SummaryAn FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) heads a Task Force against home invasion robberies in suburban Philadelphia that are being organized by a working-class family man (Tom Pelphrey) in the drama series created by Brad Ingelsby.
SummaryAn FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) heads a Task Force against home invasion robberies in suburban Philadelphia that are being organized by a working-class family man (Tom Pelphrey) in the drama series created by Brad Ingelsby.
A master class. .... Pelphrey, his eyes staring into nothingness, and Ruffalo, his shoulders hunched beneath the weight of the world, are outstanding, as are the supporting players, embodying gritty souls caught up in unforgiving machinations — until there is, somehow, some forgiveness. Ingelsby understands that the extremes of the crime genre provide the perfect basis for searing human drama, provided they’re handled with skill and conviction. “Task” has more than enough of both.
The performances, consistently lived-in and assembled by casting director Avy Kaufman, are what weave the many threads into a tapestry. .... Like “Mare” before it, “Task” can be unrelentingly grim, and the shifts in perspective — if not tone — offer something of a reprieve as the walls close in on all the characters.
Where Mare Of Easttown was a show about motherhood, repression, and redemption, Task seems interested in fatherhood, faith, and grief. Those are slightly more common themes for the crime-drama genre. But this premiere suggests Ingelsby has a perspective (and a cast) that could make them feel fresh again.
It’s a feedback loop of gloominess, that turns the process of watching early episodes feel like trying to walk up a muddy hill in the middle of a downpour. .... That said, just as Mare came together satisfyingly in the end, the last three episodes of Task are very strong as both suspense and character studies.
What’s frustrating is that while Tom and Robbie’s dance of evasion and investigation gets more predictable, the series’ performances get richer, so Task teeter-totters on an imbalance of story and ensemble.
I’m six episodes into Task and I’m honestly blown away. What a piece of filmmaking! Brilliantly written and acted — everything just clicks, everything’s exactly where it should be. There’s one episode left, and I have no idea how HBO plans to wrap it up, but this is an absolute knockout. One of the best shows of the year. Maybe the best?It’s created by the showrunners of Mare of Easttown. The cast is top-tier: Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, plus some lesser-known faces who are just as outstanding. The music hits perfectly, too.Highly recommended. Best to go in without reading too much — just let the creators tell their story. It’s not only the plot that delivers here. For me, it’s a show about violence — about the whole cycle of it, and how much harm it causes to everyone around. Totally worth watching.
Mark Ruffalo heads this strong cast as an FBI agent working in the Philadelphia suburbs. When a string of violent robberies results in murders and a big heist, he assembles the task force to find the culprits. This was created by Brad Ingelsby, who’s “Mare of Easttown” is a similar dramatic series with the focus on character. While the criminal case drives the plot, it’s the stories behind the people that become the most intriguing aspect. In addition to Ruffalo’s expectedly fine performance, he’s joined by a complex and moving Tom Pelphrey, as the main crook and Emilia Jones, who’s equally compelling as the daughter caught in the middle. Toss in Martha Plimpton, as the FBI boss, who adds some fun with her gruff, messy portrayal. The story takes time to develop and it’s only about halfway thru the series that things become more involving. The plot itself doesn’t have any real surprises (the mole is a standard trope), but it’s strong enough and sufficiently grim to keep the show mildly involving. (7 one-hour eps
A pretty shameless attempt at repeating the minor success of Mare of Easttown. Essentially a copy-paste of the plot dressed up in new sprites. Ruffalo plays a predictably troubled former priest turned FBI agent who lost his faith and drinks too much (remind you of someone). The hacky Philly accents are back in full force but this time they aren't charming at all. The villain, who they spend way too much time with, is nothing but boring.