"Industry" (2020 UK release; 6 episodes of about 50-55 min. each) brings the story of Harper Stern. As Episode 1 opens, Harper, an African-American young lady, is interviewing for a temporary position at Pierpoint & Co., a prestigious London investment bank. "I've never seen anyone put their IQ on their resume", remarks the snobby interviewer. Harper gets the position, and she and others start their 6 months' countdown towards RIF (Reduction In Force) Day. From the get-go, things are in cut-throat mode at the office. "Act like an owner and make yourself indispensable!" advises a more senior person. Is Harper up for it? At this point we are less than 15 min. into Episode 1. Couple of comments: this TV mini-series is the brainchild of Mickey Down and Konrad Kay, but more importantly, Episode 1 is directed by none other than Lena Dunham ("Girls"). The opening episode focuses on the intense competition among newcomers to survive in the investment banking world. Why or how Harper Stern ends up at a London investment bank is a question mark (perhaps to be enlightened in a later episode). We watch how these young people (most of the newly hired look to be in their mid-20s) are willing to work day and night (literally) and sacrifice their bodies and their minds to rise to the top, or at least to survive RIF Day. The series production team does a great job in conveying the personal cost of doing so. This TV series is plot-heavy and in fact reminded me of a good ol' soap opera a la Dallas or Dynasty, transposed into 21st century's London. Noticeable is the electronic score, which plays virtually non-stop and is courtesy of Nathan Micay, whom I have not heard of before. Bottom line: I really enjoyed the opening episode, and can't wait to see how all this is going to play out. "Industry" premiered on HBO earlier this week, and Episode 1 is now available on HBO On Demand and other streaming services. New episodes air on Mondays at 10 pm Eastern. If you are in the mood for a good office drama, if not soap opera, I'd readily suggest you check this out, and draw your own conclusion. *UPDATE 11/17/20* I've now seen Episode 2, which frankly isn't nearly as good as Episode 1. The story lines focus even more on who is hooking up with whom. And of course the correlating partying and drug use. I mean, literally just about everyone at Pierpoint is doing coke like it's the most normal thing in the world. Speaking of partying and going out to dinner with co-workers, it all feels very... dated (as in: hello, a little thing called COVID-19 changed the world now already a good 8 1/2 months ago). I hope Episode 3 can rebound...

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