Aahana Swrup
‘Industry,’ HBO Max’s banking drama show, delves into the lives of young bankers and explores the various challenges of their professional and personal lives, marginally upping the ante with each new season. In season 2, the same comes in the form of Jesse Bloom, a significant potential client who could make or break Harper Stern’s entire career in the face of a merger at the Pierpoint investment banking firm. While his introduction into the season is tame—occurring in the hallways of a mundane hotel—his trajectory as a highly successful hedge fund manager throughout the season is anything but. Therefore, after witnessing the conclusion of his narrative for season 2, fans must be compelled to wonder about his return to the show for another run.
Jesse Bloom Emerged Victorious in the Season 2 Finale
Jesse Bloom’s introduction into the narrative establishes him as a winner from the get-go. He’s labeled Mr. Covid for his exceptional business practice during the pandemic, and the mere thought of the CPS workers at Pierpoint covering his investments is laughably ambitious. Therefore, he naturally falls into Harper Stern’s radar, who wants to utilize his reputation to build her own relevance as a financier. Thus begins the more nail-biting plot of season 2, wherein Harper convinces the hedge fund superstar to buy Rican Healthcare shares in a pinch and saves her firm thousands of dollars.
The investment’s aftermath spells trouble for Jesse, who becomes a significant stakeholder in the company despite the owner’s inclination toward selling the entire endeavor. As it turns out, a rival company, FastAide, threatens to outperform Rican Healthcare as the top choice for Britain’s healthcare system. Consequently, Harper’s most risky—yet defining—advice to Jesse seeks to cost him a fortune, which would inevitably spell out the young banker’s doom. Nonetheless, in the eleventh hour, long past when Jesse has given up on Harper, she comes through with insider information about the company that changes the game.
In the end, Jesse uses Harper’s information about the government’s attempted anti-competition inquiry to speak it into existence. Furthermore, he has bought his way into both FastAide and Rican Healthcare, ensuring a sealed win for him on all sides. On the other hand, Harper, who has just partook in insider trading, faces consequences—even if they’re significantly mild—and Jesse gets to wipe his hands off of any promises to Pierpoint.
On the other, the more personal side of Jesse’s storyline, his stay in London has also managed to bring him just a bit closer to his son, Leo. Likewise, with Gus’s help (and extensive posh network), Leo manages to get a spot in Oxford that his father’s wealth couldn’t have bought. All-in-all, as the proverbial curtain closes on season 2 of ‘Industry,’ Jesse flies away on his private jet with all the pieces aligned in his favor.
Jay Duplass’ Exit From Industry
As a Pierpoint outsider, Jesse Bloom’s storyline had always felt contained within ‘Industry’s’ season 2. The narrative wraps up his storylines—the more professional ones with Rican Healthcare and FastAide—as well as more personal ones with Harper and Leo to satisfying ends within the season’s eight-episode run. Therefore, it seems understandable that Jay Duplass, the actor embodying Mr. Covid, does not appear in the cast list for season 3. Jesse’s character seems to have run his course and fulfilled his purpose, leaving no non-negotiable need for his return as a regular. At most, one can imagine his character making a cameo in later seasons as a callback.
Thus, Jay Duplass’ departure from ‘Industry’ seems to be final. From what the actor has said about the show in the past, he seems to hold the show in esteem and has enjoyed being a significant part of it. “Just watching that first season [of ‘Industry], I was just like, Jesus, Lord, they don’t let up!” Duplass shared in an interview with Vulture. “There’s a relentlessness from the emotional perspective, and there’s also a starkness to it. It feels singular to me in the spectrum of what’s out there in the world.” He further added, “I was overwhelmed by it in a lot of ways, and I was curious if I could survive in that realm.”
Following Jesse Bloom and, subsequently, Jay Duplass’ exit from the show, ‘Industry’ continues to throw curveballs at its characters, pitching new challenges their way. Meanwhile, Duplass has similarly continued to build upon his impressive career, with projects as both an actor and producer. Recently, he was involved in movies like ‘Pain Hustlers’ and ‘The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,’ and had a beloved role in ‘Percy Jackson and the Olympians’ as Hades. In the future, Duplass has several other ventures lined up, such as the show, ‘Dying for Sex,’ and production projects, ‘The Creep Tapes,’ ‘Penelope,’ and ‘Magic Hour.’
Read More: Industry: Is Pierpoint Based on a Real Bank?
