Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (April 28, 2026)
Fresh off the success of 2021’s Mare of Easttown, show creator Brad Ingelsby returned with another HBO series. Season One of Task debuted in September 2025 and also took us to the Philadelphia area.
This three-disc Blu-ray set includes all seven of S1’s episodes. The plot synopses come from the series’ official website.
Crossings: "Forced back into the field after a family tragedy, Special Agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) leads a new Task Force investigating a string of robberies."
Most episodes that launch series take an expository bent, as they need to introduce the characters and plot circumstances. “Crossings” follows that path.
This means we get the requisite basics about those involved, though not with great detail. “Crossings” hints at some domains that we expect will blossom as the season progresses.
“Crossings” leads us into the series with reasonable efficiency but I can’t claim it makes me especially curious to see where things will go from here. At least in this opening episode, Task feels fairly trite, but I maintain hope it’ll go into more intriguing places as the season progresses.
Family Statements: "As Tom's family braces for an emotional court date, Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey) faces a dilemma, and Maeve Predergrast (Emilia Jones) makes a critical choice."
I must admit that the family tragedy in Tom’s background feels like a contrived attempt at easy emotion. Why do we need a haunted FBI agent – and oddly, a former priest to boot?
As seen at the end of “Crossings”, another silly plot choice comes when Robbie takes a kid from the house he and his pals ransack. This becomes another questionable choice that seems to exist just to churn some cheap sentiment.
Beyond these elements, I fail to find a lot of momentum two episodes into Task. While it builds characters, it does so in a less than compelling manner.
Still, plenty of S1 remains. Hopefully matters will pick up from here.
Nobody's Stronger Than Forgiveness: "As Cliff Broward (Raúl Castillo) and Robbie look for a buyer, Aleah Clinton (Thuso Mbedu) and Lizzie Stover (Alison Oliver) question Kenny "Peaches" Pollard's (Owen Teague) former coworkers, and Tom and Anthony Grasso (Fabien Frankel) pursue a lead."
S3 remains stuck in a rut with the blah “Stronger”. It throws out some much needed action but remains too focused on dreary character meandering – much of which seems painfully predictable - and the series continues to feel dull and flat.
All Roads: "While Tom questions the loyalty of his Task Force, Perry Dorazo (Jamie McShane) probes his own gang for answers – and uncovers a shocking truth."
This episode marks the median point in S1. That means if it doesn’t mark upward growth, it seems unlikely S1 will ever click for me.
Alas, “Roads” does nothing to improve my view of Task. It does toss out some stabs at action and intrigue, along with an eye-rolling plot twist.
However, it mostly concentrates on the same dreary character drama as usual. This makes it another mediocre episode.
Vagrants: "As Perry attempts to tie up loose ends, Maeve makes good on her word, and Tom follows a lead down a dangerous path."
As S1 rolls past its mid-point, I go from cautious optimism it’ll find a groove to basic disappointment. Task comes with plenty of room for good drama but it simply fails to find interesting paths.
“Vagrants” does nothing to change this trajectory. In theory, the S1 narrative heats up, but the characters remain so flimsy and bland that I can’t muster the energy to care.
Out beyond ides of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river: "The Task Force, Dark Hearts, and Robbie converge in the woods, leading to a dramatic showdown with far-reaching consequences."
The last episode ended with a cliffhanger, one that picks up here. It stems from a confrontation that felt inevitable, though I thought it’d wait until the S1 finale.
At least this gives “river” some kinetic charge usually absent from Task. However, given the doldrums that so dominated the prior shows, it feels like too little, too late.
Honestly, I mind the series’ general lack of action less than I do the dreary nature of its character elements. I could handle a slow-moving crime tale if it came with interesting personalities and events.
It doesn’t help that “river” embraces trite stabs at emotion via roles who won’t survive until the final episode. No spoilers, of course, but these choices just offer more contrived melodrama as we go to the finale.
A Still, Small Voice: "As the Task Force seeks answers and the Dark Hearts cover their tracks, a shocking revelation leads them to a final confrontation."
As “river” progressed, I wondered if S1 would enjoy one and a half episodes of denouement, as the prior episode seemed to wrap up the active drama by its midpoint. As the synopsis above indicates, Task finds some additional fireworks to finish off the season.
These elements don’t add the hoped-for pizzazz, though, as the standard mopey melodrama becomes the primary factor here. At times Task feels like a Terrence Malick project, as it finds the most introspective FBI agents and bikers imaginable.
“Voice” does wrap up the season’s threads, and if you liked what you saw up until now, you will probably find the conclusion satisfactory. Given that I felt so disenchanted and borderline bored with S1’s events, “Voice” winds up as a lackluster conclusion to a less than enthralling package of shows.
