Industry

Industry can't escape being compared to Billions which - with all its shortcomings - is probably considered the best finance tv-series around. Yet Industry is my new favourite (and a close second for all those lured by the crazy plot-twists of Billions): indeed a more realistic and better written one in a lot of departments.

I don't have the time nor the background to feel like dissecting the storylines, the cliffhangers, the characters, the overall writing style, the acting. Let's simplify by saying that overall Billions is better produced and hits harder with a lot of climaxes, surprises and... billions. Industry on the other end is more consistent, less pretentious and more realistically focused on the daily experiences of new-hires in a wealth management firm. Unfortunately some plot holes, puzzling characters and overindulgent coverage of sex-drug related behaviours drag the production down quite a bit.

Started slow but got better and better and better. Compulsively horrible characters, but always empathetic. Genuinely surprising ending.

I'm currently watching Industry with my brother as I write this review and the first thing that comes to mind when watching this show is...addicting. HBO is known for having great shows and Industry is no different. It really is a good show that feels fresh and thrilling. It shows the cutthroat world that is banking. It's a fascinating look inside their world of greed, sex, drugs, back stabbing and every other bad thing these people do to each other. You don't have to know much about this world to enjoy the show, I think most people watching don't and that's a testament to how good the writing is. You really do get pulled into that world and can't wait to see what happens next. I'm fully invested in this show and I think you will be to if you give it a chance.

Having fun watching not one decent person in a very large, but OK cast. I once thought I could be a broker, so I took and passed my Series 3 and 7. I was the worst salesman in the world, so I quit before I got fired. That being said, nearly all the men---and they were in those days, all men...I met at my firm (a small regional) and at other firms were decent human beings; most of them did like to drink, but always behaved themselves.

But the people in this amusing series are utterly despicable, devoid of any sense of shame, loyalty, compassion, ethics, or common decency, Even the best person depicted, Gus, is untrustworthy. Everybody degrades everybody, including themselves. Still, horrible people are fun to watch.

Let's be honest, this show is not for typical tv viewers. There is a lot in each episode to sift through, between the characters interactions, how events cause reactions that don't happen until episodes later; even the financial "jargon" they use is confusing. Not to mention the subject just might not be someone's cup of tea.

However that does little to subtract from the show. On the contrary I like the fact we get drawn deep into the "Industry". The writing is excellent, the soundtrack is something any synth lover would adore, the characters are multi-dimensional with their own shortcomings and goals. And the cinematography as well as the continuity, are both great. I noticed in a scene after a meeting that the characters in the meeting were going back to their desks in the background unfocused which was a nice touch.

Overall I would recommend this to anyone who would be remotely interested in what would go on in a high level bank or even for some sleazy office drama.