Task S1 E4 "All Roads" Review

Task is a show that both rewards you for being a people person and punishes you for assuming it was action-packed. No matter the assumptions you'll walk into this show with, what remains undeniable about it is the depth and complexity of its characters. This is a very well-written, well-acted drama. It is also a patient drama, and it avoids feeling contrived, even if it could sometimes afford to. Four episodes in, and it's obvious something big and probably tragic is coming; it's taking a while to get there, but the complex company is endearing.

Some of the characters in this show who haven't yet had a chance to take the spotlight suddenly find themselves thrust into it, if just for a brief, all-important moment. The acting of the ensemble cast in Task is every bit as good as the primary cast's. The casting team was incredibly thorough, and I can only imagine they went through many candidates. The result is a show that feels incredibly genuine, a cast with no real mentionable weak spots. There's a place for everyone, and everyone is perfectly in their place.

As for Robby, everyone's favorite good-hearted perp, his relationship with the boy, Sam, has almost turned into that of a father to a son. Sam is a vulnerable child, and even though Robby is a criminal, he's a criminal with a good heart, and the pairing of his rough but genuine empathy with the boy's innocence is brilliant. However, both his time and everyone else's seems to be running out quicker than is comfortable. All Roads puts its characters on rigid deadlines, which adds propulsion to the show while also giving me a sense of dread in the pit of my stomach. It's the type of dread that could only come from a well-written story putting an assortment of well-written characters in danger.

All Roads is also a very tender, innocent episode. Its sweeter moments remind me why I love the characters in this show so much. Moments like these are fragile and can pass in a moment, but they also reveal a compassion in the heart of Task that is impossible to ignore. The depth, intrigue, and thematic diversity of this show's humanist cast are unparalleled, yet it never seems to be trying to tick boxes to force a sense of depth or empathy. It's just empathetic, full stop.

All Roads is a disappointing episode, but it's disappointing in a way that feels rewarding, and that's the point. I'm very invested in the success or even the mere survival of these characters, and not everyone in this show succeeds - though you knew that was the case for a drama featuring people on different sides of the battle lines. Some may be disappointed in All Roads, period, but I'm now more invested than ever in seeing how these characters solve the problems a missing-child case throws at them. The more they fail, the more I want them to succeed. The sad truth is that not everyone will.

In fact, not everyone in this show even survives.

1 Corinthians 1:26-29