Crime drama Task, starring Mark Ruffalo as the leader of a FBI task force, has just ended after seven tense episodes. Written and created by Mare of Easttown’s Brad Inglesby, the acclaimed series followed Ruffalo’s Tom Brandis as he and his team investigated a string of violent robberies against stash houses run by an outlaw motorcycle gang.
And while a second season has not been commissioned as yet, there are certainly enough loose ends to warrant a return for the Pennsylvania-set thriller.
Task season 1 ending explained
The final episode picked up the story following the shocking death of Lizzie (Alison Oliver) one of the members of Tom’s task force, during a clash with Dark Hearts gang members Jayson (Sam Keeley) and Perry (Jamie McShane).
Tom realised that task agent Grasso (Fabien Frankel) was involved with the gang, and that the remaining members would be searching for the bag of money Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) had stolen from the Dark Hearts before he was murdered by them.
That bag of cash also meant that Robbie’s niece, Maeve (CODA’s Emilia Jones), whose father Billy had been murdered years before by Jayson, was also in danger, along with Robbie’s kids – who she was taking care of.
She had hidden the money at her remote forest home, but Jayson tracked her down not long after he stabbed Perry to death – after he learnt that Perry had strangled Jayson’s wife for betraying the Dark Hearts.
What to Read Next
Tom and task member Aleah (Thuso Mbedu) headed to Maeve’s house, unaware that a guilt-ridden and heavily bleeding Grasso – shot by his corrupt boss (who was then shot in the head himself) – was also on his way, knowing that any surviving Dark Hearts members would be ready to kill Maeve to get their hands on the money.
Jayson and Maeve struggled outside before Grasso shot Jayson in the head, and Tom turned a blind eye to the bulging bag of cash, leaving it for Maeve to use to rebuild her life.
While the body count rose and all the bad biker guys ended up dead — meaning Maeve and Robbie’s kids would be safe in the future, as we see when they head off in a car a few months later to a new life — Tom still had his own home life to deal with.
The day finally arrived for him to deliver a statement in court with regards to his adopted son, Ethan, who killed Tom’s wife Susan (Mireille Enos) during a psychotic episode, and was serving time in prison.
In his speech, Tom forgave his son, leaving the way open for Ethan’s possible return home if he was to be released in the future.
Tom also made a decision about Sam, the young boy who was abducted during the Dark Hearts case by Robbie, and who Tom had taken in with the help of his daughters Emily and Sara.
He decided he couldn’t give Sam the home Sam needed, and that it was more important for him to support his daughters and Ethan. After Sam was placed with an adoptive family, the final scene showed Tom removing the posters Sam had put on his bedroom wall and repainting the room, perhaps in readiness for Ethan’s return.
What Task season 2 could feature
There are still some questions to be answered, however, ones that could be addressed in a second season. To begin with, Grasso is last seen in hospital recuperating from his gunshot wound, but has yet to face the music for his involvement with the Dark Hearts, and there could be more secrets to uncover about how deep his role – and that of his boss – was with the Dark Hearts and if other police officers are involved.
Meanwhile Tom’s eldest daughter, Sara, is in the throes of divorce, with her soon to be ex-husband Andy coming to collect their baby in the penultimate episode. Is he just borrowing the baby for a week or two?
No one seems that bothered, but a second season may at least clear up whether her baby will be back, and whether Sara is set to move in with her father and sister Emily.
Mark Ruffalo has admitted that there is definitely scope for another season and another case for Tom, and even a potential crossover with Brad Inglesby’s Mare Of Easttown, which is also set in Pennsylvania.
"If we're going to reflect the world we're living in now, there's the whole question of ICE, an FBI agent, Philadelphia and Delaware County, and what it means to be someone who's protecting, serving, and to be law enforcement now in the face of that," he told Forbes.
"At the core of who we are, what is the decent part of that? That's interesting to me. For instance, looking at how we interface with the immigrant community as law enforcement. Are we willing to go on that journey in a real, honest way? Where does humanity slide into that in the Ingelsby Cinematic Universe?"
And on the subject of a crossover with the Kate Winslet-starring 2021 series, he said: "That would be cool, too. Having some of that happen and maybe a new chapter of love for him. What does it mean to move on? What does the next chapter look like going into your sixties? I'm down for that. I'm there."
Task is streaming now on Sky and NOW in the UK, and on HBO Max in the US.
The new edition of Living Legends is here! Buy Ariana & Witches in newsagents or online, priced at just £8.99.
Freelance film & TV writer, Digital Spy
Critic and writer Jo Berry has been writing about TV and movies since she began her career at Time Out aged 18. A regular on BBC Radio, Jo has written for titles including Empire, Maxim, Radio Times, OK!, The Guardian and Grazia, is the author of books including Chick Flicks and The Parents’ Guide to Kids’ Movies.
She is also the editor of website Movies4Kids. In her career, Jo has interviewed well-known names including Beyonce, Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, Kiefer Sutherland, Tom Cruise and all the Avengers, spent many an hour crushed in the press areas of award show red carpets. Jo is also a self-proclaimed expert on Outlander and Brassic, and completely agrees that Die Hard is a Christmas movie.
