to be known for.

[Jody Walker]

Frankly, I totally this is how I want to be known. I just wonder what it says. But I love this show so much. I love it so much. I'm having the best time and the worst time. As always, we're here to talk about.

[Joanna Robinson]

Industry Season 4, Episode 1. But we also want to do sort of quickly before we get into that, we're going to do a little like season three mini look back, some of us did rewatches on varying speeds to get, you know, caught back up. And no need to name names here. But like if you know, you know.

[Jody Walker]

Though, if you know, you know who may have rewatched allegedly seasons allegedly at 2 times ish speed just to get that Harper High, you know, I stand in front of the screen I chew my gum really fast, and I just watch it play.

[Joanna Robinson]

But no, no baseball bat, no Eric Tao sort of pacing back and forth.

[Jody Walker]

No, that's her end of season. That's when I'm good and mad.

[Joanna Robinson]

I got it.

[Rob Mahoney]

That makes sense.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay. Basically, like, season the. The show industry has changed so much over the seasons, and I think it made a biggest change in season three and then a huge change here in season four. So we want to talk a little bit about, like, season three and the moves it made in season three to prepare us for this kind of radical shift. If you go back and rewatch season one of Industry, it, like, bears very little resemblance to what we're watching here in season four. And I'm not mad about it. I love a reinvention of a show. But I just think it's interesting to think about how we got here and what it's retaining from its original form and then what. It's sort of pushing in new directions so quickly. I want to. I mean, I've never talked to Rob about industry at all. Jodi, I've heard you talk about it, but, like, Rob, quick question. To start with you. For season three, we added, like, a flashback structure. There was Yasmine's dad's mysterious death. There was some sort of, like, experimental directorial style in the finale with, like, Robert and Yasmine's goodbye over the banquet table, et cetera. So what do you think of industry as a whole? Where's your temp on that? And what did you think of the moves they made in season three?

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, I really enjoy this show. I really enjoy how mean it is, how uncompromising it is. And I think that you can incorporate some of those directorial flourishes, some of, like, the formal choices within. That makes for really exciting tv. And it's just. There is a poetry to the way this show is written that often ends in ridiculous insults or incredible, like, crude remarks. That really appeals to me on a spiritual level and really hits me, I guess, where I live. I guess where I don't want to admit that I live. In some ways, I think this is the part of industry I wouldn't. I wouldn't go that far.

[Joanna Robinson]

But I think Muck Manor.

[Jody Walker]

Are you.

[Joanna Robinson]

Are you rattling around Muck Manor? Is that. Is that your.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, that. Is that, like, the sad boy banging on the harpsichord is definitely more my energy. So there. Maybe that's where I'm more aligned. But I think what makes industry so effective for me is it, like, it does hit at a very real thing. That is existing in the world that feels so. Of this present moment and, like, such a. I don't know, like, such a cynical way. And then it hits a part of all of us that, like, we dare you to laugh at Kal Pen referring to this woman as a pommel horse. Like, we just dare you to laugh or not laugh and sit with that in that moment and whatever that's gonna say about you.

[Joanna Robinson]

Part of what I'm getting at, Jodi, is like, I feel like. And the creators would be bummed to hear me say this, but I feel like the show has been barreling towards. I'm gonna call it the successionification of industry here. As we go into season four, the creators, in a recent interview were saying, oh, I don't see any resemblance between our show and Succession. And that was deeply wild to me. But to Rob's point, dare you to laugh at these edgy jokes we're telling, these insults. The way in which alliances come together and fall apart and come together and fall apart. The way in which everything feels so personal. And this season, the way we're expanding into journalism and globe trotting and more PJs and all these other things. So, Jodi, as someone who's covered season two, season three, and now season four in depth, what do you think of them saying, this is nothing like Succession or what do you think is going on here?

[Jody Walker]

I, frankly, have also never really found it very similar to Succession. The only comparison point I felt in this premiere is the. The immediate introduction of Tinder and Tinder 2.0. Tinder with an E felt very Vulture like from Succession when they were, you know, imitating Vulture. And I think that's just some of the fun of it. But to me, it's like, we dare you to laugh, but it's really like, we dare you to consider this. We dare you to consider Kalpen calling a woman a pommel horse. And consider what you think about that. It really feels a lot like. And because it moves so fast and because every season is so different, but really plants us in not maybe a topic area that we live in, but a world that we live in. It's like, consider the world that you live in. Consider how ugly and broken it is and how we still find humanity in it and how you still find humanity in Harper Stern or don't find humanity in Harper Stern or observe other people finding or not finding humanity in her. And how do you. How do you feel about that? How do you feel about. I mean, for me, season three was just so much about Harper and Yasmin and they're like, you know, I mean, they have the fight of all fights in that. In that season where Yasmin is like, you know, I thought that we. That I could be at my worst and you could be at your worst and we could still love each other, but it's so clear to me that we cannot. And then Harper just calls her a whore, like, and then by the end of the season, season three, she's up at the top of that invitation list to the wedding, above the Obamas and Malala. It's just like that. And you're like, yasmin, no. But also sort of Harper, no. Like, who do I just this show. It's so funny how much the show makes me think about humanity and these characters, given that the majority of the show they are talking about things that I so fully do not understand and never will.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes, Joe. I can't. I can't figure out if these characters are more evolved than us because they're like so exceedingly practical in some ways that Yasmine and Harper will always have some kind of functional, in air quotes relationship. Are we naive to be operating in our normal human hurt feeling spaces?

[Joanna Robinson]

I think it's really interesting, the fact that this. We've been sort of shedding cast members since season one. But to lose the character of Robert, Harry, Lottie's character, and that sort of Yasmine, Robert, will they, won't they? Which took up a really sort of earnest space inside of season three, inside of a very cynical show. I'm curious what that will do to the show to lose that part of it. Like, does that earnestness still exist inside of Eric and Harper's dysfunctional father child relationship? Does that earnestness still exist inside of Harper and Yasmine as this sort of toxic love story between, you know, two women. I know that you're mourning the loss of Robert, Jodie, but what do you think about that sort of evolution?

[Jody Walker]

The saddest boy on planet Earth? I mean, the thing is that it was the evolution of that character, Rob, and the storyline playing out in season three of like, oh, these really are two people who love each other. And it's not a will they or won't they? It's a can they or can't they? And they both sort of agree can't. For these, as Rob pointed out, these, like, sort of pragmatic, practical reasons, I think that's how Yaz more or less proposes is like, this is practical, this makes sense. And that scene in Season three, where she watches as she's thinking about that she needs some level of protection in her life from all of the misdeeds that her father has led her into from just the people that she associates with. She can only protect herself with more of those people. And she watches Rob scratching a lotto ticket and, and losing. And when she asks him how'd the lotto ticket go? He's like, I lost. Of course he'll always lose. He's Rob.

[Rob Mahoney]

Okay, you don't need to put it that way.

[Joanna Robinson]

He's, he's. Let's, let's.

[Jody Walker]

Can we clip that? Can we clip that audio?

[Rob Mahoney]

Just God damn it.

[Joanna Robinson]

Let's pretend that the Ashwagandha scheme in Silicon Valley is going very well. That's, that's how I prefer to think.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm sure.

[Jody Walker]

But he could only win also if he extracted himself and got the Silicon Valley alpaca haircut that we saw him with in the season finale. That's the only way he wins. These people will always lose. And we have been watching them for three seasons and where do we find them at the beginning of season four, Richer but doing horribly.

[Joanna Robinson]

Less happy. Yeah, I wanted to talk a little bit about. So last season we get Kit Harrington added to the cast and this is sort of like a big deal in general. The fact that industry started with sort of very talented no name actors and has turned, you know, many stars, main many stars out of a few of them. But to add Kit Harrington to the mix felt like a bit of a different direction. And then this season, you know, we've got Max Minghella, Charlie Heaton's here, Kiernan Shipka is here. We start with Charlie Heaton of Stranger Things fame doing an impression of Joe from you. Like we start with Kieran Shipka and Charlie Heaton.

[Jody Walker]

We're all journalists, Right.

[Joanna Robinson]

This is how journalism works.

[Jody Walker]

Yeah, this is how journalism works.

[Joanna Robinson]

You don't learn stalking in J school.

[Jody Walker]

Is that not, you know, I, I didn't, I didn't go into, go to J school. I simply went straight into blogging. So I went and got my black stalking hat, you know, from a non prestige location. But yes, the journalism ethics are somehow dicier than the finance ethics in this show.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah. Do you think what stopped them at her place was the journalistic ethics or was it the button fly? I was having trouble discerning what was ultimately like the barrier there.

[Joanna Robinson]

Great question. Sometimes it's only a button fly that will save us, you know, our worst instincts. But what do you make Rob of this move towards, you know, bigger names inside of the cast.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, it works only if it's more than the splash, right? Like, there's shows where I wouldn't trust it, and this one I absolutely do. Like, I trust the substance and I trust. I'm sure we'll get into it, but, like, the economy of some of the storytelling here, where in within this episode, we're introducing, like, five new characters, we're touching base with all of the industry regulars who are still around, and we're basically telling a fully fledged, compelling story about a hostile takeover within a company I did not care about an hour ago, and now all of a sudden, I do. And so if you have all of that working, then it doesn't feel like stunt casting. It just feels like we're bringing in some heavy hitters, some, like, really established TV actors to play compelling parts and that we can believe in them. They're going to be going somewhere.

[Joanna Robinson]

I should say. I like, I don't think of it as stunt casting at all. It just. Again, and I don't mean to. I will not hammer this the entire time, but, like, it reminded me of later seasons of succession. They're like, we got Adrian Brody a couple episodes. You know what I mean? Like, we're. We're a different level now than we were when we started, and we're doing something else here. But.

[Rob Mahoney]

But that's what separates it, right? Like, what makes it not stunt casting is the substance of the show, is the writing of the show.

[Jody Walker]

And it feels, to me, it feels consistent to the show. Like, I remember in season three, so sort of hoping with, like, Sweet Pea and Entraj, like, oh, maybe we're going to do like a Saved by the Bell new class. You know, we're like the new junior Traders or whatever. And that didn't sh. But what we're getting is sort of like a different Saved by the Bell, the new class, like a different junior class of Charlie Heaton and Kiernan Shipka, and then also like a sort of different senior class. You know, that I do feel like that's always really organizational about the show is you sort of know where everyone stands within the pecking order because they sort of exist in the same world. So, like, Calpin and Max Margiela come in and we. We know where they stand, you know, like, we know what kind of power they wield within this society. And so it's really exciting to have these really good actors in the roles, but they, to me, they just fit so into the world. That's been created.

[Joanna Robinson]

Right. And it's not like we're not. We're not swinging high, we're swinging mid. And I think these are. And not by talent, but I mean fame level. And I think these are. I mean, I thought Kit Harington was so good last season and better than anything I think that he ever did in Game of Thrones. And I'm delighted by the tiny glimpse we get of him at the end of this episode. The creators have said I haven't watched it, but they've said that episode two is like a Harper and Henry episode. So, like, this felt like a next time on.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, it did.

[Jody Walker]

I was like, I thought I was watching. I wrote down in my notes, what's going on with this weird piano? And then. And then it was Henry.

[Joanna Robinson]

I guess my. My sort of last let's look back question before we continue to look forward for you, Jodi, is, as someone who spent three seasons or two seasons covering it so closely in the halls of Pierpoint, what does it mean for you for Pierpoint to not be around in the show this season?

[Jody Walker]

It's a great question. It meant nothing to me. Kind of like I realized in response.

[Joanna Robinson]

You burned your purple pure point hoodie.

[Jody Walker]

These people are here, and they can, you know, these people and Eric in particular can spin all the nostalgic tales they want. They can. But it always comes down when they say it comes down to the people, they're lying. It always comes down to the money. When I say it comes down to the people, it is because I am in love and hate with these characters. And so, like, that I had Harper and Eric. I didn't need peerpoint. I will say I found myself pretty confused about where I was a lot, like, geographically and within companies and where just sort of like where people were. It did feel a little less tethered, you know, to a place, but perhaps more tethered to the, like, relationships between these people that tie it all together.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, you don't have that gravitational pull of the office setting. And so with that, yeah, it does demand a little more explanation, a little more handholding as far as, like, we know who these people are to each other, but literally, where are they right now is. I was. I was left in a similar spot.

[Joanna Robinson]

Jodi, I think rewatching season three, I was struck by, you know, in a sort of binge fashion, I was struck by there was less Harper than I wanted. And I don't know if that was just because, like, mahalo was, like, busy or whatever, but the Creators have talked about the fact that, you know, if they had any regrets about season three, it would be to have, you know, like, Yasmine and Harper and Rob all lived together, but you barely ever saw them sort of, like, crossing paths at home and stuff like that. Harper was just sort of like, gone from the narrative for, like, several episodes at a time sometimes. And so having Harper and Yasmine, you know, in a room together in this episode, and then having the plot put Eric and Harper back together, seemingly on a venture that I'm sure will go just fine. But, like, Harper and Eric, which is like my, like, heart relationship on this show, toxic relationship on this show.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, you and Sigmund Freud both, you know, there's just a lot happening.

[Jody Walker]

You and your broken heart.

[Joanna Robinson]

My. My damaged, deeply damaged, warped heart. Putting the. Having the plot put them back together in business together thrills me. I love that they're just sort of like, guess what? The heart wants. The heart wants. And the heart wants Eric and Harper to fuck each other over yet again one more time.

[Jody Walker]

Right?

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Jody Walker]

And I think that's like, where Mickey and Conrad are so smart is like, we don't have peerpoint anymore. We're not going to do the. Will they or won't they, Eric and Harper start scheming again and wait until, like, episode four, it's just like, go ahead and give it to us and give us Yaz and Harper in a room together. Like, we need. We need this in season four because we don't exactly know when we are or where we are or whose we are, but we know who they are.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah. I think there's ways in which these characters are clearly learning and evolving. I don't know about, like, really growing as people, but changing ever so slightly. And yet there are these immutable truths. Like, when push comes to shove, Harper will burn everything down pretty much every time. And Eric cannot idle himself on the sidelines. Like, he's got the twitchy hands even in retirement, where he's not just gonna sit by, like, there's more money to be made. There's. You know, one of my favorite Jodyisms is how men are obsessed with legacy. And who is more obsessed with legacy than Eric?

[Jody Walker]

Oh, nobody. And there is a certain subsect of men obsessed with legacy who will, when push comes to shove, get a kangal hat. And that is what Eric did in this episode of television. And when it was time to get back to get off the golf course and back into business, he whipped that Kang hat right off.

[Rob Mahoney]

Oh, yeah. Things Aside.

[Joanna Robinson]

All right, so the episode is Paywall of Bukkake. Just like a great tone to start the season, I guess my question, I just want to start with this sort of big picture. Jody, did you like this episode? And was there a specific moment inside of this episode where you're like, industry, we are fucking back. Let's go.

[Jody Walker]

Yes. I loved this episode. I had a great time. There's like, there's just something about that industry.

[Joanna Robinson]

So.

[Jody Walker]

Score. That never stops. That music that never stops. But then every once in a while, you'll be like, oh, this is really American sounding or whatever. Like, I just love it. Six, I believe, first illicit substance use. Six minutes in, which felt a little long, frankly. But I'm glad that we got there. You know, we were meeting some new characters. There was sort of like a cold open. But I would say the moment for me is when Harper hops out of that black car in her three piece pinstripe suit. And, like, this is the Harper I've always wanted. Like, I've. The talent has always been there. The, you know, shark like, motivation to just keep moving no matter what has always been there. But I've always wanted her to, like, be a fashion plate. And so that was very exciting for me. Like, her looks in this episode were so what I wanted. And I couldn't help but notice that, you know, the episode. Also very early on, we find out that she's. It's her birthday. She's turning 30. She gets a note from her mom. And I believe in season three, we heard that she'd gotten a note from her mom when she was on the Forbes 30 for 30 list. And her mom told her that her hair looked like shit. And she's changed her hair in this season. It's like the little. The little details are there. And I loved it.

[Rob Mahoney]

The birthday card for mom that says, look, shredder. Looks like you got everything you wanted. I mean, just the coldest shit.

[Jody Walker]

Right to the. Right to the heart.

[Joanna Robinson]

I loved that intro for Harper for a million different reasons, but one of them is, like, having just rewatched season one. And how much of season one is Harper walking to work, like, with her gray over her, like, cheap gray overcoat and her earbuds and just sort of like, because she's just starting out and she has nothing. Walking to work. So to watch her come out in the same color palette, in the gray color palette, but, like, just swathed in luxury, hopping out of a chauffeured car, this is just sort of like how. How far we've come. How far we could possibly fall.

[Jody Walker]

She's back to work. Like, you know, I mean, in season three, she was wearing those little collared sweaters and kind of swiveling around in a chair, like, not having a lot to do, and then amped up, amped up. But now it's like kind of back to the Harper we met who's like, ready to go to war.

[Rob Mahoney]

One of our emailers, who they've already been quite active, blown up prestige [e-mail] compared that walk to Darth Vader sauntering in. And, like, there definitely is a cloaky appeal to what Harper's got going on here.

[Jody Walker]

It's an actual cloak.

[Joanna Robinson]

I mean, seriously, I should also say, as you, as listeners hopefully know we love you so much. We love your emails. Prestige TV at Spotify. And we will come up with like an industry specific email before this episode is over. We did already get an email from someone that, like, I would like to flag. It was like very, like, suggestions of emails and I was like, this is hr. Please do not come find us when you read this email.

[Rob Mahoney]

This is a tough show to make an email address for. For exactly that reason. Kind of like the not safe for work options. Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah. Ramoni, what was the moment inside of this episode? Did you like this episode? And what was the moment inside where you're like, industry, we're fucking back, let's go.

[Rob Mahoney]

I did love this episode. I did feel so immersed in this world so quickly, even though it is pivoting in pretty dramatic ways, as you alluded to, Joe. For me, it is like, if I can encapsulate industry in one line, it is this one from Harper. And I quote, is this all because you couldn't make me come? If you're going to have a fucking stroke, please do it outside my office. And like, as soon as she is flexing in that way, a different version of Harper than we've ever seen. It's like all these characters as Jodie was kind of laying out, who have come up and sort of the contrast from season to season. The like, going from the Harper who walks to work to the Harper who's behind this desk saying those kinds of things. That's really exciting for me. I. I love, I love where we are. Even though other than like the framing you see in the trailers. And we know there's going to be like such a heavy Harper. Yasmin. I don't know collaboration is the right word, but intersection over this season overall, at least I would assume based on the way it's being framed. Other than that, I have no idea what they want to do with this season. I have no idea the kind of story they want to tell other than it's like loosely about a Neo bank shedding its, I don't know, morally flexible ties.

[Joanna Robinson]

Let me, let me hit you with some, you know, at least a quote from, from the creators who have been giving great interviews, including to our very own Katie Baker, who does great coverage of industry on the ringer.com so expanding into journalism, expanding into politics in a more meaningful way than they did before and expanding into sort of, it's concerned with power, which again, is what.

[Rob Mahoney]

And again, hasn't it always been though.

[Joanna Robinson]

But, but in, in an industry specifically. And then this season they're saying, we never said the industry, we just said industry so we could beat any industry. So now it's also much more meaningfully politics and journalism and fintech and all this other stuff like that. And so this is, this is the quote that Mickey down gave to Kitty Baker. A globe trotting sort of consistent conspiracy espionage thriller. And, and he likened to sort of Michael Mann films. And they've make made comparisons to Michael Clayton. So they're basically like written by Tony Gilroy, directed by Michael Mann. That's what we're going for.

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, even some of the insider vibes, if you want to play the journalism.

[Joanna Robinson]

Angle, the, the realm of those kinds of films in the 90s and early 90s. So that is, is what they're going for. Jodi, does that thrill you? Does that concern you? How do you feel about it?

[Jody Walker]

Well, I was, as you were saying that, I was like, when was I thinking about espionage in this episode? Oh, that's right. When Rishi and his brand new buzz cut.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Jody Walker]

Steal someone's password to take pictures of their email inbox. I was like, we've seen Rishi do some shit.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Jody Walker]

We've never seen him do shit like this.

[Joanna Robinson]

I was so excited because like this was the, you know, Harper herself says in this episode, I'm not being allowed to do what I was told I was going to be allowed to do by. Who knew Otto would fuck her over? It never occurred to me. But, but when Rishi is like spying on someone else's cell phone, I was like, this is the log line of what I was promised in the season three finale when. And when Harper tells Otto what she wants to do.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

And I was promised corporate espionage. Yeah, exactly. And this is like the closest to what I'm getting. But. Yeah.

[Rob Mahoney]

And yet in that room, he's not the guy being a dude showing another dude porn at the wake. You know, like, there are levels to this stuff. And, like, I'm down for the corporate. Corporate espionage. But what I love about all these characters is that no matter how far down they go, there's always other pigs in the filth with them. Like, they're just surrounded by people doing weird shit all the time.

[Jody Walker]

Yeah. You don't have to look far. And also, like, what is your. You know, what is the filth at that point in their lives? It's like we have heard Rishi say the craziest stuff. And there's like the ongoing. Or at peerpoint, there was like the ongoing joke of just hearing his lines a little louder in the background of him talking, you know, about a. How a veal calf fucks or whatever. And now we have him. You can feel, I think, a little part of him die when he, like, has to ask the guy to bring the only fans vid or siren video back up again. And then when he's trying to play it off, he's like, oh, yeah, huge honkers or whatever he says about this one.

[Rob Mahoney]

I believe the term is milkers, if you want to be specific.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay.

[Jody Walker]

I thought it was milkers, but I was like, jody, don't you.

[Joanna Robinson]

Milkers.

[Rob Mahoney]

If it's not milkers, you can't be the milkers person. If it's not really milkers.

[Jody Walker]

You can't bring milkers to the table. If it wasn't already brought by me, by Rishi. And like, to.

[Joanna Robinson]

To.

[Jody Walker]

To see the extent to which he's fallen. That, like, that's a kind of like the old way he used to talk is a low point for him now because his heart's not in it because his wife got killed in front of him.

[Joanna Robinson]

His wife got killed in season three finale.

[Rob Mahoney]

That'll do it.

[Jody Walker]

These are the twists and turns we take here on industry.

[Joanna Robinson]

I'm glad to see some. Some character, you know, repercussions for that. For me, what was the moment where I was like, yeah, one second for you, Joe, we're back. It's sort of similar to what you were talking about, Rob, but I think it's when James Ashford's body crashed through the glass desk. I think that was the moment where I was just sort of like, here we go.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's the one, two punch, right?

[Jody Walker]

Because, you know, the connection between if you're going to have a fucking stroke, don't do it in my office. To him immediately having a stroke and Then for me, actually maybe the so back moment is then right after he crashes through that glass desk when Harper says, very convenient with a man dying in front of her and just, well, this is convenient.

[Rob Mahoney]

But it was minor. It wasn't even a big deal.

[Jody Walker]

She did not know that then.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's very true.

[Jody Walker]

She did not know that then.

[Joanna Robinson]

I love when he showed up in his running gear and I was just sort of like, did they put him in his running gear so that I would remember him from the end of last season when he was also running? Or is this all that James does? Okay, I want to talk to you guys about the music in this episode. Because industry has always had really good music, but I feel like they're doing something a little different in this episode. I don't know if it's going to extend beyond it, but we are getting, you know, some of the traditional score. But we also get a. They went real Social Network. They did in the score when, you know, Max Minghilla of the Social Network fame fired his friend and couldn't look him in the eye. His co founder. Like, we're doing Social Network. We've cast an actor from Social Network and we're aping the score from Social Network in this moment. I'm not mad about it. I'm thrilled about it. Personally, I would say it's even maybe.

[Rob Mahoney]

A little more anxiety inducing than the Social Network score. I considered listening to this score on the way here today and I was like, I don't want that energy.

[Jody Walker]

Not on the road, not on the road.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's not good for anybody.

[Joanna Robinson]

But I thought it was like, we're also getting like, La Mer is dropped in here. Love is Blue, which is literally a song they famously used in a Mad Men. I was like, this is such a Mad Men song. And then they literally used it in a great Mad Men episode. Episode in season six.

[Rob Mahoney]

Plus Shout out. New season, New Order, Joe, you know, we're going New Order bangers right out of the gate.

[Joanna Robinson]

New Order's here. And then we close with Henry Purcell's music for the funeral, Queen Mary, which is the Clockwork Orange theme. Like he's plunking it on the harpist accord. And then it goes. Which is like a classical piece of music. And then it goes into the version that they used. I believe it's the same version they used in Clockwork Orange. So like having Henry in this like old world classical harpsichord space into the drug fueled dystopian nightmare that is a Clockwork Orange. And again, it just feels to Me and I like this that the creators here who are now directing episodes, they directed their first couple episodes at the end of last season. They direct the first two episodes at least of this season, if not more, are just really trying to swing. Here's my bigger picture take on industry. I have liked it from the start, but it feels to me in the first couple seasons because they were so green, which they've called themselves, that it felt a little bit like they were trying to prove that they belong on hbo that like the, the way that sex is used, et cetera, et cetera, like way more sex than heated rivalry. By the way, like the fact that heated rivalry gets all this shit for being like having so much sex. And I was like, have you watched season one of Industry? I have a question.

[Jody Walker]

Well, I believe what heated rivalry has a lot of is pleasure. And there's very little of that on industry. There's a lot of sex and like not a lot of pleasure.

[Joanna Robinson]

But it just felt like slight, like sort of similar to our main characters. It felt slightly more insecure in the first couple seasons and now it's just sort of like, like we're here, we have this opportunity. We took some swings on season three and people loved it. So let's swing even more in season four. And I think they like given the interviews that they've given, I think they really want to establish themselves as like prestige TV makers. We, they want to make an all timer show. And I don't know, what do you think about that, Jody? About the music and about, about the direction they're heading?

[Jody Walker]

Well, I think, you know, I wonder what motivated, like if they are sort of motivated to make an all timer show or if they are just sort of solely motivated by this show, like this very unique creature that they have made. Because something that, you know, I talked about this show with Woz, I've talked about it with Charles. Like that we've always said is that it burns through plot and that is often an insult to a show. It is not on this show it feels sort of fearless. The way that they take on these storylines and the way that they let the show and its cast and its plot lines and its topic areas just move in form and shape. And then the more anchoring things are the relationships between the people, the music, the even like the, I mean Joe, you mentioned Mad Men, this new strange office that Harper has that is now like without a glass desk. That felt like that blocking felt very Mad Men esque. And I think that as the characters find more of a Place in the world. The show sort of also finds more of a place in the world and just feels more secure.

[Joanna Robinson]

And I'm not mad about it, but I do think that putting Kit Harington in the show when you're about to swing into the world of nobility and legacy and all of that is very. We took the guy from Thrones. We had him do sort of like a more Seven Days in Hell performance, like comedy. Kit Harrington is like, one of my favorites, but, like, we had to do more of that. But that's what we're doing. We're doing some maddening swings. We brought Kieran Shipka in. We're doing some social network stuff. We brought Max Minghilla in. I'm not mad about it at all, but I think that's like, an interesting impulse that they have.

[Rob Mahoney]

There's, like, a mood board thing happening in terms of that particular influence. But I think it also speaks to. In terms of the larger framing of the show. Yes, they do burn through plot. Yes. There is kind of an aspirational striving, reaching for prestige quality that's always been there. I've just always thought of industry as, like, prestige soap, basically, for that reason. And I don't mean that in a derogatory way, but because of all of the shift allegiance is. It's like, if you watch this show over a long enough timeline, we will see every character paired up with every other character in some kind of business dealing of some kind, usually underhanded. And that's just sort of the soap formula. Like, you do just cycle through that stuff. Like, it has, in some ways, maybe as much in common with Gossip Girl as it does with Succession.

[Joanna Robinson]

Interesting. Oh, that's interesting process that.

[Jody Walker]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

Are you a soap guy, Rob? Like, is that.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, it depends on what we're talking about. I like soapy elements, you know, wrapped up in this kind of sheen. Am I locked in on Days of Our Lives, General Hospital? Like, not so much, but I'm not turning my nose up at it.

[Jody Walker]

But the ways in which. The ways in which, if you do tune into a soap, and as someone who watched a lot of Passions when she was very young and wasn't supposed to be, like, the way that something will shock you on a. Suddenly someone's brain has been replaced with someone else's. It's like, yeah, succession was crazy. There was crazy. But, like, Rob was ejaculating on a mirror in, like, episode two of this show, maybe episode one. I can't even, like. Like, it's.

[Joanna Robinson]

It.

[Jody Walker]

It moves Fast and furious in a way that a lot of prestige TV does not.

[Joanna Robinson]

And then eating it. Right. Okay.

[Jody Walker]

So thank you. Thank you for taking that milker's bullet.

[Joanna Robinson]

You're welcome. Thank you. I'd love to fall on swords for you. No. So, like, I think that what you say about burning plot. This. This is an interview they gave that I quote, that they gave, I think, to variety, that I really loved where they were talking about, because sometimes when people talk trash, people so rarely talk trash. And so I enjoy it. They were like. A lot of shows these days are one episode stretched over eight episodes. One episode's worth of plot stretched over eight episodes. And I really agree. And they're like, we strive to put eight episodes of plot into one episode. And I really agree. Like, I think they accomplish that, and I think it's great. So. Yeah. Jodi, before we started recording, you promised to tell us which industry character we. Our personalities map on too.

[Jody Walker]

I didn't.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's.

[Jody Walker]

As a word that you guys mentioned to me, it's a brainstorm. I'm just gonna say that Rob was like, you know, maybe you, Joanna, and Jodi are Harper and Yaz. And my immediate thought was like, well, obviously, Rob is Yaz.

[Rob Mahoney]

That was.

[Jody Walker]

That was my. I was like. But of course. So I. You know, maybe the. The gender dynamics took you there. But I. I think Rob's an immediate yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

Tell me why. Tell me why I Rob as a yes.

[Jody Walker]

It's just, you know, that whimsical nature to. To win over anyone.

[Rob Mahoney]

Sure.

[Jody Walker]

He's got it. You make.

[Rob Mahoney]

I love a yacht. I'm gonna be honest with you guys.

[Jody Walker]

I know that you do. And what happens on the yacht stays on the yacht. Unless it falls overboard.

[Rob Mahoney]

I mean, a little light to medium, like patricide. I mean, who among us.

[Jody Walker]

It's like some passive murder manslaughter more than anything else.

[Rob Mahoney]

You're right. Thank you.

[Jody Walker]

Um, Jo, who do you most associate with? I couldn't possibly tell you any fallen characters. And, like, I think I'm Rob, given the luck that I'm having lately. I think I'm Rob, the show's Rob. I'm Robert.

[Joanna Robinson]

Sort of.

[Jody Walker]

It's like the Sex and the City gals. It's like, I think I'm Robert and Harper. I'm somehow a combination of those two.

[Joanna Robinson]

I don't know. I have a hard time mapping myself onto the world.

[Jody Walker]

Well, because they're all awful. Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

And I'm wonderful and perfect and that's correct. And kind and pure.

[Rob Mahoney]

I could see maybe a little bit of Gus in Joe. You know about.

[Joanna Robinson]

Honestly, if I was gonna pick one, I would say Gus.

[Rob Mahoney]

I could definitely see that.

[Joanna Robinson]

Especially in terms of gimmick.

[Rob Mahoney]

Well, and just the increasing exposure to a world that is slowly breaking you apart as it is all of us, honestly.

[Jody Walker]

But it's tough.

[Joanna Robinson]

And then I'm the first one going out to Northern California.

[Jody Walker]

And you exited at the exact right time.

[Rob Mahoney]

It's true.

[Joanna Robinson]

Like, you made the hair. We were colors. And I'm going to. I'll see you later. Okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

And then you're off to be a synthetic, you know, fight the aliens. Joe, keep it up.

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[Jody Walker]

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[Joanna Robinson]

[e-mail] yeah, want that franchise money? Okay. I don't understand this world very well and I don't feel like I need to. I I tweeted out about this about how the pit and industry are combined Shows that I don't understand the jargon, but I don't feel like I need to because they do such a good job storytelling that I understand when things are tense and I understand when people have accomplished things to either win or lose in a financial situation. I. I am following Katie Baker's coverage quite closely because she understands this world better than I did. Get a Bloomberg subscription because their recaps are like much more sort of granular in the money sense. We're not going to get all Bloomberg on this show. Yeah, I'm just like trying to a little bit understand, but are you potting.

[Rob Mahoney]

From a Bloomberg terminal right now? Joe?

[Joanna Robinson]

Always, always. My question for you to is, if you were Margot Robbie in a bathtub, how would you explain the concept of shorts, which is what Harper is interested in shorting? She's shorting Siren. That is like her move inside of this episode. How would you describe it to folks listening at home? Rob, do you want to take the first swing at this?

[Rob Mahoney]

I would love to. Am I financially literate? Eh, you know, broad strokes. And I look, this is where my knowledge stops.

[Jody Walker]

You know how to balance a checkbook?

[Rob Mahoney]

I can get that far. You know, maybe I would be a tender subscriber in this way. I'm looking to, you know, to put my personal portfolio. I'm looking to get into the wealth management game. As a non 1 percenter, a short is obviously betting against a stock. Do I understand the mechanisms by which that is accomplished? I sure don't, Jody.

[Jody Walker]

Oh, please don't throw to me my specific thought while watching this, at this episode and thinking about how many times I've watched the Big short is like Margot Robbie can be as beautiful in that bathtub as she wants to be. And I can listen as hard as possible. I am never going to understand. I think it's that there's stocks that you believe to be overvalued and then they're gonna drop.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah. So here's my understanding. Prestige tvotify.com if you're an pro or Margot Robbie and you wanna email us.

[Rob Mahoney]

We clearly need help.

[Joanna Robinson]

We need help. Here's my understanding. And there's a, a key part of it I don't understand. But here's my understanding. You borrow stocks valued too high, okay. You know, that are overvalued, and then you sit back, you wait for the stock price to go, and then you buy the stocks back for less money than you initially got for them. But I don't.

[Rob Mahoney]

That doesn't make any sense to me. I get what you're saying. But also, I very much.

[Jody Walker]

There's any chance that you have a bathtub in your office, we could just kind of change the settings.

[Joanna Robinson]

Stocks. You sell them at the high price.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

And then you buy them back for a low price, and then you give them back to the person you borrowed them from. So I don't understand the borrowing process. I don't.

[Rob Mahoney]

Nor do I.

[Joanna Robinson]

How you're allowed to borrow stocks. But say, you're allowed to say, give me your five pieces of siren. Right. That are currently valued at $10. I'm gonna sell them at $10. I'm gonna buy them for $5. I've earned 25. And now you can have them back. But if I don't play it right, I still have to, like, pay for. You know, there's like a high risk there. Right. Like, if I, if I get the math wrong, I might have. But I have to give them back no matter what.

[Jody Walker]

Well, it's also ethically a little shady.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know, like in this fashion, especially.

[Jody Walker]

Yeah. Like launching a fund that is. That is fully run on shorts. And I guess, you know, the herper's original idea was that it would be very like white knight. Like, and, and that's.

[Joanna Robinson]

That felt like the story that she.

[Rob Mahoney]

Was hearing for sure. Yeah. Did she believe that? And if she did, would she even care? No way.

[Jody Walker]

No, she doesn't care at all.

[Joanna Robinson]

So I might have just made things worse. And if I did, once again, presstvpotify.com. should this be the moment where we take a minute to brainstorm what our industry specific email should be without getting us on any watch lists?

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, Jody, that's tricky.

[Joanna Robinson]

Would you like. You don't have to, but would you like to go first?

[Jody Walker]

I. Well, you. I. I want to be clear, Joanna, you said offline that it cannot be Colonel creampaymail dot com.

[Joanna Robinson]

I don't think it should be Colonel Creampay at Gmail.

[Jody Walker]

Then I have no suggestions. The reveal that Siren, this sort of only fans competitor of this episode that we're introducing to who is now, you know, and I love, I love this part of the episode and I presume the season of playing on that, like, you know, these, these big wigs and boardrooms who are acting like they're doing feminism by giving women the opportunity to express themselves the way they want to and make money, only to reveal that before it was called Siren, it was called Colonel Cream Pie, was positively wonderful, an absolutely perfect reveal. And also, like felt very in line with our. Our new character played By Max Minjella. Max Minjella.

[Joanna Robinson]

I think it's. I think.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah, I think it's Mingala.

[Jody Walker]

British. It's all over the board. Max Minghella plays Wit, who is kind of. He's sort of acting like a white knight within his own company at Tinder.

[Rob Mahoney]

And then at least for the shareholders, if no one else.

[Joanna Robinson]

And then he's like, I'm going to. Gonna keep it off the books. Yeah, don't let anyone know.

[Rob Mahoney]

I'm sure it's fine.

[Jody Walker]

And after he's chewed cow pen out for, like, you know, his lack of ethical boundaries and how he's acting and what he's up to, and then he leaves the room, and then Whitney throws a chair and then hollers for his assistant to come pick it up. It's like, okay, we're all Colonel Greenpie.

[Rob Mahoney]

We are all Colonel Cream Pie.

[Jody Walker]

You're right.

[Joanna Robinson]

I really do. I don't want Colonel Creampie to be in the email, but if it were, it would be. We're all colonelcreampymail.com what if in lieu.

[Rob Mahoney]

Of the email, when we refer to Tender or. Sorry, when we refer to Siren, over the course of this podcast, we refer to it as Siren, Nay, Colonel Cream Pie. You know, just to really, really give honor to the heritage.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yes. Yeah. The artist formerly known as Colonel Cream Pie. Rob, do you have any email suggestions you would like. Like to float?

[Rob Mahoney]

I do have some. I have a. I have a bracket of, like, are these usable for us or are these going to get us in trouble? Jerking off is recession [e-mail].

[Joanna Robinson]

Right.

[Jody Walker]

Which I might like to counter with sucking, fucking rolling the [e-mail] account pen line.

[Rob Mahoney]

I have the exact same one written down. Also related. Wanking is [e-mail]. those are all under an umbrella I would love to use in theory. Do I want to say those things every episode? Slash, will we get in trouble if we use them? I honestly don't know.

[Joanna Robinson]

Know. We're just asking questions. I would like to suggest a couple that may be less dicey for us to say on a weekly basis, though. Why. Why shy away from what we are? Ambientfogmail.com the description of Jonah's office was.

[Jody Walker]

Sent for a candle as well.

[Joanna Robinson]

Vital to me. Yeah. Harpsichordheroinemail.com is something that I thought about perhaps Harpsichord, of course, being Eric's nickname for Harper as well. So it gives us a nice, like, history to the thing. Bone dry, coldest space, which is Jonah's exquisite martini order which I will be adding to my. My vodka martini order. And then this is a. This is a like going back to season one one but charlieandbrass gmail.com which is. These are the words that got Yasmine flagged on the in office IMs when they're like you were talking about Charlie and Brass, which is code for coke and hookers. And she was like no, it's talking about a dog and interior decorating. But anyway those are some ideas I had. I'm not in love with any of them necessarily. Jodi, do you have any other ideas floating around?

[Jody Walker]

My remaining ones were very again fashion motivated. Ericskinglehatgmail.com and also harpers pinstripesmail.com were very important to me.

[Rob Mahoney]

She does love a pinstripe.

[Jody Walker]

She loves it. She's wearing so many little suit pieces. She's so small. I just love her.

[Rob Mahoney]

One last one to throw into the ring. New elevated level of sobriety gmail.com it's. It's a tough one because we do. I think we want to keep them.

[Joanna Robinson]

A little bit concise.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah we need them to be a little more concise but we need them to be a certain level of at least crass if not fully getting us in trouble.

[Jody Walker]

One that I logged that I was like maybe this is a little too inhumane. Main is I really loved when the a new character whose name I have not yet registered but who is Harper's subordinate. Who she is obviously.

[Joanna Robinson]

Yeah.

[Jody Walker]

He says it might be worth a pause to consider why we're causing bleeds on our clients brains after the stroke. And I thought Client Brain Bleed sounded like a pretty good name for a band at least.

[Joanna Robinson]

I like I yeah I like Client.

[Jody Walker]

It's a little hard to say. I'm now realizing it is kind of a tongue twister. Client brain [e-mail] client brain [e-mail].

[Joanna Robinson]

Rob, where are you leaning?

[Rob Mahoney]

I kind of think heroin harpsichord is. Is where we should go and it, you know, it's setting the moody ambiance for the season. It's getting at the Harper elements, the heavy drug use. It's kind of all there in a way that I think it does speak to me.

[Joanna Robinson]

What do you think Jetty? Where are you leaning?

[Jody Walker]

Rob, what was the first one you.

[Rob Mahoney]

Said of the of the allowable or unallowable bracket jerking off his recession proof.

[Jody Walker]

It's pretty good. It's a lot to type.

[Rob Mahoney]

It does feel like a universal truth. You know it does say something about humanity in the way that industry says something about humanity.

[Jody Walker]

Heroin. Harpsichord's good. My only concern is spelling heroin the correct way.

[Rob Mahoney]

Sure.

[Jody Walker]

It's no E. Right.

[Rob Mahoney]

And frankly, harpsichord the correct way. It might also be a bit of a roll of the dice.

[Jody Walker]

Yeah. I don't know if. I don't know if Eric has it spelled correctly in his.

[Joanna Robinson]

What if we. I feel like usually when we do this, there's like one that jumps off the page and I'm not really feeling like we're all equally animated about something. So why don't we punt this for a week up to the listeners. Prestige TV, Spotify.com if you guys have a favorite, or if you want to suggest something that won't get us on a list.

[Jody Walker]

But also you can suggest ones that would get us on a list, but we won't take them.

[Joanna Robinson]

We'll leave it to next week and we'll come back with a winner next week.

[Jody Walker]

We're just gating the fund for now.

[Rob Mahoney]

We're just gating.

[Joanna Robinson]

I don't know what that means, but yes, that's what we're just getting. No, I do. I get it.

[Rob Mahoney]

This is also how we know Joe isn't a Harper type because the impulsivity is just not there. You're actually playing the long game. You're not just chasing these short term returns.

[Joanna Robinson]

I want us all to feel good about it. Okay. I want to talk about this idea of fintech text as sort of the story of the hour. So reading, reading the Bloomberg recap and also the Guardian recap was me trying to understand sort of like what isn't, what is ripped from the headlines in the uk. Right. So, like, there's a couple things going on here. There's the, you know, the rise of the Labor Party. I thought it was so interesting. The show has spent seasons seating these Tory, you know, politicians into the mix. And then what happened in the UK is there was a landside victory for the Labor Party. Keir Starmer is and is the prime minister, et cetera, et cetera. And so they're like, like jk. Forget the character we've had since season two seating as a potential future prime minister. It's the Labor Party instead. But what that does to sort of the season three idea of like wokeness and environmentally friendly sort of properties and stuff like that versus what Otto says about dropping the R word at work inside of this episode. So, like the backlash to the Labor Party and how that. That's. That's working inside of this. Any thoughts about that? Sort of like where we Are politically, we get one of my favorite punchable jaws. I absolutely love him. Edward Holcroft is here as Sebastian Stefanowitz, one of the conservative mps. We see him briefly on the tv. But I'm, like, so excited because, like, that guy was born to be in industry, and I'm so excited.

[Jody Walker]

What a jaw. You're right. What a jaw.

[Joanna Robinson]

He's the best politically. What are you sort of animated by the season, Jody?

[Jody Walker]

Oh, I felt. Rob, did you have something? You were nodding. I felt like you were ready to get into it, I would say, just.

[Rob Mahoney]

From the sense that I feel like this is one of those things other shows haven't quite caught up to yet. And maybe some of it is the difference in American politics versus UK politics. But this idea of like, again, like, the reclaiming, quote, unquote, of those kinds of words, like the way things are said behind closed doors, what qualifies as an HR violation and what doesn't in this. In this particular world, in this particular moment, I feel like the show is rolling with very well. Like, the difference between a 2021 version of Industry and a 2026 version of Industry are so wildly apart. And tapping into it in a way that reflects the politics of the country, but also reflects the way people are and will continue talking behind closed doors is such a delicate balancing act. I feel like the show's doing it really well.

[Jody Walker]

Well, and I think it's really impressive because you have to be predictive in some way to. To feel very present once an episode is airing or once a season is airing. And these seasons air pretty far apart from being such short seasons. And it is the rare show where that does not annoy me because I almost feel like I need the time to recover. I need a little time emotionally to, like, get myself back together to learn how to love Harper again. You know, I just need some time and space from the show sometimes. And so, like, you know, the season three aired, what, a year and a half ago, and they've. And even from season three to season four, the politics feel very different. And the sort of looseness with the disgusting language, and there's a lot of. There are a lot of racial references, I think, flying around in this episode, in this premiere that, you know, Harper seems sort of resigned to. You know, there were the. The. The connection that she and Otto made was in season three, founded by a mutual understanding that she was uniquely talented, reminded him of himself. He said that before they were ever even working together, but that also she'd be a great face. And that it would look very progressive. The way that that language has evolved in this premiere of how outright he's being with her, that she was just a face and demeaning her and feeling totally comfortable to stupid fucking robes is. Is a different kind of progression. Is a different kind of progressiveness.

[Joanna Robinson]

Absolutely. I thought. Yeah, I thought it was interesting. I feel like there was more. This has always been something that the show has discussed. Eric talked about sort of like the way his mentor treated him racially and stuff like that. It's something that's been on the show's mind. But I think there were more references across every single storyline.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

Like, even when we're over at Tender, and they're like a lot of Asians in that pro. You know what I mean? Like, they're just sort of like, every single storyline is touching on this. I would say there are more references inside of this one episode than maybe even across, like, the whole series. So I don't know where they're. What they're planning to do with that this season, but that is certainly something that. Yeah, it does feel like the sort of anti. Woke. Woke sort of moment inside of this.

[Jody Walker]

I don't know, the rebound, like the backlash to the backlash of woke.

[Rob Mahoney]

The moment that really got it for me is when Harper is sort of venting on the phone to Eric about the way she's being treated. And it's like, oh, it's just another angry black woman thing. And I think there's a lot of shows where that's where the dialogue stops and what makes industry industry, as Eric says. But you are an angry, angry black woman. Like, there is a confrontational aspect to the way the show discusses race. That's like, you can't pretend Harper is not an angry character like that. That is fundamental to her DNA and the way she presents on the show. And so it's like, why wouldn't you, in a show like this, call out the thing that could be called out with people who have this level of intimacy, who have this sort of relationship, like, this isn't an office relationship anymore that can be patrolled by literally anyone other than them. And so it makes sense within the world that they have created for themselves that he would say something like that.

[Jody Walker]

But then. But then it does its classic industry thing where it's like these characters have said something wild. Now you, the audience, consider it and where you land in it. Because when I. When in that interaction, I was like, oh, yeah, well, Eric's pointing out, like, you are an angry black woman and you Lead with liking the way that you are.

[Rob Mahoney]

Are.

[Jody Walker]

Then I was like, is Harper angry? She's a lot of things, but I feel like she's intense and she's aggressive, which is the word that's originally used.

[Rob Mahoney]

Fair.

[Jody Walker]

But is she mad all the time? I don't think so. She's kind of numb, you know, like, she's kind of deadened inside a lot and just like moving forward with. She's a survivalist. Like that.

[Joanna Robinson]

That's.

[Jody Walker]

That is really always her leading instinct. And sometimes anger plays that into that and sometimes it doesn't. But it. It was interesting for me as an audience member to like, hear her be reduced to someone to that by someone who does know all of her nuance. And to wonder what. Because then it. It doesn't go a step further. She doesn't respond to it. But to wonder how she. She felt about that.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yes.

[Joanna Robinson]

What I also love inside of that conversation is her. When. When I saw that Eric. Eric's current love interest was like a young black woman, I was like. And then Harper's like, calls it out. I'm like.

[Jody Walker]

And then. And then he tries to get in front of it. And it's like, I'm not a fetishist. Nothing to do with you.

[Rob Mahoney]

Of course not. How could it possibly.

[Joanna Robinson]

To it all?

[Jody Walker]

She owned those denim shorts before I met her.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's interesting because Kenlyn gave an interview. The actor. The actor who plays Eric gave an interview. My guy Miles from Lost, who I love so much. But like, he gave an interview to Variety where he was talking about the Eric. Eric Harper relationship. And he was saying how much it was about Eric's relationship with his own daughters.

[Jody Walker]

Harper.

[Joanna Robinson]

But it is also this other thing. That's what industry is very messy.

[Rob Mahoney]

Holy Sigmund Freud on all of that. The way in which all of these characters are. And we're literally fucking each other and are. And we're kind of fucking over each other and just kind of orbiting those two things at all times in different directions. It's almost hard to keep track of, frankly. But it leads to this really rich complexity in those relationships. Elevates it. Right? It's the combination of all that stuff stewing together.

[Jody Walker]

And if I may, just because I have it in front of me, because a lot of that dynamic was revealed in season three. And interestingly, kind of with Eric and seeing his daughters in Harper and he. And he's kind of doing that in Yaz and it's getting much murkier in season three. And he tells Bill Adler, I Believe I used to see what my daughters could become and achieve in every young woman I came across. And Bill replies, and now you want to come across every young woman. And that's industry. And that's on industry.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

On the fintech front, I am by no means an expert in this. In the world of financial tech, obviously.

[Jody Walker]

Not like you are on shorts.

[Joanna Robinson]

This is obviously, clearly I googled something once. But we should say that, you know, for American audiences who don't know, there have been a lot of scandals around financial tech institutions in the uk, specifically with Revolut and Wirecard. And once again, shout out. I believe it was Bloomberg for like breaking down the very specific ways in which they are nodding towards those very specific companies. Like, you know, for example, my new, my new favorite name for a character on industry is Ferdinand Schwarzwald, who is the Austrian who Whitney has hired.

[Rob Mahoney]

Not a crowd.

[Jody Walker]

Schwarzwald, by the way, so lightly sounds like the they reference. Like if a young woman wants to record her flatulence on a microphone and make a siren account out of it, that sounds like that could be the username Schwarzwald.

[Joanna Robinson]

Schwarzwald. So Schwarzwald means Black Forest. I don't usually get, I don't, I wouldn't necessarily get too granular on names except for the fact that Henry's last name is Muk and now Yasmine's name is Lady Muk. Like that is just, you know, they obviously do name stuff sometimes. But like just the, the, the neon sign on the wall that we, that we have here at Tender, which says your future is a mountain. Right. And this is a common thing. Like when I worked at Vanity Fair, they put a, they put a banner up that said think like a startup. Like this is like a thing you see across many companies, but the, the neon of it and the Canary Wharf location, like the waterfront location that they call it and stuff like that apparently is a, is, is a direct nod to, I think it's Revolut where it said get done is when the neon sign said at Revolution.

[Jody Walker]

Well, it's like when someone has kitchen that says eat. Sometimes you just need to be reminded what to do. What do I do when you enter a room?

[Joanna Robinson]

But I mean, as far as what's going to happen to Tender, we should just say it did not go well for these various financial tech institutes that, that, that were sort of taken down in the UK in a huge scandalous fashion. And then also the other thing is that the UK Online safety act, which has been recently enacted is, is sort of re being reflected here in Terms of like checking the age of people who are logging on to Siren and all that sort of stuff like that. So that is like the UK is directly grappling with right now.

[Jody Walker]

That's.

[Rob Mahoney]

That's so charming, the idea of having actual fintech scandal. Like here we just have the fraud, you know, it's just the fraud part.

[Joanna Robinson]

And then the consequences.

[Rob Mahoney]

You know, we just shrug our shoulders and move on.

[Jody Walker]

I have a question about Tinder, which is that in this world which is very similar to ours, does Tinder with an eye not exist? Or have they just taken a big swing in naming their company after another. Another very popular company?

[Joanna Robinson]

Something I was just going to note, Jody, is that in your delicious accent, which I love, Tinder and Tender sound much more similar than they do in my accent or the uk or the UK accent.

[Rob Mahoney]

This is not a lawyer situation. This is. Everything is being lumped together somehow.

[Jody Walker]

Tender with a really soft E. You.

[Rob Mahoney]

Need to say it exactly like that every time. Please.

[Joanna Robinson]

You need to say it how you would Normally say tender 2.0.

[Jody Walker]

Perfect.

[Joanna Robinson]

All right. Anything else, Rob, honey, that you want to address inside of this episode?

[Rob Mahoney]

Two quick things. One, on the sociopolitical front, all actors got to work. You know, they're all looking for the next job. They're all looking for the next gig. Being the body double for Donald Trump on a golf course is a tough beat. You know, it's not what any. I don't think many people want that particular job. But again, somebody's got to do it well.

[Jody Walker]

And if you have the bills, you know, if you've got it, why not make that paycheck?

[Sponsor Voice]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

Why not make that cash? You look good in a red hat. I guess.

[Rob Mahoney]

I also did a quick, like Google Trends search on Sesquibedalian.

[Jody Walker]

Yep.

[Rob Mahoney]

To see how many people like me were googling it. Huge spike, as you would expect. A nice, nice industry sized spike. But more perplexingly, there was an even bigger spike in 2023. So if you out there have any knowledge as to what would have been the cause or the source of Sesquadalian entering the lexicon or reentering the lexicon really in 2023, I would love the answer to that. Prestige tvpotify.com, if you please.

[Jody Walker]

And given that I can't even say Tinder like that is enough for. That's enough to give me a bit of a brain bleed as well. Also, absolute lol. That that word means long winded, you know.

[Joanna Robinson]

Right.

[Jody Walker]

Okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

Yeah.

[Joanna Robinson]

Okay. Pot, kettle and all. Exactly. Jodi. Anything else you want to to flag inside of this episode.

[Jody Walker]

I just, you know, I love and hate these people and I find myself at the end of this premiere so excited to watch the interaction of relationship between our sort of remaining original characters. Harper, Yaz. I loved Yaz's new straight hair when she stomped into her dinner party with cards and her powered double wide shoulder leather [e-mail]. just want to throw that one in at the end. One possibility like just knowing what could be to come and how fast this show moves. And also, I mean, I think the. The standout line for me is when Eric shows up and he and Harper are, you know, talking about going into business together, getting both of their names on the door. Great idea. And she says you came. And he says, you called these two. I know, I swear. I swear.

[Joanna Robinson]

It's important to me. It's important to Sigmund Freud. It's important to all of us that you email us presstvpotify.com to explain the ins and outs of financial buzzwords. We. You don't promise that we'll understand them, but I'd like to hear what you have to say about them. UK politics, harpsichords versus pianoforts. I could not get a clean answer on that one and anything else. Jody, I'm so thrilled that we get to do this with. Thank you for like letting us do this with you. This season is a. It's a thriller.

[Jody Walker]

Thank you. Thank you for doing it here with me. I'm just, you know, I look forward to whatever kind of backstabbing situation we're going to find ourselves in at as colleagues and friends and what kind of companies we might start together and just how this is all going to go.

[Joanna Robinson]

If you would like to email us and let us know which. Which industry characters you think we are, I'd be curious.

[Jody Walker]

That might be changes and morphs throughout the season as we continue to backstab each other. So I did say over on Plug on we're obsessed. My my other podcast where Nora and I did some 26 ins and outs that seducing people for revenge is in for 2026. Is it that? Yeah, it is. You don't have to do it but it is on trend and that feels very, very industry ask especially this season with all the espionage Harper like as.

[Joanna Robinson]

Soon as Harper had sex with Whitney, I was like, I can't wait for her to fuck him over in one way or another.

[Jody Walker]

I'm so excited for that relationship, for.

[Joanna Robinson]

The downfall of Whitney.

[Rob Mahoney]

Whatever happens, honestly, Joe is all I could think about when you were talking about industry as a show coming into its power, like, it is really stand with this. You know, it's strapped up right here in episode one. Like, this is where we are.

[Joanna Robinson]

Thank you. Thank you.

[Jody Walker]

You know, we talk about industry burning through plot and like, sort of not showing a lot of restraint in some ways. But the sheer fact that it is taken until season four for Harper Stern to peg someone is like, okay, well, they're holding back some punches.

[Joanna Robinson]

Pegging this [e-mail] pegging this latemail.com something. You know, pegging is never earlier late. It arrives right when it needs to. Okay.

[Rob Mahoney]

@Yahoo.Com gandalf into pegging? You know, this really opens up a whole can of worms.

[Joanna Robinson]

Strained peggingmail.com oh, genteelpeggingmail.com okay, we'll be back. Rob and I will be back later in the week to talk about the pit episode two. Duh, Pit. And it's a great time to be on the Prestige TV feature. Thank you so much. We'll see you soon.

[Rob Mahoney]

Bye.