Task Episode 2, “Family Statements,” picks up shortly after the disastrous robbery that ended the last episode. With Robbie (Tom Pelphrey, Blindspot) bringing Sam (Ben Lewis Doherty) home with him, he faces some hard choices, made worse by the discovery that it wasn’t money in the gym bag he took. Meanwhile, Brandis (Mark Ruffalo, Avengers: Endgame) is distracted by family issues as the upcoming sentencing for his son threatens to tear apart what remains of his family.
The biggest issue with episode one was its pacing. That problem is now in the past. From the moment the title card fades to black, Task Episode 2 never fails to engage with its narrative. Whatever element of its expanding narrative it touches on, it wastes no time in laying out why the story is there, and what it means for the plot moving forward.
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The most surprising way that Task Episode 2 pulls the viewer in comes with Brandis’s personal struggles. As the details of what transpired with his son come to light, the reasons for the life-shattering impact they’ve had on him come into focus. As the family’s various views of the finer points of the case come out, it delivers a series of gut-wrenching moments.
Pacing is no longer an issue, as the series homes in on Brandis’s problems.
What truly makes these moments powerful is how no one can be fully blamed for how they feel or the actions that play out. Even when individuals behave badly, you can understand why they are saying or doing these hurtful things. When robbed of a true villain to lash out at, anyone will sometimes do, causing pain to land on those who don’t deserve it. This crafts a powerful and complex scenario that promises to deliver more drama before it wraps up.
The biggest scene stealer in Task Episode 2, however, is Maeve (Emilia Jones, Locke and Key). When she discovers who Sam is, the actions she takes are some of the smartest the episode sees and create the biggest moments of tension as well. Jones delivers a fantastically subdued performance. The way she shows panic is perfectly measured. We can tell she is freaking out as her plans go awry, but her body language and nervous energy never become so pronounced that an outside observer would pick up on it. Her acting is subtle, yet strong.
While there is plenty of tension and hurt, Task Episode 2 does understand that a release valve needs to be turned now and then to keep the story from getting too harsh. Creating this decompression is a fantastically human moment between FBI agents Anthony Grasso (Fabien Frankel, House of the Dragon) and Elizabeth Stover (Alison Oliver, Saltburn). Despite generally getting on each other’s nerves in previous scenes together, the pair have a charming moment of bonding initiated by a discussion about old email addresses.
Task Episode 2 does a great job fleshing out the FBI side of its story.
The only scene in the episode that could be described as fun, both Frankel and Oliver seem to revel in this simple moment. The laughter that comes from the glimpses into the past that the moment provides feels like a true release for the characters from the overwhelming tension of the mounting situation.
The final element that stands out in the series’s fantastic second episode is its dive into the biker gang, Black Hearts. Through both the members themselves, as well as second-hand knowledge from the FBI side of the story, Task Episode 2 does an excellent job of fleshing out the organization structurally, as well as introducing its key members in ways that are equally efficient and compelling.
This is doubly true for one of the gang’s main leaders, Perry (Jamie McShane, Wednesday). Shrewd and calculating, McShane does a great job of instantly imparting just how far he’ll go and whose corpse he’s willing to step over to defend his club.
Task Episode 2 does everything it needed to. It picks up the foundation the pilot laid down and runs with all the best elements it showcased while leaving the episode’s early pacing problems behind. The way it expands characters and concepts, as well as further complicates the situation, never falls one iota short of compelling, making it fantastic television.
Task Episode 2 is streaming now on HBO Max with new episodes every Sunday in September and October.
