If the first episode of “Industry” was all about introducing us to Pierpoint & Co.’s new graduate hires and their respective desks, the show’s second installment is where we get a taste of the bank’s company culture. It doesn’t look like the cheeriest place to work.
Yes, the business has suffered a recent and horrific tragedy in the death of Hari but, jarringly, this seems to have been relegated to a secondary story line—for now, at least. The main action in the episode revolves around Eric, who is panicking that Cross Product Sales (CPS) is losing business to other desks on the trading floor, and Yasmin, who finds herself in the firing line of her manipulative, sexist superior Kenny.
However, while the overarching power dynamics between various employees are clear, there are still whole conversations—or in some cases, scenes—where viewers could be forgiven for not having the slightest idea what is going on. This is, in part, because a significant portion of the dialogue revolves around complicated financial deals. The characters talk fast, throwing in acronyms and banking slang that is never explained, leaving viewers to either guess the meanings, or have some sort of online financial dictionary open on their computer as they watch. In case neither of these options appeal, here’s our guide to the three key things we learned in episode two.
Kenny is determined to make Yasmin’s life hell
Yasmin is trying hard to impress her brash, incredibly unlikeable boss on the Foreign Exchange (FX) desk. She arrives early in the morning to email him recaps of how the Asian markets performed while London was asleep and is meticulous about getting his high-maintenance lunch orders correct. But she can’t win. Kenny views the workplace through a misogynistic lens and doesn’t see a place on the trading floor for an ambitious, stylishly-dressed young woman from a privileged background.
