Faith, Filth and Felonies: The Strange Cocktail of "Task" (2025)

In the working class suburbs of Philadelphia, an FBI agent heads a Task Force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Er3kmwGenP8

’ll say this right up front: Task is the kind of show you watch when you’re done with “light entertainment.” When you’re ready for the kind of drama where your couch cushions start feeling like they’ve absorbed someone’s soul. Think: blue-collar nightmares, suburban decay, bikers with tattoos, and an FBI agent who looks like he’s already phoning in his retirement. That’s the world of Task.

Our hero (or anti-hero?) is Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo). Tom’s the FBI agent who, in his cop-time off-duty hours, probably picks pea gravel out of his shoes and wonders whether faith was ever a safe investment. He leads a task force in the working-class sprawl of Philadelphia’s suburbs, chasing after a string of violent robberies orchestrated by Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey), a garbage man-by-day, occasional burglar-by-night, father by necessity, desperado by design. Yes, garbage man. You read that right. The show apparently thinks "bin man with a side gig" is the kind of premise that needs immediate HBO treatment - and I’m here for it.

Now, if you like your TV full of polish, gloss and heroes you want to be like - look away now. Because Task is rough. You can feel the dirt under your nails after each episode. You’ll also get tension scenes that punch you in the heart. By the finale? Action that feels like the director suddenly remembered: "Oh yeah - we promised a climax." In short: what I liked: gritty texture, real tension, strong finale. What I disliked: slow pacing (yes, you’ll be tempted to check your phone), plenty of swearing and violence (HBO, you never change), and characters so flawed that you end up feeling sorry for them rather than wanting to be them.

Let’s talk cast:

Ruffalo gives his usual solid performance, though I kept waiting for him to stop him-sagging in that “burdened” pose. Pelphrey? He’s compelling as Robbie - an everyman who flips into a criminal because his kids need something (yes, that reason again). Emilia Jones as Maeve brings a spark; Jamie McShane’s Perry is menacing; Martha Plimpton’s SSRA McGinty adds bureaucratic gravitas; Raúl Castillo as Cliff gives the show a gritty authenticity. The supporting cast rounds it out nicely. (And yes, they nailed the Pennsylvania accent. Ruffalo admitted it was a struggle.)

On story:

The setting is that working-class suburbia outside Philly, the kind of place where dreams didn’t come preventatively - they came remedially. The robberies are violent, the criminals unexpected. The gangster bikers show up, there’s a turf war brewing and the question lingers: can these broken men fix anything before the town fixes them? The tagline says “an FBI agent heads a task force to put an end to a string of violent robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.”

That unsuspecting family man motif? That’s what I call ironic shorthand. Because, of course, the audience knows he’s suspect. We’re just hanging around for the reveal.

The show’s pacing is patient. Very patient. If you’re the type who demands hand-held clarity, you might sigh at the slow burn. But if you’re in for the long haul, the tension builds, the board flips and by episode five you’ll be hooked.

Also: there’s plenty of moral murk. Tom (Ruffalo) wants to be the savior, the guy who fixes everything - but he’s got sermons coming out of his ears. And the show rewards that with both empathy and critique. Also: Hollywood, can we ease up on making every main character so damaged that you don’t want to be them but only spared from their lives? I mean: we get it. Humans aren’t perfect. Still - give me someone whose life I want instead of “boy, glad that guy’s not me.”

What worked:

The atmosphere. The sense of place. You taste the rusted siding, the humid garages, the mist off the Delaware County back roads. Filming on-location in Delaware County gave it authenticity.

The tension between Robbie and Tom is the core engine. The finale’s action? Firm and striking.

What stumbled:

The slow moments drag. Mark wants to preach. The grit becomes its own trope.

By episode seven you’re in deep. The characters are worn thin. I found myself caring. Which is what a show like this should aim for. But it still leaves you with a hum of discomfort. You don’t leave the couch the same person. That’s the point. If you want fuzzy, comfortable, happy-end endings: look elsewhere.

In summary: Task is not for light TV nights. It’s for the kind of evening when you’ve already done the dishes, maybe the kids are asleep, and you’re ready for a little moral weight and some bruised humanity. If you’re in that mood, it delivers. If you’re hungry for heroes you aspire to be rather than pity you escape from, it’ll frustrate you. But hey, that’s the deal.

Rating: 7.0/10

It’s good. But it’s not perfect. The ambition is high, the performances solid, the setting rich - but it doesn’t always hit the mark of “I will watch every season until the end of time.” And that’s okay. It’s a strong entry in the premium-crime genre, just with its eyes slightly too heavy on the “broken people” lens.