Yasmin’s Decision Over Rob and Henry, Explained
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for the Industry Season 3 finale.]
Season 3 of Industry is undeniably Yasmin Kara-Hanani’s (Marisa Abela) season. While the series has previously focused on Harper Stern (Myha’la), Yasmin’s life and the mysterious disappearance of her father, Charles Hanani (Adam Levy), has been this season’s central focus. We see her being hounded by paparazzi and long cuts to a flashback sequence on a boat. Finally, in Episode 6, it was revealed Charles jumped off the yacht in front of Yasmin, who stood there immobilized. The boat continued on, and slowly, her father’s cries for help disappeared beneath the ocean’s waves.
Yasmin’s choice of letting her father die has been the main crux of her emotional collapse this season, which comes to a head in Episode 8. However, with the season finale, she makes the push not to be absolved of her sins but rather bury them for good. She does this by choosing to marry Henry Muck (Kit Harington), the CEO of green energy company Lumi. There’s been a push and pull between the two since Henry was introduced, filled with boundary-pushing sex amplified by an unavoidable chemistry. While it’s unclear exactly how much Yasmin is actually into Henry, it’s clear that he’s the safest person for her to engage in a relationship with.
Henry’s wealth now gives Yasmin the financial support she needs after her father cut her off in Season 2 and after she was fired from Pierpoint in Episode 6. What Yasmin needs to relieve herself of any potential guilt in her father’s death is status. Throughout the series, Yasmin’s position as a nepo baby has seen her shunned by colleagues and employers, which has put her at a glaring distance between them. Despite getting a taste of the lives her friends Harper and Robert Spearing (Harry Lawtey) have been living, she neither desires this life nor sees it as viable.
Marisa Abela and Harry Lawtey in ‘Industry’ Season 3. (HBO)
At the heart of this dilemma is her relationship with Rob. From Season 1, Rob and Yasmin have danced around each other, beginning with a sexual albeit brief dom-sub relationship that has evolved into genuine affection. However, this is Industry, a show where familial, platonic, and romantic love doesn’t seem to be able to sustain itself. In all her sexual relationships–no matter how fleeting–Yasmin has used her body to secure what she believes to be love. There was Maxim Alonso (Nicholas Bishop), a much older family friend and potential client of Pierpoint, and Celeste Pacquet (Katrine De Candole), another much older member of Pierpoint’s Private Wealth Management division.
Then, there’s Rob. Throughout the series, he has shaped up to be not only one of the show’s most well-adjusted–though that’s not saying much–characters but also one of the kindest. He cares deeply about his friends and, despite being in love with Yasmin, never pushes her to reciprocate his feelings. In the Season 3 finale, Yasmin finally lets her self-destructive tendencies go. She is the softest we’ve ever seen her with Rob in this episode, and it feels like, for the first time, Yasmin is actually happy. After a romp on the grounds of Henry’s estate, it seems that these two may actually get together.
As the camera tracks their movements, it feels like we’re watching a completely different show than the one we’re used to. So, it is a total shock when Yasmin and Henry’s engagement is announced at dinner. Rob looks crushed for a brief moment as he gazes at Yasmin, hoping that she’ll look back. They finally lock gazes across the dining table, and the camera cuts to a shot of the other dinner patrons gone, with only them remaining. When Yasmin apologizes, Rob’s face slowly cracks into the hint of a smile. It’s his way of telling her that he understands. While he had a surge of hope after finally breaking the ice between them, it’s clear that Rob accepts why Yasmin has made this move. Despite her engagement driving a permanent wedge between them, the last 72 hours did mean something to them both.
In choosing to marry Henry, Yasmin has sacrificed the overwhelming love that Rob would have provided her. In the garden, the two proclaim their love for each other, and there’s no hesitation behind the words. It’s a genuine declaration from two people who are so desperate for companionship and who, if they didn’t exist in the world of Industry, might have a chance. When Yasmin asks Henry if he loves her, he replies, “Honestly, I don’t know. Maybe I’m just too selfish.” Though she tells Henry that she indeed loves him, they both laugh as if neither of them believe her.
It’s here, with this admission, that it clicks for Yasmin. She and Henry are both inherently selfish people. Because of this, perhaps this is the only relationship the two could have that would work. Yes, Yasmin is enticed by the financial and legal stability marrying Henry can offer, but nothing about Henry terrifies her. If she and Rob were to be together, they would destroy each other. With Henry, Yasmin has found an equal in how she sees love and a protector regarding the safety his wealth can offer her.
Kit Harington and Marisa Abela in ‘Industry.’ (HBO)
She now has the power to keep her own secrets, but those that also belonged to her father. In the final moments of Season 3, Yasmin is confronted by Angela Sant’Albano (Alondra Galperin-Diaz), the woman whom she saw her father having sex with on the yacht, which was the catalyst for their fatal fight. After revealing to Yasmin that her father was assaulting young girls during his parties, Angela says, “If he hurt you like those girls, I want you to know you are seen and protected.” Although Yasmin lashes out and says that her father never crossed that line, Angela embraces her, and Yasmin completely breaks down.
As they part, Yasmin’s resolve returns. She swallows her tears and lets out a breathy gasp. She then leaves the room and tells the butler outside to “get rid of her.” As she walks away, he goes into the room and closes the door behind him. While we can only assume what Yasmin means by “getting rid” of Angela, it’s clear that with Henry now by her side, Yasmin has enough power to do whatever she wants. If she needs to bribe people with money to keep quiet, she can. If she needs to escalate into keeping someone quiet forever, she can do that, too.
Yasmin’s sacrifice in the Industry Season 3 finale is the ultimate act of self-preservation. While we can say her stringing Rob along is cruel, Yasmin ultimately doesn’t have a choice. While Rob may be the only man in Yasmin’s life who has truly loved her, love will not guarantee her safety or the lavish life she has been brought up to expect.
Despite the cards against her and everyone at Pierpoint underestimating her, Yasmin’s hardships have bred her for survival. Here, in the season’s final moments, she has landed on top. She may be shattered, but if anyone can push it down and persevere through it all, it’s Yasmin.
What did you think of the Season 3 finale? Did Yasmin make the right decision? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
