REVIEW: ‘Task’ Episode 1 — “Crossings”

Task Episode 1, “Crossings,” introduces its central pair of characters on opposite sides of the law, as they are set on a collision course with each other. But before the manhunt begins, we need to understand who FBI Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo, Mickey 17) and his target, Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey, Love & Death), are.  

How a show introduces its cast is important. After all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression. The manner in which a narrative frames its central personalities will color their motivations and arc for the rest of the story. And while Task Episode 1 certainly lays solid groundwork for its two stars, one is explored far better than the other. 

Agent Brandis’s time is far and away the weaker of the two focal points for this episode. The down-and-out individual’s world is firmly established long before the narrative begins to pick up, leaving the audience with little to invest in during his side of the story. This is frustrating, especially since clear hints suggest that there is more to his background, but we must wait to discover what it is. 

Task Episode 1 struggles with a repetitive opening, before finally letting its character take hold.

Repetitive scenes reinforce his alcoholism and motivational struggles far more than is necessary. The sprinkling of new information that comes from some of his moments is not enough to make the bulk of Brandis’ time in the episode compelling. 

Despite the weaknesses in the character’s presentation, Ruffalo does a great job of selling the emotional mire that Brandis finds himself in. Whether in a scene alone or as he struggles to connect with his daughter, Emily (Silvia Dionicio), the character’s inability to navigate the fog that obscures his personal journey always comes through. Brandis hasn’t completely given up, but he’s close to it. It’s just a shame that there isn’t more for Ruffalo to do during the first two-thirds of the hour-and-a-quarter episode.

By contrast, Robbie is brimming with complicated narrative moments as Task Episode 1 reveals the many facets of his life. There is always another stone to turn over with him as the episode explores his work, his criminal life, as well as his shortcomings as a single father. The character’s mix of strengths and weaknesses makes him a complicated and engaging lead to follow. 

The key element of Robbie that makes him so interesting is how close he gets to being good.  He feels like the kind of guy that, if life had dealt him a better hand, he’d be alright. But to be good within the restrictions that life has set for him would take more than he has. So Robbie makes bad choices. While many of these choices are born out of desperation, one cannot help but feel like many of the dire straits he currently finds himself in may be by his own doing. Adding a layer of complexity to the feelings he elicits. 

Pelphrey sells the character’s strengths and shortcomings in equal measure. How he takes the character from sweetly telling bedtime stories to his kids to lashing out at his niece, Maeve (Emilia Jones, Locke and Key), who has been saddled with the job of being mom to his two kids when he isn’t around, feels superbly natural. Even the character’s approach to crime speaks to his not-quite-bad, yet not good, nature. 

It is the reveal of this final element of Robbie that gets Task Episode 1‘s plot into motion. Why he falls into the FBI’s sights isn’t even so much what he’s doing or how, but who he’s doing it to. The larger repercussions of his actions, things he doesn’t even seem to be aware of, prompt the agency to establish a task group to apprehend him and his crew, with Brandis at the helm. 

“Crossings” may take some time to build momentum, but it gets there in the home stretch.

As Task Episode 1 enters the home stretch, things get out of control when Robbie’s latest job goes sideways. Circumstance catches up with him, and his crew discovers just how quickly things can turn deadly, leaving Robbie with a terrible choice to make. And just as all his setup would lead you to expect, he doesn’t do the horrible thing, but he doesn’t do the smart thing either.

Despite an opening that feels overly long and doesn’t always manage to captivate, by the time Task Episode 1‘s credits roll, the need to see what happens next is firmly planted. If future episodes can maintain this momentum and not fall back into unnecessarily slow storytelling, the series could make good on this less-than-perfect start. 

Task Episode 1 is streaming now on HBO Max with new episodes every Sunday in September and October.