Task S1 E1 "Crossings" Review

There is a tragedy that lingers in the air around Brad Ingelsby's Task. It is a tragedy punctuated by Robbie Prendergrast's insistence on a life of crime, both in spite of and because of his need to care for children left to him by a life gone sideways. It is a tragedy reinforced by FBI agent Tom Brandis's heavy drinking to drown the sorrow of his wife's death. It is a tragedy that likewise shines via shockingly good cinematography that's dark enough to be moody, but not so dark as to become unnatural. This is a show defined by, steeped in, and developed by tragedy, a show that is nonetheless never soapy because of its genuine emotional depth.

There is no mystery to Task. From the very first episode, you already know everything you need to know about both the surprisingly complex robbers hitting trap houses and the cops sent out to catch them. That's the point. This is a show about empathizing with people, even if some of their lifestyle habits are indisputably distasteful. Shows like Task have been made before, but rarely have they ever felt so intimate.

There is a tragedy to the way Task spins its tale. Its visual storytelling is powerful, and the silent insinuations revealing the depth of its characters are moving. Outside of a radio host yakking in the background, I didn't hear a single line of dialogue for the first five minutes of Crossings, the show's premiere episode, and yet it still managed to clue me in on everything I needed to know about not one but two well-rounded and complex characters. This show is subtle, tragic, ironic, and even a little bit funny at times. Most of all, it's emotionally intelligent.

There is a tragedy to the electrifyingly good performances of Task. Tom's weary soul is badly hiding behind Mark Ruffalo's haunted eyes, which distract his tormented, hard-drinking soul with bird-watching. Tom Pelphrey's performance as Robbie is rough yet endearing, a combination that casts him as both an antagonist and someone we can live life with and get to know. It's the little things about these characters that make the big difference, little things like strange, unique quirks. This show focuses on and humanizes two sides of a gang war investigation, allowing us to look at the world from multiple perspectives and empathize with characters who feel unusually real.

There is also a tragedy to the routine of Task. We see these people go through many of the same rituals every day, which lends them a realism and believability that makes me very interested in seeing what happens to them in later episodes. Both Tom and Robbie are doing everything for their own idea of the greater good, but there is a limit to how far that will take them in life. Though they can't afford to be weak enough to admit it, both men are victims of their circumstances, driven either by financial necessity or bad coping habits. Task rejects easy labels or name-calling, choosing instead to do the hard work of empathizing with people.

One episode in, and Task is a very well-acted drama that is shaping up to be something special. It is foregoing easy sermonizing, and I'm interested in being able to draw my own conclusions about some very complex and interesting characters who feel like actual people.

Proverbs 6:30-31