If anyone has been waiting for a second season of Mare Of Easttown, they should watch Task. Not only are both shows created by Brad Ingelsby, but they both take place in the Philadelphia area. So there will be lots of Philly-centric references, people sporting Delco accents, and the general weariness that pervades Ingelsby’s depiction of life in that region.
Opening Shot: Morning in the woods. There are birdhouses hanging off trees, and we see a pair of binoculars on a porch rail. A man slowly gets out of bed.
The Gist: FBI Special Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) is the man slowly getting out of bed, and he moves slowly, and he plunges his face in a sink full of ice water in order to bring himself back to reality. He’s been struggling since a family tragedy tore his family apart, but he’s doing what he can to keep going. He voluntarily removed himself from field work during this process; we see him setting up a table at a law enforcement job fair. He passes his days bird watching, listening to Phillies games on the radio, and drinking vodka out of a huge souvenir cup from the ballpark.
The family tragedy involves his wife Susan (Mireille Enos) and his son Ethan (Andrew Russel), who is currently awaiting sentencing for the horrific incident. Tom’s lawyer tells him that if Ethan’s sister Emily (Silvia Dionicio) can make a family impact statement, that might sway the judge during sentencing.
In the meantime, we see Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) getting up, bringing his son to the bedroom of his niece Maeve (Emilia Jones) and going to work as a trash collector. But he doesn’t just pick up trash; he and Cliff (Raúl Castillo), his partner in the truck, are scouting out houses where drugs are being made, getting instructions via text message. They are trying to figure out when the houses will be flush with cash so they can rob them, often with the help of a young guy named Peaches (Owen Teague).
After their latest heist, Tom’s boss, Kathleen McGinty (Martha Plimpton), calls him in and tells him he has to go back to the field, which Tom isn’t exactly excited about. He’s less excited when he’s told he’s leading a task force to investigate these robberies, which are happening across Delaware and Montgomery Counties and may start a gang war if they continue. The task force consists of three state and local cops: Lizzie Stover (Alison Oliver), whose life is chaotic; Aleah Clinton (Thuso Mbedu), who likes things organized; and Anthony Grasso (Fabien Frankel), who works organized crime cases for the county.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? The comparisons between Task and Mare Of Easttown are going to be inevitable, and not just because Brad Ingelsby created both shows. Both seem to take place in the same universe, with strong Delco vibes, lots of nods to Philly and people saying “wudder” instead of “water”.
Our Take: Another similarity between Task and Mare Of Easttown is that Ingelsby takes his time with the scenario at the heart of the limited series, setting up the lives of its main characters before putting things in motion. So while the first episode may feel like throat clearing, it’s important to show that both Tom and Robbie are more than just a Fed and a perpetrator.
Ruffalo is excellent as Tom Brandis, who is in obvious emotional turmoil, given that his wife is gone and his son is about to be sentenced for her death. He used to be a Catholic priest before going into law enforcement, and you can tell he also had a crisis of faith long before this incident happened, as we see when a an old friend, Father Daniel Georges (Isaach De Bankolé), stops by.
But there’s also a world-weary schlubbiness to Tom that transcends his grief. He’s seen it all in his FBI career, and knows what kind of headaches are involved in heading a task force on a case that doesn’t seem to be in the FBI’s jurisdiction — and consists of local and state cops.
On the other side of the scenario, Robbie isn’t your typical career criminal, which is one of the reasons why he has been able to fly under law enforcement radar. He has a family and a job, and he’s going through as much pain as Tom. He lives in his late brother’s house with his son and daughter, and his relationship with Maeve, who technically owns the house, is starting to get strained, because the 21-year-old wants to do things a 21-year-old does instead of take care of his kids. His wife and the kids’ mom left them without staying in touch.
He certainly doesn’t want the heists he’s instructed to carry out to end violently, but as we see when he goes with Cliff and Peaches to a house that’s supposed to be a huge haul, he will shoot people if he needs to. But things go very wrong at that house, including the fact that there’s a witness that they didn’t anticipate being there.
We even get insights into members of the task force, just by the little moments we see, like Lizzie’s penchant for being late and her curse-filled phone calls with lawyers about her divorce, or Aleah wiping down her laptop.
All of these insights will come into play as Tom and the task force investigate, and things escalate for Robbie and Cliff.
Sex and Skin: None in the first episode.
Parting Shot: After the botched robbery, Robbie and Cliff return to Robbie’s house, and Robbie carries someone inside who is not either of his kids.
Sleeper Star: Martha Plimpton puts in one of her reliably fun to watch performances as Tom’s boss Kathleen, who is even more weary and hardened than Tom is.
Most Pilot-y Line: We’re still not clear on why the FBI is involved in this case. Yes, the potential of a gang war is there, but still not sure how this merits federal involvement. Perhaps because they’re investigating those gangs because of their drug activity inside and outside of Pennsylvania?
Our Call: STREAM IT. Task has the same subtly droll humor as Mare Of Easttown, and is anchored by a fantastic, emotional performance by Mark Ruffalo.
Joel Keller (@joelkeller) writes about food, entertainment, parenting and tech, but he doesn’t kid himself: he’s a TV junkie. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, Slate, Salon, RollingStone.com, VanityFair.com, Fast Company and elsewhere.