Sometimes your client could be your best sensei and Harper is lucky to have one.
First Yasmin. Bad, too bad. She is the one fell for the lie and handed over the rich Italian client to Kenny without getting anything in return and by chance elevated the newbie (who is an ambitious bitch by appearance, god forbids me). I actually quite like Yasmin. The girl is from money, kind in nature and she knows how to deal with people with money, especially the one with a familly office. PWM is a perfect place to play her strength: her multi-lingual ability, her well-connected famiity with ties in Middle East and Europe (EMEA) and it does not require strong technicalities. She is troubled by her weakness in financial know-how and that is why she needs Kenny in the first place. But does Kenny really know much about crypto currencies and its investment rationale (I mean who can? Is it a commoidity? Is it a security? The SEC is still uncertain about its nature and the roller-coaster movement of its price says much about it). By taking Kenny to the meeting she made the biggest mistake a seasoned sales person would never make: open your client book to your competition, hoping they would deliver something in return but only to find out it is a wish in vein. I really wish she can learn something from Celeste and am happy to see her grow.
Second Harper. Good, very good. One thing about Harper I admire the most is her ability to see through bullshits and make a choice best for her at the moment. In Season One the bullshit is "women help women and we the woman should push out the man and take control of the bank." In this episode the bullshit is the pep-talk given by Eric in the beginning and the worthless fountain pen to buy her loyalty and deference.
In episode 2, Harper landed Jesse by proving her essentiality in the block trade and clinched Jesse as her first VIP client. In this episode, she needs to learn how to keep him and grow the client into her KPI. To achieve this, she needs to evolve from a trade executor to a trusted finnacial advisor. The mission is clear: should Jesse sell the Rican stocks to Felim to make a quick money or keep it to play the long game at the cost of the bank?
Kept in dark by Eric, Harper exhibited her capabilities to collect information and piece together the nips and sips to figure out the chess board. She shamelessly eavesdropped the conversation between the IBD associate and Rican and found out the scheme behind the block trade. She befriended Anna to understand what the social impact fund wants and smoothed the way for the deal between Jesse and Anna; she even nosed into the government’s predisposition on the budget diagnosis service with the input from the Pierpoint alumnus/junior cabenet member. With that, a bold investment advice was formed and a deal maker was born. Oh, did I mention how smart was the move to get back to London before the market was open and seal the deal for Jesse and leave Eric in awe? She is an assassin.
In light of all the merits, I up the rating of season 2 to 4.5 with the option to top it up. HBO is really catching up and this is how high finance should look like. Kudos to Mickey Down and Konrad Kay.
-0-
最近时常想到一个问题,我们在职场这么拼命升级打怪是为了什么?
钱吗?当然,这是最底层的基石。
可是钱的驱动力会是永续的,却不一定能让人一直充满鸡血,不管不顾往前冲。能让我们忘却所以,愤然不顾往前冲地也许是欲望,是那种要过的比谁都好的嫉妒心。
伦敦金融城里四处弥漫着钱和欲望的味道,更要命的是,伦敦走老派路线走惯了,赚钱不谈钱,闷声大发财才让城中人竞相追逐,忘记本我。
这部非常HBO的《投行风云》很势利地把这种迷幻的氛围放大到了屏幕里,我其实一点也不在乎它到底有没有真实的反映投行人的生活,真的,这一点也不重要。最重要的是,这部剧血淋淋地让观看者如我,感受到职场里那种追逐中充斥着无比刺激的快感和背叛。
女主Harper是一个在伦敦投行混的美国人。重点强调一下,她,是美国人。
正因为来自美国熔炉,她势利无比但也完全不吃英国老钱老规矩老家族那一套,无背景学历弱鸡长相平凡的非裔,成了这场欲望追逐游戏里最大的黑马。第二季第二集Harper以一己之力,力挽狂澜,成交了大单,给老师父Eric一击狠狠的重拳,教他学做人。
开始觉得她拿了开挂剧本,足够幸运。但细想一下也没啥稀奇,越是底层越是明白什么叫做饥不择食。Harper体会过什么叫做极度饥饿,且绝不想再体验一次,她脑子里只有一个念想,我是碧池,我要做碧池女王,我要住最好的酒店,好到我全然忘记什么叫做“好",我要想出最棒的对冲策略,让那些追逐金钱的老家伙们通通追逐我。
当她作为一个投行三年级分析师,拿下投资鬼才的投资,享受到办公室众人的掌声,Harper的欲望池被填的满满的。
但是要小心,欲望这个魔鬼,胃口只会变得更大,更大,然后更大。和所有的空虚成正比。
没错,这帮投行人可能是世界上最空虚的一群幽魂了。他们赚钱,享受,夜夜笙歌,酒精与性占据了生活的很大篇幅。看第一季的时候,我真的觉得sex and drugs are just too much, this is far too HBO.
但到第二季的时候,我忽然觉得这样的安排挺合理的,把这么一群肾上腺素爆棚的动物们放在一起,压力纾解,除了大杯大杯的酒精配吸粉外加上床,也没啥更有花头了。
天下没有不散的筵席。酒精、性和小药丸再香再甜,都有告别的时候,或早或晚。投行里的另一个小可爱Robert就在第二季里彻底与之告别。
在第一季《投行风云》里,他比谁都玩得欢——和人睡,喝到不省人事,和陌生人分享可卡因和与自家兄弟穿同一条裤子一样轻松自然。这个来自中产家庭,铆足劲从牛津毕业的男生,根本没想过要怎么在这场充满恶意的投行竞争里自保。
但命运偏爱开玩笑,越是没心眼的、越总是得到老天的偏爱,玩咖小罗在第一季终期考核过后,即便在事业上毫无建树,仍然拿到了Offer,没啥原因,刚刚好面试的大佬就喜欢小罗这一款。
在第一季里真的玩得无边无际,第二季一开头就洗心革面,酒精毒品性,都和生活无关,也挺让我诧异的。
话说,男人的成长,也许只需要一夜。
小罗忽然意识到,要想在投行里混出名堂,成为妈妈口中”只要上流阶级存在,你就必须是一份子“的那一份子,必须得有点真功夫。他开始从鄙视链的最尾端发力。
别想多了,发力不代表努力,投行人的发力,永远都是把力用在该用的地方。小罗坐在话机前,要和陌生的客户开始尬聊,要在电话里获得信任并成交大单,难如登天。
鄙视链的底层也是底层,小罗的饥饿感也开始爆棚了,他在电话里认怂,认妈,认祖宗。还真被他逮着了一条大鱼,没错就是曾经馋过Harper的怪阿姨。阿姨虽怪,但奈何人家有钱啊。
有钱的怪阿姨告诉小罗一条真理,骄傲如英国人,上流社会即便都流到天上了,有钱,就能有通上天的阶梯,而且姐从来不用外在的条条框框去拘束自己。
这点我倒挺佩服的,不是说钱的力量多么庞大,而是怪阿姨对自己的认知无比清醒,清醒的人往往最容易找到想要的,要名有名,要利有利,要自由有自由。
说Harper幸运,小罗有何尝不是呢?一个挺拉胯的小伙子,在职场里总能遇到mentor,虽然没一个是正常人。
洋洋洒洒居然写了好长,而且完全没有提到美的没边儿没沿儿的富家女Yas。Yas也是个很有意思的人设,货真价实白富美,一副人畜无害的面孔,但内心里住着小魔鬼,投行人三件套酒精毒品和上床,她都领悟到了真谛。
但她一点没办法让人讨厌起来,因为她”真实“的表露着自己喜怒哀乐,对人生选择的犹豫不决,因为寂寞而四处撩骚,特别把小罗同学撩的不能自己。
所有富二代都想证明自己完全不仰仗父母的资源,可以凭借自身努力,独步天下。但是现实往往非常打击人,凭自己上位,醒醒吧!
住在伦敦富豪云集诺丁山的Yas几乎什么都不缺,但独独少了一样:Harper对富有之向往的饥饿感。所以她在投行初期,并不知道自己想要做什么,努力进取赚钱是为了什么?她已然拥有99%的人都羡慕的生活。
终于第二季给了看客和Yas自己一个答案:她想成为自己,真正意义上的自己。不去本能的讨好别人,不去假笑充当无趣的乖乖女,自己做决定,自己去争取。所以这就有了投资部法国女上司这盏明灯的出现。
法国女上司风情万种,她毫不在意别人怎么看她,认为她是外围女也无妨。只有她自己知道,她可以用法语,意大利语,英语把各色壕们拿捏的死死的,财富被她管着,简直是一种荣耀。
人啊,没办法不去比较,这是本能。但也在比较中不断进化,不断变得所向披靡,法国女上司相赠的那双闪着光的高跟鞋不仅照亮了Yas的夜,也照亮了她的心。
原来,她可以快乐,可以真正的自己使自己快乐,这是何其珍贵的能力。
这是看完两集以后的一点感受,看完本季,希望有机会再来扯点别的吧。
第二季总得来说比第一季强多了,因为终于把主题拉回了片名,几个关键时刻撮合成交的片段十分精彩,这几个片段不仅仅是投行撮合的成交,更给我深刻印象的是给大佬孩子入学牛津的那一段撮合的两人对话,简直是不卑不亢就把事情圆满解决,三赢!
雅思敏这位含着金钥匙出生的和哈珀这位贫民窟里走出来的,两位的差异能有这个出生的原因,哈珀的“唯利是图”是因为她比雅思敏缺太多太多了,但是片尾被解雇这个片段还是有点生硬。
谈到细节的生硬,电视剧的细节经不起推敲的要比电影多,第六集哈珀耍心机让公司的交易员误操作那一段觉得怎么可以如此肆无忌惮的呢……
在第一季,大妈车里对 Harper 下手,也给了 Harper 把柄,关键时刻用这个事干掉女主管,保护了tao,同时在 Harper 义正言辞下道歉
第二季,大妈并没有知难而退,而是继续培养新人,只不过此回展示了耐心,以防新人突兀不入巷,先给了 Robert 一个下马威,然后逐步引导调教,一同吃饭喝酒,用相同平民出身拉近距离,老套路——上车, Robert 小伙真上路,一个小笑话破冰,阿姨马上吩咐司机下车,展示男女通吃手法, Robert 说怕弄脏了新西服,阿姨回答,我会牢牢握住这小目标一个亿,事了擦手时我在想,有经验如阿姨这样的前辈很可能准备了湿巾,
一般人早已呆若木鸡,而 Robert 的天赋情商在这种事这条线上俨然在线,宾主仍保持着热络的氛围,意犹未尽。怪不得第一季公司的HR会上,主持力排众议留下 Robert ,说他没本事但喝酒讲笑话,客户就吃这一套,上帝果然给了每个人一个生存之道
我想知道的是,大妈图个啥?
一般地位如她,都是要自己爽,她为年轻人去火排毒,全不顾可能产生腕部劳损(说句题外话,今天遇到一个小姑娘腕部就因为做烧烤长期穿串受伤,愁没有办法治愈,谁有好办法?)
大妈图个啥?看别人放飞自我能嗨到自己么