September 14, 2025
Peter Kramer/HBO
In Episode 2 of 'Task,' Brad Ingelsby's HBO miniseries about an FBI task force in Delaware County, the intensity of the premiere is filled out with poignant backstories in the lives of the show's protagonists. Robbie Prendergast (played by Tom Pelphrey) is shown above in a powerful scene at a bar.
A botched drug house robbery, a deadly shootout and the kidnapping of a young boy set the stage for action at the end of last week's series premiere of "Task," Brad Ingelsby's new HBO crime drama set in Delco.
Much like "Mare of Easttown," the tone and pacing of "Task" shift between dark tensions, lighthearted moments of connection and exhilarating bursts of mayhem. In Episode 2, we learn more about the lives of FBI agent Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) and daring robber and family man Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey), who suddenly finds himself responsible for Sam – the boy whose parents were killed during the botched heist of the Dark Hearts motorcycle gang.
Robbie and Cliff regroup after the death of their associate, Peaches, and discuss what to do with Sam. They discover that the duffel bag they took from the drug house is filled with packages of pure fentanyl instead of cash. They now have to find a way to sell it while figuring out what to do with the boy.
At his new headquarters near Kennett Square, Brandis gets situated with his task force of county detective Anthony Grasso, Chester detective Aleah Clinton and state trooper Lizzie Stover. Brandis tells Grasso that he got his start at the FBI two decades earlier after serving as a volunteer priest for the agency during mass casualty events.
"When things go terribly wrong, people want to know why God let it happen," Brandis says.
During the investigation, Brandis learns a key detail from another detective with expert insight on the Dark Hearts. Years earlier, the gang killed one of its members, Billy, after a supposed rules violation. The detective says Billy's daughter is Maeve – Robbie's niece, who helps care for his two kids – and that she was convinced her dad had been killed by the Dark Hearts' Delco chapter leader Jayson.
Maeve, left by Robbie to watch over Sam, pieces together that the boy's parents were in the Dark Hearts. When she sees news stories that Sam was kidnapped, she devises a plan to anonymously turn the boy in to police. The drop-off backfires when Sam doesn't follow her directions. Maeve's quick thinking fools Brandis into assuming she provided a bad tip.
At home, Brandis grapples with his two daughters' conflicting views about whether to give a supportive statement at the sentencing of their brother, Ethan. He faces up to 15 years in prison for killing Brandis' wife. Brandis confides in Sara, his biological daughter, that he feels lost over the question of forgiveness.
When Maeve Googles Sam's name, one of the links that pops up is an article from NBC Philadelphia published seven hours earlier.
"A minor has been confirmed missing by police in the aftermath of a quadruple homicide in a Marcus Hook Borough Home early this morning," the preview text says. Just below it is a link for a story from the Inquirer.
Brandis' adoptive daughter, Emily, who works at Rita's, also reveals more about her father's souvenir Phillies cup during a therapy session.
"When he drinks, which is basically every night, he uses this Phillies cup. Like, this plastic Phillies giveaway cup he's had for forever, and he used to only drink iced tea out of it," Emily says. "And because he's using that cup, I guess he thinks maybe I don't know what's really in there or something – which is so incredibly stupid."
Episode 2 also features a number of bar scenes, although it's unclear which bars were used to film specific scenes. Timeout reported last week that crews filmed various scenes at Dixon's Lounge in Folsom and the Upland Diner in Chester.
Tom Pelphrey, who appeared on "Late Night With Seth Meyers" last week, discussed how he perfected his Delco accent for the series. Pelphrey grew up in Howell Township, New Jersey, and attended Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts in New Brunswick.
Ahead of the series premiere, Pelphrey told PhillyVoice he found it a huge help having grown up in the broader region outside Philly.
"There are just so many similarities about the value system, the sense of humor, the way people relate to one another and show affection – the rough joking," he said. "The second I read the first page (of the script), I was like, 'This is amazing. I could do this in my sleep, in a way.'"
Pelphrey talked about a subtly powerful scene in Episode 2 when he's with Cliff at a bar waiting for instructions about how to find a buyer for the fentanyl. In the premiere, Robbie tells Cliff he desperately wants to find a life companion again after his wife left him with their two kids. At the bar, Robbie notices a woman repeatedly glancing over her shoulder at him. He doesn't pursue her. It's a quiet and painful acknowledgement that Robbie knows he's in too deep to look for love and intimacy anymore.
"Brad and I texted back and forth a lot about that scene," Pelphrey said "We wanted to get all of the details right – including the song playing at the bar."
They decided on Pearl Jam's "Long Road," a 1995 deep cut off the band's "Merkin Ball" EP.
"You can't hear it super well, but if you listen you'll hear Eddie Vedder's voice in there," Pelphrey said, giving his best vocal impression. "We really thought that song just captured that moment for Robbie."
Nope. No signs of Mare Sheehan – yet. Ingelsby and Kate Winslet have both left the door open to a possible sequel to "Mare of Easttown," and Ruffalo has hinted that the world of "Task" could eventually be a part of such a project if it ends up happening.
After the "Task" premiere, one Reddit user (the show now has a small but growing subreddit) picked up on a promising detail. When Brandis was representing the FBI at a Delco career fair, a small nod was given to the Easttown Police Department.
"Did anyone else notice the Easttown PD sign Tom glanced over?" the Reddit user asked. "It was when testing out his binoculars at the job fair. Just curious if my eyes are playing tricks on me."
Nobody sleuths harder than people on Reddit, where "Mare of Easttown" had a devoted legion of detectives tossing out their theories during the show's initial run in 2021. Going forward, this section of the episode recaps will be plucking from what viewers in the "Task" community are saying about the show.
