‘Industry’s Myha’la and Marisa Abela break down Harper and Yasmin’s devastating Season 4 farewell

For a happy episode of IndustryHarper Stern (Myha’la) and Yasmin Kara-Hanani (Marisa Abela) were at peace. Following Tender’s breakdown in Season 4, Episode 7, they went clubbing, shared a kiss, and dreamed that they would be in this “happily ever after” state.

Turns out their “forever” doesn’t even last until the end of season 4.

It’s because Industry‘s season 4 finale, titled “Both, and,” swings into Harper and Yasmin’s strengthening relationship like a wrecking ball, tearing apart the show’s central pair as definitively as possible.

As the Tender fallout continues, Yasmin embarks on a new adventure: supporting right-wing reformist candidate Sebastian Stefanowicz (Edward Holcroft). She organizes an elaborate dinner for donors in Paris and invites Harper.

Harper’s date Kwabena Bannerman (Toheeb Jimoh) immediately sees the red flags, noting that he heard stories from a friend that Yasmin was a “sadist” at school. Harper brushes them off, pointing out that Yasmin is a “survivor,” and all but confirming that the context of their relationship made them inseparable.

But even Harper and Yasmin’s long-standing relationship has limits, and Harper clashes with them during the dinner itself. Yasmin sitting Harper next to full-blown Nazis is enough to break the friendship, but then Harper realizes that Yasmin is making her male guests travel with young women, many of whom are likely underage, and will be filming them as long-term blackmail. It’s a page straight out of Whitney Halberstram’s (Max Minghella) playbook, which in turn seems very relatable to Jeffrey Epstein’s real-world tactics. (The character of Yasmin was also “loosely inspired” by Ghislaine Maxwell, reinforcing the sordid connection to current events.)

The party marks Harper’s sickening realization that her friend has crossed a line, but she continues to offer her lifelines, telling her, “That’s not who you are.” »

His last? Standing up, reaching out and drawing on his shared history with Yasmin and saying, “If you cared about me, you’d take my fucking hand.”

Yasmin does, but she chooses to stay anyway. She’s the one implementing her own “both and” philosophy: she can care about Harper, but she can also care about herself. For Myha’la, this moment cements the “heartbreak” of the episode.

“She knows that Yasmin is going to take care of Yasmin by any means necessary, just like Harper is going to take care of Harper by any means necessary,” Myha’la told Mashable in a joint video interview with Abela. “The heartbreak is that they won’t do it together. Like in the club scene of [episode] 7, they take care of each other. Harper really hopes to extend that and say, “Let’s solve whatever’s going on together.” And I feel like Yasmin takes his hand and says, ‘I love you, but I’m going to take care of myself this time.'”

For Abela, the fact that Yasmin invited Harper was also a lifesaver, but for herself.

“Yasmin invited Harper into this space to confront the reality of what she does,” Abela said. “I think there’s probably a part of her that hopes that Harper will be able to see it and call it for what it is and break some sort of spell. And I think at that point Yasmin realizes that she’s in too deep.”

As Yasmin completely transforms into her father and Harper loses the people she was closest to, Industry widened the gap between these two as far as possible. I’m not counting out a reunion in a potential Season 5 yet, as the two have reunited after struggles before, including Season 3’s blowout “Nikki Beach” fight. But Yasmin’s actions here seem insurmountable.

At least they will always have this little slice of eternity.

Industry Season 4 is now streaming on HBO Max.