The graduates and their supervisors at Pierpoint & Co. never take a break, and Industry Season 1 Episode 2 definitely proved that.
The episode, titled “Quiet and Nice,” focused on Yasmin, but Robert, Harper, and Gus also played important roles.
And with Pierpoint & Co.’s reputation on the line in the wake of Hari’s death, every character moves full speed ahead. Well, at least they try to.
First, we learned about Yasmin, a relief considering we did not think much of her on Industry Season 1 Episode 1.
Yasmin’s troubles with her misogynistic supervisor, Kenny, was a central storyline, and we saw how she really struggled with this professional relationship.
It is not easy standing up for yourself, especially if your boss is an angry jerk like Kenny, who will embarrass his employees if they make the slightest mistake. Even if he is the one who made an error.
Nobody gives a fuck about what I think about you. Or what you think about me, nobody gives a fuck. You see the problem with this industry; they keep hiring these fucking princesses.
Kenny
It must be even more challenging for Yasmin, who seems to have a complicated relationship with her mother, along with an inattentive boyfriend.
Yasmin is evidently desperate to please everyone around her. She wants to prove her worth to Pierpoint, her mother, and her boyfriend, but her attempts backfire. Kenny treats her like trash, her mother treats her like a joke, and her boyfriend treats her like she barely exists.
But Yasmin knows her worth; she just does not speak about it. She wants to prove people wrong through her actions, not through words. However, with limited opportunities, she gets a boost of confidence from an unexpected source — Harper.
Harper speaks up when Kenny drunkenly yells at a tongue-tied Yasmin. Despite starting off on the wrong foot, Harper has never been afraid to stand up for what is right. It is why she seems to have transitioned the best to Pierpoint of all the graduates.
Harper: Do the guys on your desk always treat you like that?
Yasmin: Is your team not like that?
Harper: Eric’s great.
Yasmin: Yeah, I mean, at least he gives you agency.
Harper: No one’s gonna give you agency. You have to take it. Try not to think about all the different ways that you can be wrong. They don’t.
Harper inspires Yasmin to take control of herself. It may take time for Yasmin to prove herself to Kenny — after all, Yasmin has known her mother for decades, and she still struggles with proving herself to her. She is in a long term relationship with Seb, her boyfriend, and she still feels like she has to prove herself to him.
But Harper reminded Yasmin that she cannot sit around and wait for opportunities. Yasmin must speak up for herself, go after what she wants, and not let anyone stop her.
Yasmin is capable of so much, and both she and Harper know that. But at Pierpoint, it is evidently clear that no graduate should wait for an opportunity — they must take them, even if they think they do not exist.
With this newfound advice, we hope to see Yasmin create chances for herself since nobody else will give them to her.
In the meantime, Yasmin and Harper’s newly found bond pleasantly surprised us. After Harper gave Yasmin advice, they quickly warmed up to each other at the after-party, and they got along quite well. They seem to have both found new support within each other, so we can only hope their friendship grows stronger.
We love resilient female characters, and when those characters form friendships, it is even better.
But Yasmin was not the only character who struggled with fighting for their future on Industry Season 1 Episode 2. While Gus had no issue standing up for himself, he still had difficulty dealing with the uncertainty of his future following Hari’s death.
Right now, things are not looking good for Gus. Pierpoint plans to “restructure” Hari’s team to avoid outside scrutiny, which happens to include Gus.
Sure, their supervisor, Lucinda, is safe, despite Pierpoint executives watching her like a hawk. She has a new Vice President position waiting for her.
But Gus? Pierpoint will move him to the trading floor, a job he clearly does not want.
We should acknowledge that he was rude to Sara, the executive he discussed his future with. Thankfully, she looked past his tone and realized he was still hurting because of Hari’s death.
We cannot help but wonder if Gus’s adamancy about moving to sales and refusing to accept anything else has to do with not allowing himself to process Hari’s death.
As far as we know, Gus and Hari did not know each other for very long, but Gus is clearly impacted by Hari’s sudden death. He already lost his colleague, and now Pierpoint will disband his team to avoid a scandal.
Things are changing quickly for Gus, and we wonder how he will react. Will he smoothly transition to his new department? Or will he spiral out of control?
Only time will tell.
You know, why are women so much more interesting to men than men are to women?
Gus
We also learned that Gus has a romantic past with Theo. Despite Theo living with his girlfriend, things between Gus and Theo seem to be far from over.
The couple resumed hooking up on Industry Season 1 Episode 2, and despite Gus seemingly okay with keeping their relationship private, there were tense moments that suggested otherwise.
Theo and Gus seem to have intense feelings for each other, but that means nothing if they do not talk about them. It also does not mean anything if Theo refuses to leave his girlfriend, which seems to be the case.
This relationship seems to be headed for heartbreak despite the connection Theo and Gus have. We can only hope that they will end up together.
Another couple that sparked a flame on “Quiet and Nice” was Robert and Yasmin, even though Yasmin already has a boyfriend.
They are not hooking up yet, but it looks like these two will lock lips soon, given their off the charts flirting throughout the episode.
Robert and Yasmin’s relationship has evolved from co-workers to a flirty game of cat and mouse, but what does that mean for Yasmin and Seb?
Well, if Seb continues to ignore Yasmin, it looks like she will seek comfort elsewhere.
Right now, Robert and Yasmin’s connection is mostly physical, but we hope that they will get the opportunity to develop an emotional bond, so Yasmin could be with somebody who treats her well.
But they both have different values, and they both seem to be in different places in their lives. Could this relationship work out in the long run? Well, there is only one way to find out — we will have to keep watching to see what happens.
In a way, “Quiet and Nice” revolved around the themes of standing your ground, standing up for what you believe in, and fighting for your future.
Yasmin and Gus are prominent examples, but there were subtle instances as well, such as Harper’s search for a new place to live.
Eric: Why didn’t you speak up?
Harper: Sorry, I didn’t know that you wanted me to.
Eric: I don’t need quiet and nice on my desk.
At first, things do not go well — potential roommates keep rejecting Harper, and those that she meets up with are either borderline creepy, or they do not mesh well with her.
But thankfully, her unexpected bond with Yasmin worked out in her favor — Yasmin offered Harper a spare bedroom at her house.
Harper and Yasmin seem to develop a fast friendship, but we wonder how that will change in the future.
In the meantime, we will bask in the beauty of friendships between women because we often forget how important they are. And with things heating up at Pierpoint & Co., Harper and Yasmin could definitely both use someone to lean on in tough times.
Your turn, Fanatics!
What did you think of Industry Season 1 Episode 2? Do you think anything will happen between Yasmin and Robert, or will their relationship remain dangerously flirtatious? What about Theo and Gus?
Will Harper and Yasmin’s dynamic change now that they are living under the same roof? And what about Gus’s future at Pierpoint and Yasmin’s relationship with Kenny?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
You can watch Industry online right here, at TV Fanatic!
Sarah Novack is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.