Industry airs jaw-dropping twists for multiple characters and shock exit
Good riddance to bad rubbish...
*Warning: This article contains full spoilers for Industry season 4 episode 6, Dear Henry, and discusses themes of child sexual abuse that some readers may find upsetting.*
The tension between our Industry characters just continues to build, and while many fans have picked up on the lingering glances that Whitney (Max Minghella) keeps giving Henry (Kit Harington), this week's episode takes their relationship to new heights – among plenty of other major plot developments.
Despite Yasmin (Marisa Abela) brushing off Harper's (Myha'la) words of warning about the fact that Whitney seems to be using the beloved Mucks for his own gain, it seems as though it strikes a chord, as Yasmin blows up at Whitney for sneaking into their bathroom where Henry is showering.
Apologies are made and it's downplayed with hilarious reference to Henry's past school dalliances, with cracks starting to form between the married couple as Yasmin continues to mull over what Harper's said about Whitney's character.
Henry and Whitney start off the evening at a business dinner, which then turns into Henry taking his first sip of wine since becoming sober. He's been vocal about his struggles with addiction, something excellently pulled off in his episode earlier this season. But Whitney is there, almost gleefully taking the opportunity to push Henry off the wagon.
What starts at a swanky restaurant ends up at a warehouse sex party somewhere in London, where red lights frame nameless faces and the business partners enjoy intimate embraces on the dancefloor. Oh Henry, if only Yasmin could see you now!
Things escalate when Henry receives some sexual gratification from a wall – the less said on that, the better – but in the throes of his own passion, Whitney is right there telling Henry that "everybody wants you", clearly the one thing that a needy Henry revels in hearing.
The scene is less about the sexual act and more about their power dynamic. It's Whitney who has brought Henry here and while he may not be the one to engage directly with him, he is the one holding his hair in the process and essentially now has the upper hand by sharing this secret night together. He's all about remaining mysterious and aloof enough, but collecting people's dirtiest secrets in the process – as we later come to find out.
Aside from the internal Tender dynamics, Harper is invited to speak at a Women in Finance event and uses the opportunity to present SternTao's findings on Tender. She's clear about the fact that there are major irregularities within Tender's accounts, meaning that their (zero) value is a lot lower than they're making out. Funnily enough, Yasmin is in the audience and looks to be in stark fear for what's to come, as Harper warns of a swift fall for the company.
It's the start of the downfall of Tender and travelling to Ghana himself to see EMEA CFO Tony Day (Stephen Campbell Moore), Whitney is shocked to find that he has actually gone to London. We then see that Henry hasn't made it home and is in fact, holed up in a hotel room with two naked women as Yasmin calls to berate his behaviour.
It turns out that Tony is going to London to finally tell all to Sweetpea (Miriam Petche) and FinDigest, booked in for a meeting the following morning. It's worth celebrating for the small SternTao team, although that proves to be short-lived.
One of the biggest revelations of the episode comes in a heated exchange between Hayley (Kiernan Shipka) and Whitney, as it's revealed that she isn't actually the docile assistant she's been made out to be. In fact, she's been hired via an escort agency where Whitney has previously hired girls to schmooze potential clients and other big players.
Hayley references the "difficult positions I've put myself in explicitly for you" and says she has felt unsafe since their trip to Abu Dhabi, where Whitney got her to schmooze Al-Miraj clients.
The last assistant that he had disappeared in a cloud of mystery after working for Whitney and Hayley threatens him, saying that maybe it's something she should go to the press about, as she fears Whitney may have been capable of something more sinister. She names her price but Whitney doesn't want to give her any money and Hayley simply tells him that he'll have to live with the consequences of his actions.
Another plot twist comes when Whitney meets up with Tender employee and board member Ferdinand (Nico Rogner), who reveals more about who's pulling the strings of Tender. Ferdinand committed theft within his past corporation, and a path was cleared to CFO by these mysterious forces.
It turns out that these people were actually the tech arm of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB).
But the surprises don't stop at Hayley being a hired escort and Tender actually having links to Russian intelligence, oh no.
Just as Eric (Ken Leung) is enjoying an evening with his daughter, he's visibly shocked to find a text message that not only contains video footage of his previous dalliances with Dolly (who he only labelled as "Hotel Girl" in his phone), but also a picture of her passport. Just when you didn't think your stomach could turn anymore in this show, it's revealed that Dolly was born in March 2011, making her just 14 years old.
With incriminating video evidence like that (which we can surmise was likely orchestrated by Whitney after this episode's revelations), it's no wonder that the following day, Eric signs over SternTao to Harper without any explanation aside from having "reputational risks". It's a rare selfless act from Eric but is also a massive betrayal to Harper, who was resistant to trust Eric again anyway.
As we see Eric walking down a street in what looks to be America in the episode's closing scenes, we can conclude that this is the end of their relationship and the last we'll see of Leung in this series – and rightfully so.
Industry may continue to present knotty, problematic characters that should be way past the point of redemption – and Eric himself has continually proved that he is really rather awful – but this is a whole other chilling case of criminality not worth exploring any further. Bye bye, Eric.
Industry seasons 1-3 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer in the UK, and season 4 continues every Monday on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. The drama airs on HBO in the US.
Add Industry to your watchlist on the Radio Times: What to Watch app – download now for daily TV recommendations, features and more.
Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
Authors
Morgan Cormack is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering everything drama-related on TV and streaming. She previously worked at Stylist as an Entertainment Writer. Alongside her past work in content marketing and as a freelancer, she possesses a BA in English Literature.
