September 28, 2025
Peter Kramer/HBO
The plot of HBO's 'Task' kicks into high gear in Episode 4 of Brad Ingelsby's limited series set in Delaware County. At the scene of a sting operation gone awry, the show's FBI task force members Anthony Grasso (Fabien Frankel), Lizzy Stover (Alison Oliver) and Aleah Clinton (Thuso Mbedu) are shown above left to right joined by other law enforcement.
In Episode 4 of HBO's Delco-based crime drama "Task," a battle of wits unfolds between the FBI and the Dark Hearts motorcycle gang as they race to catch two thieves plotting to sell a stolen stash of fentanyl.
Creator Brad Ingelsby's story left off with Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) and Cliff making arrangements with ex-convict Ray Lyman to cash in on the stolen bag of drugs. What Robbie and Cliff don't know is that Lyman got arrested not long after they met with him — while trying to steal their drugs — and then Lyman spilled information about Cliff to FBI task force leader Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo).
That sets up a sting operation for the FBI to fool Cliff and Robbie, who are now unknowingly communicating with police instead of Lyman. As the Dark Hearts try to recover their drugs, they're one step ahead of Brandis because of an apparent leak in the task force that gives them the upper hand to corner Cliff before the FBI can catch him.
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On the morning of the sting, Brandis leads a meeting to plan the operation at Bailey Park. The FBI still hasn't identified Robbie as Cliff's partner and they're not sure whether kidnapped 6-year-old Sam is still alive, but they have a plan to intercept Cliff at the park to get some answers.
Episode 4 peels back multiple layers of the past to explain how the show's major characters wound up becoming enemies.
Dark Hearts leader Perry gets a visit from a member of the gang's Mother Club. Perry is told that Jayson, his protege, will soon be forced out of the gang because of his suspected role in making the Dark Hearts vulnerable to the robberies.
When Perry sets out to find the truth about Jayson's past, he learns that slain Dark Heart Billy Prendergrast — Robbie's brother — was killed in Reading years earlier because he had an affair with Jayson's wife, Eryn. Jayson had lied to Perry about Billy skimming money from the gang, misleading the Dark Hearts' top brass about the reason for Billy's death. To get back at Jayson, Eryn betrays the Dark Hearts by feeding Robbie and Cliff information about the gang's stash houses.
In a poignant flashback scene at their favorite quarry, Billie is shown for the first time talking with Robbie about the difficulties of heartbreak and letting people go. Eryn is shown jumping into Billy's arms. When the flashback ends, Robbie is at the same quarry with Cliff and Sam. The boy catches a small fish that Robbie says they'll cook later for dinner.
Billy's old friend, who owns a trucking company, invites Robbie to meet with him about helping Robbie and Cliff make a getaway to Canada after the fentanyl is sold. Maeve, Robbie's niece, tells him the idea is delusional and says she won't follow along with Robbie's two kids. She vows again to surrender Sam to police.
During Robbie's meeting with the trucker, Cliff falls asleep in the car with Sam in the backseat. Sam gets out to dump the fish in a nearby stream, but he's spotted by a bystander who suspects something is wrong. A frantic Robbie returns to the car to find Sam missing. The bystander then appears with the boy in the parking lot. Robbie viciously attacks the man, but not before pictures have been taken of the boy proving he's still alive.
The episode comes to a head when Cliff and Robbie head out at night to finalize their drug deal. As a precaution, they split up in two cars — keeping nearly all of the drugs with Robbie. The FBI and other police at the park swarm what turns out to be the wrong car driven by an innocent couple who went out in search of their lost dog. Task force member Anthony Grasso, the Delaware County detective whose colleagues helped with the sting, appears noticeably flustered by the mix-up.
Meanwhile, Cliff appears in his car at a different location to await the planned drug deal. The Dark Hearts show up behind him in a pickup truck and they have Lyman's phone, which had been seized by the task force. The Dark Hearts repeatedly ram Cliff's car from behind, eventually running him off the road into a ravine. Cliff is badly injured in the crash. He's later seen being interrogated by the gang and instead of giving up Robbie's name, Cliff spits blood in Jayson's face. Jayson then suffocates Cliff with cellophane wrap.
At the end of the episode, Perry matches the gun recovered from Cliff's car to an old photo of Billy wearing the same holster with his daughter, Maeve, beside him.
Episode 4 has a handful of references and nods to the Philly area.
Brandis' adopted daughter Emily gets drunk at a party after her shift at Rita's. She returns home late at night puking red liquid — not blood — that got its color from the food dye in cherry water ice mixed with vodka.
Bailey Park, where the FBI sets up the sting operation, is a real place in Havertown known for its playground and basketball courts.
In the scene where Robbie meets with Billy's friend to talk about going to Canada, one of the vehicles on the lot says "Berwyn Trucking." Ingelsby grew up in Berwyn and still lives there.
Robbie is also shown parked outside the Upland Diner in Chester in the scenes where he and Cliff split up before the ill-fated drug rendezvous.
In the moments before the sting operation goes awry, FBI task force members Aleah Clinton (Thuso Mbedu) and Lizzie Stover (Alison Oliver) banter with each other at Bailey Park. Another cop approaches and mentions that Clinton, a Chester police detective, once beat him in a marksmanship competition.
Mbedu, a South African actress who starred in the Amazon Prime Video series "The Underground Railroad," said her role in "Task" is the first time she's ever played a police officer.
To get an understanding of life as a cop, Mbedu worked with the Easttown Township Police Department in Chester County (not to be confused with the fictional Delco department in Ingelsby's "Mare of Easttown") and learned from officers about their day-to-day patrols.
Mbedu said nothing really hair-raising happened during her ride-alongs, but she did witness the fallout of a Delco-style fender bender that got pretty heated between the drivers involved.
"We were cruising down the street with the officer explaining certain things to me and then a call came in," Mbedu said. "Then the blue lights go on and you're speeding. It was nothing bad, nothing dramatic. Two cars had bumped into each other and you could barely see the scratch, but the situation had really escalated."
There haven't been any new or obvious easter eggs linking the world of "Task" with "Mare of Easttown," a possibility that Ruffalo has discussed in the past. Ingelsby has been tight-lipped about future plans for the Delco narratives he's spun, but hasn't ruled out reviving "Mare of Easttown" in some form if there's a story that merits it.
Meanwhile, the r/TaskHBO subreddit has been going strong with theories about the show's direction and appreciation for its actors. One post pointed out an uncanny resemblance between Tom Pelphrey's Robbie and former "Jackass" star Chris Pontius, whose hijinks and stunts on MTV were often filmed in the West Chester area with Bam Margera and company.
Another post heaps praise on actress Emilia Jones for her role as Maeve, whose old soul and biting humor set her apart in a crowd of damaged characters. In Episode 4, she hilariously rips Robbie for "a lifetime full of stupid ideas" and says his planned escape to Canada with nothing but cash tops them all.
"And what, we make our own Gilligan's Island down in Timbuktu?" Maeve asks Robbie.
One "Task" fan on Reddit said all hell will break loose if Maeve doesn't survive the series.
"If anything happens to Maeve, I'm rioting," the commenter said.
