Task

In an era when films and shows are designed to seem endless (with consecutive sequels and multiple seasons) I’ve come to appreciate standalone films and miniseries. A miniseries in particular, meant to tell one story in between six to twelve episodes, has become a rarity in the midst of a deluge of platforms – where executives are only very eager to commission a second season for successful shows that have definite endings. It’s what I had appreciated about Mare of Easttown, a typical prestige TV procedural, headlined by an A-lister (Kate Winslet). The show didn’t necessarily reinvent the genre, but it delivered a rich world set in rural Pennsylvania, where a sleepy town hides secrets in plain sight. And how a compassionate cop goes about investigating a murder case, while handling fragile egos and respecting the lines in the sand.

Created by Brad Ingelsby of Mare of Easttown, the show follows a simple crime thriller, but only on the surface. The way the characters in the seven part series are explored is the real story within the plot. Task is about an FBI agent in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia trailing a string of violent robberies. Before the gangs in the area start taking credit and the cops have a turf war on their hands, Special Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) is sent out on the scene to bring things under control. Task begins with a grieving family man, Robbie, played by Tom Pelphrey. Raising two kids without their mother, Robbie wants a better life for his family and knows he won’t be able to do it if things stay the way they are. The only one by his side is his work friend, Cliff and his niece, Maeve. She is the one usually taking care of the kids and is unhappy with how unreliable Robbie is as a father. But Robbie has plans of his own to make sure his kids are taken care of, no matter the cost.

Since its release in 2021, so many makers have tried to replicate the moody and twisty narrative of Mare of Easttown, which starred Kate Winslet. Creator Brad Ingelsby’s latest show, Task, borrows many elements from his own award-winning series, and the result is a taut thriller that leaves you guessing until the last episode. The seven-part series gives viewers two protagonists to empathise with; they are headed on a crash course from which there is no return. Mark Ruffalo plays FBI agent Tom Brandis, who heads a task force to look into a string of violent robberies that target drug and gang houses. As he and his team dive deeper and deeper into the case, they uncover betrayals and moles that have wider repercussions. Meanwhile, main suspect Robbie Prendergast (Tom Pelphrey) is bottling up intense emotions that could land him and his family in deep trouble. Will both men make it out to the other side alive?