Showrunners Konrad Kay and Mickey Down, known for their cinephilic tastes, infused the latest season of Industry with layered musical and thematic references, notably drawing inspiration from Paul Thomas Anderson’s film The Master. The pervasive use of electronic music throughout Season 4 contrasts with the somber, slower melodies borrowed from Anderson’s work, underscoring key emotional moments in the season finale. This creative choice highlights the significance of Paul Thomas Anderson Master as a guiding artistic influence behind the closing narrative of the show’s fourth season.
The meticulous soundscaping of Industry has frequently included deliberate nods to classic film scores—such as those from Stanley Kubrick’s works like A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut—and even coincidental echoes of contemporary artists like Alphaville. However, the season finale’s integration of musical cues from The Master was intentional, signaling deeper narrative parallels. These selections stand out, given their emotional gravity and stylistic divergence from the show’s usual soundtrack, inviting viewers to examine the underlying character arcs with fresh perspective.
Exploring The Master’s Themes Within Industry’s Characters
The Master is a film that eludes a singular interpretation; it has been read as an allegory on Scientology’s inception, with Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Lancaster Dodd paralleling L. Ron Hubbard, or as an exploration of post-World War II reintegration for traumatized veterans, embodied by Joaquin Phoenix’s character Freddie Quell. Director Paul Thomas Anderson consistently framed the film as, at its heart, a love story, a simplicity that belies its complexity.
Within Industry, two callbacks to The Master distinctly mirror the experiences of Yasmin, portrayed by Marisa Abela, and Freddie Quell. Yasmin’s story intersects notably with the emotional and thematic textures of Anderson’s film. The most palpable link appears in her tense interaction with Hayley Clay, executive assistant to Tender co-founder Whitney Halberstram, played by Kiernan Shipka. Initially presented as a mere pawn in Yasmin’s manipulations, Hayley’s deeper scheming unfolds through a provocative three-way encounter involving Hayley, Yasmin, and Hayley’s husband Henry Muck, portrayed by Kit Harrington. The scene, marked by a charged power dynamic, reveals the calculated use of sexual politics in navigating corporate and personal battlegrounds.
Hayley’s role extends beyond mere participant; her employment background in sex work is leveraged as a tool for extracting influence from businessmen and potential blackmail, a revelation that colors the unfolding dynamics. This tension is underscored by the soft crooning of Ella Fitzgerald’s rendition of “Get Thee Behind Me, Satan” from the Irving Berlin songbook, weaving a haunting, layered atmosphere that draws subtle echoes from The Master.
Parallels Between Yasmin and Freddie Reflecting Consumerism and Power
Just as Ella Fitzgerald’s track overlays Yasmin’s manipulation, it also bridges to Freddie Quell’s world in The Master, where Anderson’s camera captures Freddie’s tentative reentry into civilian life after military service in the Pacific theater. Freddie’s work at a department store, involving the creation of staged, idealized images that mask reality, metaphorically aligns with Yasmin’s attempts to project control amid transactional power plays in Industry.
The cinematic transitions from Freddie’s perspective to a poised model engaging customers with poised elegance underscore the commodification of desire and illusion—central motifs for both characters. Freddie’s impulsive proposition toward the model contrasts sharply with Hayley’s calculated self-possession as she borrows Yasmin’s dress, symbolizing a nuanced understanding of temptation as a tool rather than a vulnerability.
Yasmin’s insistence on her superiority over Hayley exposes her most profound insecurity: the fear of becoming a mere commodity devoid of genuine self. This conflict places her at a crossroads where ambition and authenticity collide, forcing a confrontation with the boundaries of her influence and the price of assimilation into a cutthroat corporate landscape.
The Emptiness of Consumerism as Portrayed in Both Works
Anderson’s film subtly critiques consumerism as insufficient for healing deeper societal wounds. His portrayal of Freddie and Lancaster’s new religious movement, The Cause, suggests that material acquisition cannot erase the void within. In a parallel vein, Yasmin’s higher social standing in Industry does not shield her from the spiritual and emotional emptiness that consumer capitalism enforces.
Both Freddie and Yasmin are trapped in cycles of superficial fixes that mask their inner alienation. Yasmin manages to momentarily quell the threat posed by Hayley’s blackmail, while Freddie’s impulsive actions jeopardize his stability at work, leading to his eventual decline and reluctant alliance with Lancaster Dodd’s cult. This friendship becomes central to The Master’s narrative and enriches the thematic resonance between the two worlds.
Loyalty, Doubt, and the Search for Meaning in The Master
Lancaster’s protection of Freddie, despite pressure from his followers to expel the unpredictable veteran, hints at an ambiguous and complex loyalty. This tension remains unresolved, encouraging viewers to revisit the film for fresh insights. Freddie’s restlessness symbolizes the inadequacy of quick escapes—be it through ideology or commerce—to quell profound psychological and existential wounds.
The pivotal desert scene serves as a metaphor for this inner turmoil. Lancaster invites Freddie to engage in a motorcycle game called Pick a Point, where he rides toward a horizon and returns, expecting Freddie to follow. Freddie’s failure to return marks a rupture in their bond, a moment layered with poignancy enhanced by Jo Stafford’s melancholic “No Other Love.” The stark contrast between the song’s affectionate lyrics and its haunting delivery intensifies the emotional weight of this separation.
Yasmin’s Personal and Professional Turning Point
This same Jo Stafford song is used in Industry when Yasmin informs Henry of her decision to divorce him, signaling the dissolution of both their personal and business relationships. While Yasmin remains grateful for their partnership’s former support, she acknowledges her need to forge a new path, especially as Henry’s downfall accelerates following Tender’s collapse.
The song’s undertones of longing and loss resonate with both Freddie’s and Yasmin’s stories, emphasizing their mutual yearning for genuine connection over transactional or superficial ties. Yasmin’s acknowledgment of a future beyond her current alliance highlights the theme of choice and consequence permeating both narratives.
Contrasting Fortunes and Class Realities
Henry’s decline culminates in a moment of vulnerability as he seeks solace in the office of his uncle, Viscount Alexander Norton. This fall highlights the persistent class disparities central to the UK’s social fabric, where inherited privilege offers Henry a safety net unavailable to Yasmin or Freddie. The showrunners view this systemic inequity with marked skepticism, contrasting Henry’s inherited advantages with the gritty independence demanded of Yasmin and Freddie, who are left to navigate precarious circumstances without similar safeguards.
Future Prospects for Yasmin and Freddie
As Industry moves toward its final season, Yasmin’s internal conflict sets the stage for her continued evolution. Freddie’s trajectory offers potential clues about the character arc’s direction, as he finds temporary solace in a new romantic encounter but ultimately wrestles with profound loneliness and disillusionment.
The Master closes on a surreal image of Freddie finding a bizarre form of peace with a female-shaped sandcastle, implying that true tranquility may require surrendering to imagination and fantasy. This allegorical ending suggests that Yasmin, too, may ultimately seek refuge beyond material reality, a prospect that the show’s concluding season promises to explore.
