“Industry” season 4 just wrapped up an incredible season of television. I keep a running list of the best episodes I’ve seen each year, and three out of this season’s eight episodes are currently on the list. No other show has more than one. This season is among the best an HBO show has ever produced, and should be spoken of in the same breath as “The Wire” season 2, “The Sopranos” second season and “Game of Thrones” season 4. It’s simply that good.
And speaking of “Game of Thrones,” I’m ready to declare that Jon Snow is no longer Kit Harington’s seminal role. Sure, we’ll always remember him as the man who knows nothing and cavorts with direwolves, but “Industry” season 4 showcases the British actor at the peak of his acting powers. What started as a recurring role in season 3 has now transformed into one of the most iconic characters of the series.
Kit Harrington has taken ‘Industry’ to another level
Before the “Industry” season 4 premiere, I had concerns. This season presented a potentially major reset for the series, which gave itself a pseudo-series finale at the end of season 3, just in case it wasn’t renewed for season 4.
Thankfully, after the end of that premiere, I was no longer concerned about this show being anything less than the addicting thrill ride it always is. Thankfully, we also got the return of Harington as Sir Henry Muck at the end of the episode, but even I couldn’t imagine what was to come from the character and from Harington’s portrayal.
Harington took us on a roller coaster ride throughout season 4. He’s an addict, then he’s clean. Then he’s relapsing and visiting gloryholes with Whitney (Max Minghella), a man he may or may not want to be in a homosexual relationship with. He’s suicidal and then envisions a world with a family and kids with Yasmin (Marisa Abela). He gets into fights, he sees the ghost of his father; it’s an absolutely whirlwind of emotions, passions and at the core of it is a man who just wants to be loved but doesn’t have the first clue about how to love himself. Nor does he ultimately think he’s deserving of love.
Incredibly, though, after yet another rise and fall, he does find some semblance of love with his family. He has to hit absolute rock bottom to get there; he pleads with Yas to stay with him, which she utterly rejects. He disowns Whitney in an epic verbal dressing down in a private jet, where he utters the line of the season, “You were born a disgusting fucking mooch and will die a disgusting fucking mooch.”
He is ultimately the fall guy for the season’s events, betrayed by those closest to him and forced into house arrest. But it’s that note that we (almost) end the season on. Henry, on a boat with his uncle and godfather, fishing together like giddy school children as he’s finally back on his meds, and hopefully, the right track.
Will everyone return for a gripping conclusion in season 5?
Of course, despite serving as a fitting conclusion, the showrunners Mickey Down and Konrad Kay don’t leave it there. Instead, we end things with a flight attendant asking Harper a seemingly innocuous but ultimately loaded question: “Are you done?”
With the news that “Industry” will return for a fifth and final season, it certainly seems like Harper (Myha’la) will not be done, alleviating a very real concern I had as the credits on the season 4 finale started to roll. She’s undeniably become the focal point of the show, specifically her and her relationship to Yas.
They now seem to be inexorably drawn towards a final showdown that only one will survive (figuratively or literally), though the venue of that battle we won’t know until we get a trailer for season 5. While the series to date has existed in the world of finance, this season took a notable detour into politics and espionage, and I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s where the series chooses to spend its final season, especially as Yas attempts to transition into a right-wing kingmaker.
However, while Harper now seems all but certain to return in season 5, I’m all but certain that Henry won’t. That shot of him on the fishing boat as “For He is an Englishman” serves as the soundtrack, and will likely be our final moments with Sir Henry and Harington in this show. But while he may very well be gone, after this season’s tour de force of a performance, he’ll never be forgotten.
Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More From Tom’s Guide