Industry Recap: Kompromat

"About halfway through "Dear Henry," Whitney Halberstram hits his lowest ebb. Thanks to Harper's explosive remarks at the ALPHA Conference, Tender's stock price is cratering. Hayley - who turns out to be a hooker who does secretarial admin on the side and not an executive assistant who occasionally threesomes - is extorting him for $750,000. Henry is AWOL. Not even Jonah will break from putting notes in strippers' G-strings to take his call for old time's sake."

"I can easily believe that Russia has a state interest in propping up foreign enterprises, particularly those, like banks, that can be wrung for compromising customer data. (I've seen 80 percent of No Way Out; I know what the Kremlin is capable of.) But if Ferdinand is to be believed, the FSB is so heavily invested in Tender that they'd assassinate Tony Day - a U.K. national currently on U.K. soil - to stop him from whistleblowing."

"For the whole of my early childhood, the bad guys were Russians. Then it was the Arabs coming for the western way of life. Most recently, the super-rich - with their dynastic infighting and grotesque tasting menus - became the villain dujour. Alas, trends are cyclical. Shoulder pads and prawn cocktails are back. Greed is good, cocaine is chic, and, on Industry, the final boss is the OG baddie herself: Mother Russia."

Childhood villains shifted from Russians to Arabs to the super-rich, and cultural trends have cycled back to 1980s excess. Whitney Halberstram faces collapse after Harper's ALPHA Conference remarks cause Tender's stock to crater. Hayley, revealed as a hooker doing secretarial admin, extorts Whitney for $750,000. Henry is missing and Jonah ignores calls. Whitney contemplates fleeing with a Lithuanian passport as Ferdinand reveals that the FSB has heavily invested in Tender and allegedly ordered the assassination of Tony Day to prevent whistleblowing. Ferdinand admits prior SVR-assisted career favors. Doubt and plausibility about Whitney's identity and escape plans remain.

Read at Vulture