— the HBO drama that follows the usually unhinged, occasionally evil, and always entertaining exploits of young financiers at the London offices of the fictional American bank Pierpoint & Co. — the well-heeled bankers have swapped business attire for costumes, in the name of raising money for needy children.
THE NOTABLE ABSENCE from Pierpoint’s costume day is Robert Spearling , who is instead picking out a tie for a high-stakes appearance in front of a U.K. government Select Committee. The charge is that Lumi — a green energy startup whose financial affairs were being managed by Pierpoint — has gone bust, costing the British taxpayers billions.
Surrounded by his posh wife’s family and friends, there is an obvious racial undercurrent to the fact that, in a million small ways, Rishi feels unwelcome there. This is interwoven with classism: Around a campfire, he is asked about the prime minister’s upcoming mini-budget, which is rumored to cut taxes for the highest earners. “If he announces half the things they’re suggesting tomorrow, we’re in for a good few years,” he says. “Well, at least people likeare, anyway.
Yasmin seems to find comfort in men like Henry, who are similar to her father — wealthy, sleazy, and weak-willed. At the Select Committee hearing, allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior are made against Henry. When Yasmin later accuses him of an “abuse of power,” he responds: “Everything’s an abuse of power for me! I can only fuck down.”