TASK
Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Fabien Frankel, Thuso Mbedu, Silvia Dionicio, Ben Lewis Doherty, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley, Phoebe Fox, Raúl Castillo, and Martha Plimpton
Creator: Brad Ingelsby
ROBERT
Mare of Easttown has a reputation built of prestige, but I never had occasion to see what I heard was premiere television. Task is its spiritual sequel from my understanding: it comes from the same creator who again focuses on violent crime from the East Pennsylvania region. Its greatest strength, though, lies in the fact that the crime and subsequent investigation are the least interesting parts. Instead, the personal drama of the characters and how it trickles down to their families is where the series shines because it highlights the true highs and lows of humanity. Task is apex television drama.
BODE
What does it mean to be a good person? And what does it truly mean to forgive? Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby works through these questions and more throughout his new limited series, Task. Together with directors Jeremiah Zagar and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, not to mention a perfectly cast ensemble that includes Mark Ruffalo and Tom Pelphrey in fantastic form, Ingelsby weaves together an endlessly compelling crime drama filled with richly layered characters and complex dynamics. It’s as tense and brutal as it is tender and patient. Binge it or let all seven episodes breathe. Either way, you’ll be regularly rewarded.
QUENTIN
Task is a very well-acted miniseries that I’m sure will be nominated for many Emmys. However, it’s also a dour slog about downtrodden people drowning in misery. It’s yet another show that explores the complexities of the human condition through a criminal investigation while failing to make one care about the case. I get it, people are layered: not all good guys are flawless, not all bad guys are evil. Do we really need more long-winded, boring, and depressing treatises that belabor the point without adding anything new to it? Funnily enough, Task felt like exactly that — an assignment I had to endure.
