After the most crazy week of 2025 for me Im back at watching content, last night premiere Episode 1 of Task (2025) and I gotta say HBO might have something really special here with this new crime drama, the whole thing starts off with this incredible energy that pulls you right into these two completely different characters that are about to collide once they cross paths, there comes the name of the episode "Crossings" at some point its going to happen. Mark Ruffalo plays Tom, an FBI agent who clearly has seen better days and is currently stuck doing recruitment duty at job fairs instead of being out in the field where he belongs, you can tell right away that this guy is carrying some serious baggage and not in a good way, there must be something dragging him badly and has to do with his kids, btw where is his wife??. Tom gets introduce through these small moments that tell you everything you need to know about his current state, he is plunging his face into a sink full of ice every morning which honestly looks like some kind of desperate attempt to shock himself into feeling something again or just because he is hang over from last night, plus he is popping Advil like candy and drinking himself into oblivion every night using what looks like a Phillies cup that has seen some rough nights of rum. There is also the fact he has been a priest? TF!! , eight years before becoming an FBI agent, thats the kind of career change that makes you wonder what the hell happened to make someone go from saving souls to catching criminals and the way they handle this revelation through just casual conversation instead of some big dramatic flashback shows the writers know what they are doing, the episodes really pulls you in and makes you loose the sense of time.
- IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28013708/
- Platform: HBO
On the complete opposite side of things we meet Robbie, played by Tom Pelffrey who absolutely kills it in this role, he is a garbage collector who lives with his kids and his 21 year old niece Mave in what turns out to be his dead brothers house. Things are very very complicated as hell with Mave basically being forced into this mother figure role she never signed up for while Robbie tries to figure out how to be a single dad and keep his criminal side hustle going at the same time, because this garbage man is actually scouting drug houses while doing his regular routes so he can rob them later with his crew. What makes Robbies character so interesting is that he is not your typical Hollywood criminal, he is trying to provide for his family and seems to have some kind of moral code even though he is literally breaking into peoples houses and stealing their money, then again you wont see a drug dealing presenting charges against him, you can see the internal conflict every time he interacts with his kids especially when he is telling them bedtime stories about their Uncle Billy who we dont know the full story but I bet is something similar to what Robbie has been working on lately. The show does this great job of with building characters and their world around them, with Robbies motivations without ever making excuses for his actions, he needs money for his family and drug dealers seem like fair targets but you know this whole situation is going to go out of control eventually.
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The actual home invasion sequences are where the show really flexes its muscles in terms of tension and execution, the first robbery goes smooth as butter with the three guys wearing these creepy Halloween masks, they get in and out clean with their money and nobody gets hurt which sets you up to think maybe these guys actually know what they are doing, but then comes the second job and everything goes sideways in the worst possible way, suddenly people are getting shot and killed including Peach Boy who was just talking about getting married to his girlfriend, the whole thing turns into this chaotic bloodbath that leaves multiple bodies and a traumatized child who somehow is now part of Robbie's family, I though they going to kill the kid but instead took him or instead of leave him at the scene but then he saw their faces, this creates this whole situation of moral complexity because now they have basically kidnapped a child even though their intentions seem to be protecting him rather than hurting him right after they killed his parents, its the kind of decision that makes perfect sense in the moment but is obviously going to create massive problems for them latter on.
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The supporting characters make such a great job over all, Mave is dealing with way more responsibility than any 21 year old should have to handle while also trying to have some kind of normal social life, her confrontation with Robbie about how he has basically taken over her fathers house and left her to raise his kids was brutal, something I like very much, how fucked up Robbie's life is between his criminal routine and family at home. The task force members that get introduced feel a bit underdeveloped for now, compared to everyone else but I'm sure they serve their purpose as the people who are going to be tracking down our main characters so they will get more screen time down the line. There is Elizabeth the state trooper with her own personal drama going on with what sounds like a messy divorce situation, and the other two members Anthony and Aaliyah bring their own quirks to the team even though we do not spend much time with them yet. Martha Plimpton shows up as Toms boss who is being forced into retirement and she has this great energy bossy and funny, the way she handles Tom and gets him back into field work although seems too easy, even with his obvious personal issues shows she understands both his capabilities and his limitations better than he probably understands them himself, there is something holding him back when he says its too soon.
For been the first episode it balance all these different storylines without feeling overstuffed or confusing, you have got Toms family drama with his son in prison and his daughter who clearly has trust issues with him, plus Robbies complicated home life and his criminal activities and somehow it all fits together naturally without feeling forced or artificial. The show takes its time letting you get to know these characters before throwing them into life or death situations, which makes you actually care about what happens to them rather than just watching for the action sequences, another point in favor is the violence shown, when it happens feels realistic and consequential rather than just being there for shock value. I love how the series is not afraid to show these characters making terrible decisions that will obviously come back to haunt them, Robbies choice to take that child creates problems that go way beyond just stupidity and suddenly having another kid in the house, and Toms alcoholism is clearly affecting his relationship with his daughter in ways that might be irreparable if he does not get his sht together. The production value does capture the blue collar Philadelphia setting and makes it feel like a real place where real people live and work, not just being a backdrop for crime drama nonsense, there is also the sound and music choices are spot on especially that scene where Tom gets completely wasted with his priest friend and starts dancing around the kitchen and was one of the weirdest scenes, almost though there was something going on between them and I hope writers dont go that way. Overall I found it more than just good enough to watch and would totally recommend it giving it a 7/10.
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