When Brad Ingelsby and Mark Ruffalo join forces, something happens that would make Scorsese say, "Oh, yes." Welcome to "The Task," HBO's latest prestige drama that brutally dissects the heart of America, with a knife that cuts not just flesh but truth.
It's not just the weather that's raining in Philadelphia – it's Task It's raining punches, gunfire, and moral dilemmas. Brad Ingelsby, the man who shocked us with Mare of Eastown, returns with a new story from the same tough, working-class environment, where people are more accustomed to dirty hands than high ideals. Only this time the main role is not played by Kate Winslet with a cigarette in her mouth, but Mark Ruffalo, who plays a tired but determined FBI agent – a man who is apparently never short of dark circles, responsibilities and internal conflicts.
Roles that burn (and also smolder a little)
Ruffalo isn't the only star in this raw opera of crime and existentialism. Tom Pelphrey – that callous fool from Ozark – here he shines as a “normal” father who leads a series of brutal robberies. His performance is a perfect study in decomposition: how far can a man go before his moral compass fails him – if he ever had one?
They are supported by an exceptional cast: Emilia Jones (CODA) as a newcomer who wants to believe in the system (but oh, how she won't succeed), Martha Plimpton like a relentless boss, and Raul Castillo, who for the third series in a row plays a man who clearly knows something he shouldn't.
It's not just a crime, it's a American crime.
Task is much more than a procedural. It is not NCIS, where you get every case wrapped up in 42 minutes and with a happy ending. Ingelsby insists on authenticity: Philadelphia isn't just a backdrop, it's a character in itself—with its concrete streets, empty bar tables, and people who still believe that tomorrow might be a better day. (Spoiler: it won't be.)
Over the course of ten episodes, the series slowly, almost painfully, builds a narrative that intertwines family drama, crime, and questions of identity. When do you become a monster? And who has the right to say that you have become one?
Direction that breathes with the script
Jeremiah Zagar and Salli Richardson-Whitfield don't overdo it with their direction, which is a compliment in this case. The camera often lingers on the characters for a second too long – just enough to make us feel the weight of every decision, every sentence exhaled. Visually, the series is dark, but never depressing. As if Fincher would film The Wire, if you ask him to hold back.
The production weight that is felt
The production is backed by big names – from Ruffalo, who clearly knows how to be behind the camera, to veteran producers WIIP and Public Record. The result? A series that smells of prestige, but isn't snobbish. Like the most expensive jacket from a second-hand store: sophisticated, but tried and tested.
Task is more than just a series. It is a mirror of modern America – broken, bloody, and, worst of all, real.
If you are Mare of Eastown will make you depressed, Task did the same thing... only this time you'll enjoy it even more. Get ready for Mondays on HBO Maxwhen you're not watching the series – you'll felt. And when it's over, you'll want to start over. Not because there's anything incomprehensible, but because you want to believe that it could have ended differently.
But as Philadelphia says? “Dreams are for people who can afford them.”
