In Season 4, 'Industry' Finally Became a Dad Show

If you’re not watching yet, it’s time

Yas breaks bad. Simon Ridgway/HBO

Not everyone agrees about whether Michael Mann makes Dad Movies or not. Some people think his movies are too artistically sophisticated to be compared to things that are usually thought of as being For Dads, like Reacher or The Hunt for Red October or whatever. Others think that because they’re thrillers about men who are very good at their jobs, they meet important Dad Movie criteria, and therefore are Dad Movies, no matter what the cinephiles say. You can guess what I believe. And if Michael Mann movies are For Dads, then Industry Season 4 is For Dads, because Industry Season 4 is a Michael Mann movie.

The strongest Mann influence comes from The Insider, his 1999 film where Al Pacino plays a 60 Minutes producer helping a tobacco industry whistleblower played by Russell Crowe get his story out. Some of the same elements are at play here, with investigative journalism and whistleblowing. The difference is that on Industry the journalism mostly goes away, and the investigation turns to getting the guy who’s blowing the whistle on a corrupt bank to go on record so they can short the bank’s stock and make a lot of money (the world of Industry is a cynical one). The season’s fifth episode, where traders Sweetpea Golightly and Kwabena Bannerman go to Ghana to find evidence of fraud, is the most Insider-y, and one of the best of the season. Industry transformed from a character drama to a full-on corporate thriller this season, and that episode is the most thrilling. (Journalism doesn’t go away entirely; there’s a surprise cameo in the finale from America’s greatest contemporary journalist Patrick Radden Keefe. This show knows its audience.)

Perfect Sam from ‘Ted Lasso’ breaks bad. Simon Ridgway/HBO

The Insider isn’t the only Mann influence. I read an interview in GQ with creators Konrad Kay and Mickey Down where they compare Harper and Yasmin’s dynamic, where the characters are drawn to each other because each has something that the other wants but could never have, to Pacino and De Niro in Heat, and cited Manhunter as a reference for Episode 5. If you watch Industry, you are privy to a great becoming.

On that note, Marisa Abela’s Yasmin Kara-Hanani really came into her own in Season 4, as a character and a performance. Abela was the show’s undisputed MVP this season, giving an absolutely scorched-earth performance as a woman who will do whatever it takes to survive. Yasmin’s transformation into a Nazi-associated Ghislane Maxwell in the finale was shocking, but not surprising when you think about her trajectory over the course of the series. The finale is called “Both/And” — Yasmin is both a victim and an abuser. I don’t know if Industry will ever break through into earning Emmy nominations, but if it does, Abela’s Edie Falco-esque performance this season will be leading the charge. Also Laura K. Smith for costume design. Everyone looked incredible this season.

Industry wasn’t a Dad Show before, but now it is. So if you’ve been unsure about whether you should watch it because even though you’ve heard it’s good, a coming-of-age drama about sexy young bankers doesn’t sound like something you’d be into, trust that it becomes something you’re very into in Season 4. (And it’s great when it’s a coming-of-age drama about sexy young bankers, too; if you watch one such show, make it this one.)

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I forgot to post this last week, but I reviewed the HBO limited series DTF St. Louis for TV Guide last week. I think the show is excellent; creator Steven Conrad has a one of a kind voice, and it’s exciting to watch him use it with HBO’s resources. I gave it a 9 out of 10, which I believe is the highest grade I’ve ever given a show on initial release.

DTF St. Louis, with its prime HBO Sunday night slot and high-profile cast, is something like Conrad's version of The White Lotus, where cult favorite creator Mike White fit his signature style into a more commercially accessible mystery format. DTF St. Louis has a dead body in the first episode to give the plot a hook, but that's where Conrad's concessions to the marketplace end. The rest of it is pure Conrad, all artfully de-stylized dialogue, transcendent bursts of surreal humor, and extremely specific character details (Floyd cries at comic books because he's relieved Batman didn't die).

I also interviewed Marshals creator Spencer Hudnut for Parade. He told me about the challenges of adapting Taylor Sheridan’s style for the broadcast procedural format. Interesting conversation. I’m going back into the Sheridanverse soon, stay tuned…