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Industry’s Harper Stern is Diabolical (And the Best TV Character Currently On Air)

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Industry’s Harper Stern is absolutely diabolical. She’s also, without a doubt, one of the greatest characters currently on television. As Industry’s …

The post Industry’s Harper Stern is Diabolical (And the Best TV Character Currently On Air) appeared first on TV Fanatic.

Industry’s Harper Stern is absolutely diabolical.

She’s also, without a doubt, one of the greatest characters currently on television.

As Industry’s incredible third season continues to get rave reviews and impress viewers old and new, Harper, who has wholly embraced her self-serving “villain” era, has also solidified herself as one of the most fascinating and best characters of the modern era.

(Photograph by Nick Strasburg/HBO)

Industry Successfully Produces Multi-faceted Characters at Every Level

Make no mistake, there’s no shortage of dark and morally gray characters on television.

The turn of the century brought an influx of those characters and by now, it’s more of the norm than anything else.

But overall, television, a particularly prestigious series, took the morally gray, complex character and replicated it so often it had little substance and impact.

That particular character archetype is no longer appealing, and unless we can make magic happen or an actor or the writing brings something particularly special or unique to it, it’s become status quo.

But there’s nothing “standard” about Industry or its characters.

They’re some of the most painfully and brutally authentic characters you’ll encounter, and their unapologetically flawed portrayals make them so compelling.

(Photograph by Nick Strasberg/HBO)

No character is exempt from this, either, as the guest-starring, secondary, and tertiary characters have just as much rich complexity and authenticity as the primary characters.

Harper Stern is Industry’s Crown Jewel

But while the series presents itself as an ensemble and does well in balancing plot points with each of the primary characters, there’s just something about Harper Stern.

If Industry is telling anyone’s story, it’s hers, and as the central character, we spend a decent amount of time peeling back layers to Harper.

And each one is crisper than the next.

Harper is this tiny force of nature that no one, including us viewers, ever see coming.

(Amanda Searle/HBO)

In many ways, that’s her superpower, her ability to exploit other people’s perceptions of her, whether due to her race, nationality, gender, class, or ranking, to her advantage.

We live in a world where identity politics rules everything; it’s so deeply embedded in the fabric of our society and how we carry ourselves that there’s no avoiding it.

It’s inescapable whether people love or hate that, and it also has its place in the world.

Industry Allows Harper, a WOC, to Subvert and Strategically Wield Microaggressions Stacked Against Her

Industry fascinatingly simmers in identity politics, as the financial world lures characters from various walks of life in hopes of making it their primary identity.

Working at Pierpoint, wheeling and dealing with some of the most esteemed and wealthy individuals, means something.

(Simon Ridgway/HBO)

It’s a marker of one’s status and ability to climb the ranks until one reaches a level of power and prestige that pleases one.

Of course, we all know that reaching that level never actually comes.

It’s a high-stakes game and world that these characters are navigating, and even if they ascend to the highest position and acquire all the status and acclaim they desire, there’s no guarantee you’ll stay there.

There will always be individuals who are coming for your spot or willing to fight tooth and nail to get where you are, even if it means taking your place.

It’s a cutthroat and ruthless way of life — a never-ending daily grind.

Harper Stern is a WOMAN, and She’s RELENTLESS

(Photograph by Simon Ridgway/HBO)

And no one understands this more than Harper Stern.

She clings to the most powerful player in every room like a shadow.

The woman is ALWAYS plotting.

She stays diligent about hustling her way to the top.

The third season of Industry is interesting in that many male characters face challenges in their masculinity and virility.

Their insecurity is seeping through the cracks or their veneer, whether it’s Eric coming to grips with aging in a job force deadset on pushing him out or Rishi, who bulldozes through a picture-perfect world only to reveal that his status is nothing but a facade.

(Photograph by Nick Strasburg/HBO)

Harper Stern’s Resilence Makes Her a Cut Above the Rest

But as the seasons progress, Harper isn’t a character who faces such issues.

She’s a woman who has fully taken advantage of her place in the corporate world, using all the things that could and would likely hold her back to her advantage.

While other characters get bogged down by their insecurities and crack under the pressure of trying to keep up, the flames engulf Hapre, and she somehow rises from the ashes stronger than ever.

Harper is Industry’s strongest character, not solely in how she’s written, but mentally.

She’s conniving and diabolical and can orchestrate a plan at the drop of a hat because her mind never ceases.

(Amanda Searle/HBO)

She doesn’t have an off-switch, making her far more intriguing than she has every right to be.

Some toss words around liberally, whether it’s “narcissist” or “sociopath,” and sometimes it’s such a reductive and binary way of analyzing a character as complex as Harper.

Harper Stern Cements a New Legacy for Women and Women of Color on TV

What’s fascinating about her is that she possesses many traits that we so readily find intriguing and even embrace in men, especially white men, and find laudworthy or idolized.

From the Don Drapers and Walter Whites to the Logan Roys and an endless stream of mostly white males in between, when you think about characters who possess a level of ruthlessness, calculating qualities, and manipulation, it’s with some mix of disgust and admiration.

It’s what separates Harper from the norm because it’s such a rare sight to have a woman, yes, but especially a woman of color, command rooms or screens to the degree that she does.

(Photograph by Simon Ridgway/HBO)

And what’s worth appreciating is that she doesn’t sacrifice any of her respective identities to do it.

Harper isn’t a woman trying to be a man in a man’s world or a person of color opting to blend into the homogenized, predominantly white financial world rather than stand out.

If anything, she demands that she has a space in the room and the financial world regardless of any of that, and she doesn’t let a steady stream of microaggressions and digs distract or deter her from her goal of becoming one of the most powerful individuals in every room.

Throughout three seasons, Harper has finally and unapologetically reached this point of asserting herself.

She quickly reminds potential allies, future adversaries, and possible victims of her own ambition that in their world, the only color is green, and Xs and Ys don’t take precedence over 1s and 0s.

It’s a genuinely refreshing sight, and it’s certainly a fascinating take on modern characters, considering how one-dimensional many have become.

Harper is a Force Whose Intellect and Ambition Intimidates Everyone Around Her

(Amanda Searle/HBO)

Harper Stern possesses many qualities that could easily have others boxing her in.

Yet, she vehemently refuses to relegate herself to any box or boundaries that anyone else or the world itself lays out for her.

She’s brash about it; it’s an ability that evades the average person and is intimidating to many.

No one knows what to do with a woman who is so unapologetically herself and as relentless as the guys have to talk themselves into being.

Harper’s savagery, ambition, and self-preservation terrify everyone around her.

And it’s not as if these traits are foreign on television by any means.

(Nick Strasburg/HBO)

But the combination of these traits in this pint-sized pistol of a Black woman, when every aspect of society tells her and those who perceive her that she’s NOT supposed to be this way, has resulted in something truly unique.

Harper Stern is a Rare Balance of Deeply Flawed, Unrelenting, and Vulnerable

Ironically, in addition to all of these hard-edged traits, she has this deep vulnerability that viewers are privy to, perfectly encapsulating Industry’s fearlessness in showing the duality of its characters.

There’s nothing remotely one note about Harper or any other characters, and it’s one of many reasons she stands out.

Harper Stern is a deeply flawed character, and viewers respond and relate to her most because of those flaws and vulnerability.

It makes her such an intrinsically human character, even when she’s at her absolute worst.

(Photograph by Simon Ridgeway/HBO)

She’s identifiable, and she resonates in some capacity or another because you just don’t see characters like Harper Stern often, and certainly not in women of color.

Harper isn’t all hubris; we see that in some of her rawest and most internal moments.

She may knowingly plot against an ally or coworker to advance herself, but she’s just as likely to battle anxiety or be on the cusp of a breakdown as well.

Harper Stern Stays in Survivor Mode, Which Adds Context to Her Motivations and Actions

She’s not an unfeeling terminator.

If anything, her feelings make her as deliciously relentless in the first place.

For Harper, the laws of the jungle often apply, and she’d rather kill than be killed or screw someone over before they have the chance to do the same to her.

(Amanda Searle/HBO)

It’s nothing really personal, either, as her motivations for success are so tied to a troubled and traumatic childhood.

She knows what’s at stake so often, more so than most of the other characters, because she comes from the trenches — a low-income lifestyle that constantly had her in survival mode.

And it’s that survival mode that she carries upon her shoulders like dead weight or a cloak, depending on the day and how she can wield it.

Harper’s Feelings of Betrayal and Self-Interest are Wonderfully Messy and Entertaining

The third season especially has Harper fueling her own self-interest at the expense of anyone and everyone else.

While that’s nothing particularly new, she seems retaliatory toward Eric in particular.

Her goal remains the same: to serve herself, but Eric’s deep hurt and betrayal have triggered a particularly mean streak in her.

(Photograph by Simon Ridgway/HBO)

Harper is more than willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, but if she can humiliate and scold her former mentor in the process, she seizes the opportunity with gusto.

And through that betrayal, any semblance of loyalty Harper may have held onto before is tenuous at best with those around her.

She casts Anna aside at the first opportunity, undercutting her boss in favor of Petra, who has a similar vision.

Harper is Industry Season 3’s Apex Predator; We Love It

And Harper eagerly hopping into the metaphorical bed with the likes of someone as slimy as Otto is intriguing because if it ever comes down to screwing him over, she’ll happily oblige.

But for now, she’s eager to be in the same circles with individuals who “see” her and respect what they see, a validation she thought she had with Eric before he ousted her in some twisted motivation of protection for his own self-preservation.

Harper proves that if you cast her to the wolves, she’ll return stronger and more vicious.

(Amanda Searle/HBO)

Whether birth rite or circumstance, she’s hardwired to be this way — a true survivor, Industry’s apex predator who has barely even reached the full potential of how destructive and powerful she can be.

Harper’s reputation precedes her, and she’s made it her mission to ensure that’s the case.

Hell, she had her mentor shaking in his boots and sweating it out, barely able to meet her eyes.

Harper Stern is an undeniable force, and her ability to be that without restriction makes her one of the greatest characters currently on television.

Over to you, Industry Fanatics.

Are you a Harper Fanatic? Tell us why in the comments below.

Industry airs Sundays at 9/8c on HBO, and you can stream it on Max.

The post Industry’s Harper Stern is Diabolical (And the Best TV Character Currently On Air) appeared first on TV Fanatic.

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