Summary
“The Fool” trades the white-knuckle tension of the previous episode for a more cerebral chess match as the student plots to overthrow the master.
This recap of Industry season 2, episode 3, “The Fool”, contains spoilers. You can check out our thoughts on the previous episode by clicking these words.
You miss all of the shots you don’t take, or so the expression goes, but it’s worth asking whether the problem in Industry is who you’re hitting when you pull the trigger. This is partly a figurative point, but “The Fool” makes it surprisingly literal during a hunting trip to Wales that is almost cartoonishly obvious in being a metaphor for old money versus new. Someone like Jesse Bloom – an American, no less, which doesn’t go unremarked upon – might not have any idea how a shotgun works, or even what a pheasant is, but if he messes around for long enough the pellets are going to go somewhere.
Industry season 2, episode 3 recap
Harper wants all of Jesse’s pellets in her basket, and despite Industry being a deeply horny show, that isn’t a euphemism. Because Jesse represents not just a heavy new client but also a sure path to personal advancement for her that’ll allow her not just to get out from underneath Eric – again, not a euphemism – but actually trample him into the ground on her way to the top. She has spent too long being subservient and being spoken to accordingly. Now she’s ready to usurp the master, Sith style, and “The Fool” plays it out in the final scenes with the same white-knuckle panache it reserved for Harper securing Jesse as a client last week.
Harper and Eric trying to one-up each other on this trip forms the bulk of the episode, but the theme of friends becoming enemies, and enemies becoming friends, is reflected all over the place elsewhere. Yas realizes that Celeste isn’t all sunshine and rainbows and sexually charged client dinners; she turns to Kenny, of all people, for a bit of a favor and he impresses, though perhaps because something like crypto is probably right in his wheelhouse. But you take the point.
Likewise, after a long episode of indignities, Yas finds herself calling on Harper. She isn’t there, of course, but the intention to potentially patch things up is worth making a note of. And it allows Yas and Robert some alone time to have an incredibly leading conversation about what might have happened to their relationship had they actually had sex rather than beating around the bush – that actually is a euphemism this time – for an entire season. I always enjoy it when these two interact because Robert totally sees through Yas but just can’t help himself; him tapping out and heading to bed here made me laugh. It’s better safe than sorry.
Plus, Robert hasn’t exactly gotten over his sexual issues – we see him trying it on with Harper in “The Fool” and not quite meeting expectations, so it seems like Nicole remains the only person able to tickle his pickle at the moment. This is clearly building to some kind of payoff, but it’s hard to tell right now what it’ll be. And while we’re on the subject of “I’m not sure I like where this is going” subplots, Gus tutoring Jesse’s rebellious son is absolutely going to cause some problems for everyone. So, that’s something to look forward to.
You can stream Industry season 2, episode 3, “The Fool”, exclusively on HBO and HBO Max.
