Industry Season 4 Episode 8 Review: Both, And

On Industry Season 4 Episode 8, “Both, And,” Harper, Yasmin, and Henry confront uncomfortable truths about their lives as the media storm around Tender continues. 

Things were going a little too well for Yasmin and Harper last week. It felt inevitable that their unity would be short-lived. Their ultimate undoing, though, packs one of the most emotional punches in the series’ run so far.

Throughout Season 4, Industry has played with the cultural pendulum swinging back toward conservative ideology. It crops up here and there, but it rears its ugly head in “Both, And.”

In her never-ending pursuit of feeling necessary, Yasmin fully transforms into someone Harper cannot recognize anymore. She prioritizes her stability and purposes over any sense of ideals and the safety of her biggest ally.

Yasmin never stood for much, but her going down this route is shocking and stomach-churning. She completely buys into this delusion that what she’s doing and the people she’s surrounding herself with are noble and beneficial. 

Marisa Abela still allows flickers of a less hardened Yasmin to come through. There’s moments where we see her mull over her choices, weighing the pros and cons of her new path.

Yasmin’s final scene of Season 4 is jaw-dropping and painful. Her father still remains a suffocating presence, even in death. It’s disturbing as the audio plays over and over again, acting like this weird mixture of torture and comfort.

Yasmin’s dinner marks a moment of reckoning for Harper as well. This character who repeatedly occupies an apolitical lane (Yasmin herself points this out to her face) and thrives in moral ambiguity snaps back to reality a bit. Harper witnesses firsthand when this industry goes too far.

Furthermore, the person who is supposed to care for Harper the most puts that aside for her own agenda. Just when she opens up to someone again, the rug is pulled out from under her. Later, when she confides in Kwabena, she commits fully to hardening against the world, but at what cost?

Harper’s journey throughout Season 4 examines her lack of fulfillment and loneliness. It was a much more restrained and interior arc than we’re used to for her, but the final scene ties it up beautifully.

For the first time, Harper really acknowledges the toll of the success she’s chased. She’s on top of the world but is lonelier than ever. She holds the satisfaction of being right in the end, but has no one to really share or enjoy it with.

Myha’la’s work in this scene specifically impeccably personifies a different Harper than we’re used to. Her typical braggadocios energy is tempered and her loneliness pours out of her. Every word is drenched in a bittersweet coating.

After her interview, a flight attendant asks Harper if she’s finished. It clearly strikes a nerve within Harper beyond her drink order.

Where does she go from here if she can continue at all? Is there a new high to chase and, if so, is it even sustainable for her? 

Looking a head to the recently announced fifth and final season, it will be interesting to see where these characters land. Both these women have lost pieces of themselves in their pursuits. Harper, though, may see the light.

Will Industry Season 5 be Harper’s journey out, or will she be pulled back in? Is Yas capable of being saved or will she spiral deeper into darkness?

One thing is for certain, though. After this impeccable season, the final iteration can’t come soon enough.

Stray Thoughts

• I’m not sure how I feel about Henry being welcomed back by his uncle. Although, he is on his medication now so maybe things are looking up?
• I don’t trust Haley and will be very interested to see if and how she continues to leverage her proximity to Yasmin going forward.
• Yasmin taking the chance to show Harper the video of Eric felt malicious rather than from a place of care for her.

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Industry airs Sunday at 8:00 PM ET on HBO.

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