Crime
Prime Target
This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.
If you want to learn how to succeed in business without really trying, you should probably stick to the musical of the same name. But if you want to know how flattery, nepotism and deceit could help your professional aspirations, HBO’s Industry might be for you.
A quintet of young adults are getting just that sort of education in the show itself—and the results aren’t pretty.
Yasmin, Harper, Gus, Harry and Robert started their temporary positions at London investment bank, Pierpoint & Co. in the show’s first season. Their goals were to work hard, impress company leadership and land permanent jobs at the prestigious institution. Unfortunately, working hard wasn’t the only tactic these ambitions young professionals planned to employ.
Although she possesses natural business acumen, Harper never graduated—though she lied that she had. And the rest of the new hires weren’t afraid to steal each other’s ideas and flatter executives to get ahead.
All that underhanded behavior helped land Harper, Yasmin and Robert permanent jobs by the end of Season One. And through three seasons, duplicity remains a mainstay of all these young professionals.
Harper’s lie was exposed eventually—which led to her getting fired. Now, in Season Three, she’s struggling to find her footing at a new job. And Yasmin fights to keep her position at Pierpoint after press releases about her father’s embezzlement scandals compromise her reputation. And the rest? Well, they continue to face consistent pressure at Pierpoint, and they’re seemingly intent to continue their questionable cutthroat tactics.
For viewers who enjoy stock exchange drama and finance fiascos, Industry might scratch their very niche itch. But many individuals might consider the corporate jargon and multiple subplots too complicated for an entertainment choice.
And when it comes to content concerns, Industry is far from family friendly.
One 50-minute episode contained over 50 uses of the f-word, and characters also utter the c-word, the s-word, “p—y,” “h—” and misuses of God’s name.
Industry also contains extremely sexually explicit content. Male genitalia is fully visible in some scenes, and individuals are seen in the middle of graphically depicted sexual acts. And as you might expect, these characters are usually unmarried. One character uses a sexual affair for a professional advantage, and several characters are sexually assaulted by colleagues. What’s more, Pierpoint attempts to bury these inappropriate workplace relationships in the interest of business.
Additionally, some romantic relationships are between same-sex couples: two men are in a dating relationship, and a woman cheats on her wife with another woman. Some scenes feature these same-sex couples flirting, cuddling and kissing.
Several characters in Industry are frequent substance abusers. Characters relax after workdays by partying, binging on alcohol and smoking. One character is a heroin addict, and others occasionally experiment with drugs.
For a show about the corporate world, Industry is ironically not safe for work. Any human resource department would take issue with the frequent work-related sexual assaults and drug abuse at Pierpoint. And Plugged In would advise families to consider the explicit sexual nudity, homosexual relationships and very harsh profanity before buying in to HBO’s Industry.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Yasmin’s job at Pierpoint might be compromised when the press uncovers news about her father’s financial scandals. But her evolving relationship with Eric and her involvement in the stock dealings of a new business might save her career. Meanwhile, Harper adjusts to her new job.
Yasmin walks in on her father having sex with another woman. The woman is in her underwear, and the father’s genitals are completely visible. Another scene features full-frontal male nudity, as well. Several women wear swimsuits and men are seen without shirts. A woman in a revealing bikini sits on a man’s chest. Couples kiss and touch each other sexually. Several characters make sexual innuendos and jokes. A character makes a joke about pedophilia. A character has a flashback about when someone sexually assaulted her. A character cheats on his girlfriend, and a scene features him having sex with the other woman. (We don’t see any critical bits of anatomy, but the act is otherwise quite graphic=. Oral sex is implied between two characters—though nothing critical is seen.
Two women intimately caress each other while they are in their underwear. Yasmin claims that she had a significant gay following on social media. A character references a child who is currently transitioning genders.
There are over 50 uses of the f-word, four uses of the s-word and two uses of the c-word. We also hear “h—,” “d–k,” and uses of “p-ss,” “a–hole” and “p—y.” Characters also misuse God’s name.
A character smokes a cigarette. Later, colleagues spend a late night together smoking, drinking and doing drugs. Their behavior quickly gets out of control as they fall further under the influence of these substances.
A man gets hit by a car. He falls on the road but recovers. Due to her father’s financial scandal, Yasmin is harassed and threatened by paparazzi. A character dies suddenly from unknown causes. Her nose is covered in blood, and her dead body is seen.
This math-centric thriller comes with an interesting premise. But Prime Target comes with some primary problems, too.
In Netflix’s new anime series Babanba Banban Vampire, a 450-year-old vampire longs for the untainted blood of a 15-year-old boy.
Severance takes us on an unsettling ride—one with few thrilling loops and dips, but strange turns that may still make you a little queasy.
What’s shown here may be reminiscent of what real police officers have seen on the job. I’m not sure the show’s message is strong enough to justify depicting it.
Our weekly newsletter will keep you in the loop on the biggest things happening in entertainment and technology. Sign up today, and we’ll send you a chapter from the new Plugged In book, Becoming a Screen-Savvy Family, that focuses on how to implement a “screentime reset” in your family!
