Robbie Prendergast is an ordinary man living his days with his children and niece on the outskirts of Philadelphia. The man has to juggle his job as a trash truck driver, his duty as the head of the family, and his night job, committing violent robberies against stash houses run by drug dealers, most of them owned by outlaw motorcycle gangs. On the other side lies Tom Brandis, FBI agent and former Catholic priest, who is after the criminals disrupting the Philly drug game while having to balance the hardships under his own roof with two daughters and a son who struggles with mental health.
HBO’s miniseries ‘Task’ is one of the best TV shows of this season. It was created and written by Brad Ingelsby, who made the acclaimed ‘Mare of Easttown.’ The series has shades of Michael Mann’s crime drama classic ‘Heat’ (1995) in how it depicts Robbie and his crew on equal footing with Tom and his agents, making both main characters troubled men with honourable and likeable traits, and showing how their crafts can be similar to each other.
‘Task’ gives Tom Pelphrey the role of a lifetime, who gives humanity to Robbie, a man who can be at the same time vengeful and endearing, showing many layers according to his plans and interactions. Ruffalo is one of the finest actors working today, and ‘Task’ is another opportunity to confirm his position among his peers. Brandis is a middle-aged man who has a body beaten up by years of desk work and stress, who finds some “solace” in alcohol, and is still haunted by his time as a man of faith. Both actors and characters show different sides of being a father, male vulnerability, and the need to rely on friendship.
The show also presents how the dangerous lives of cops and criminals can take a psychological toll, as happens when a group of law enforcement agents enters a suspect’s house. One of them freezes in the middle of the action, leading to questioning of their own calling to serve and protect, displaying the human side behind the badge. ‘Task’ also portrays how unforgiving and nihilistic the underworld can be to criminals and to the innocent, as there is no safety net for the characters or the guarantee that they will make it to the end of the story.
‘Task’ is a physically demanding narrative, too. Before being an actor, Mark Ruffalo was a wrestler in his teenage years, and this art of combat comes to the screen in a visceral and dynamic scene. Thuso Mbedu (The Woman King) shines in her action scenes as she plays a no-nonsense cop. In training sessions that she goes under personal trainer Gabriela Mclain, the same one who trains Viola Davis, helps to bring gravitas to her body language and movement, showing how important trainers and stunt coordinators are for this industry. Mbedu’s characters in ‘The Woman King’ and ‘Task’ have very action-oriented scenes, but they are very different personality-wise, showing that Mbedu is a very talented drama actress who we can expect to see in other major productions.
The series also features a cast of high-level professionals who help humanize and tell the story, which makes the viewer care for them and their motives, or loathe them. The cinematography stands out by showing rural environments and green landscapes that distance ‘Task’ from the clichéd nighttime modernist and art-deco buildings in noir stories. The miniseries is the proper format to tell this layered story that would have to be cut if made into a movie or would drag and have narratives and characters that didn’t need extra time if turned into a regular series with endless spin-offs; therefore, the experience we gained is more enjoyable.
