5 Questions We Have After Watching HBO’s Mare of Easttown Premiere
Warning: This post contains spoilers for the premiere of “Task.”
Set in the working-class suburbs of Philadelphia, the series follows a troubled detective grappling with a horrific family tragedy and a complex investigation into a horrific violent crime. Is it “Mary from Easttown”? No, it’s “Task.”
More than four years after “Mary” took prestige TV by storm, creator Brad Ingelsby returns with a new limited-edition crime drama that’s likely to appeal to fans of its predecessor. Starring Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis, the former pastor turned brooding FBI agent, and Tom Pelphrey as Robbie Prendergrast, the working-class family man and part-time thief, “Task” is a cops-versus-robbers story that captures both men at its core.
“I think we don’t see enough blue-collar stories,” Ingelsby told The Washington Post. “No, I don’t think so. I just feel like this is a group of people, a group of people, that gets overlooked. And when they get involved, they’re not given the care, attention, and complexity that I think they deserve.”
But while “Mary” was a detective drama, “Tusk” is more of a cat-and-mouse thriller—a shift that the series’ premiere, which aired Sunday on HBO, quickly made clear. After an opening montage that highlighted some obvious similarities between the lives of the two main characters, the first episode of “Tusk” set the stage for an inevitable confrontation between them.
By the end of the episode, Tom is tasked with leading a task force responsible for tracking down the perpetrators of a series of drug heists, the latest of which turns deadly and leaves three members of a local motorcycle gang known as the “Darkhearts” dead, as well as one of the robbers’ associates. Of course, we, the viewers, already know that the unassuming janitor Robbie and his best friend Cliff (Raúl Castillo) are the perpetrators Tom is tasked with hunting down.
“The thrill of the story is that you care about these two guys,” Inglesby told The Hollywood Reporter. “You want Robbie to get away and you want Tom to win. But you know that’s impossible.”
Here are five of the biggest questions we had after watching the “Task” premiere trailer.
What did Tom’s son do?
We know that Tom’s son, Ethan, committed a terrible act that not only strained Tom’s relationship with his teenage daughter, Emily (Silvia Dionisio), but also tore Tom apart so much that he had to stop working in the field and drink alcohol every night to forget his troubles. We also know that Ethan’s crime “occurred within the family,” and that the judge will place great importance on any statements made by the family at his sentencing hearing, which could result in a prison sentence of five to fifteen years. What horrific family tragedy did Inglesby orchestrate this time?
What happened to Robbie’s brother?
Robbie’s brother, Billy, has died, forcing him to live in Billy’s old house with his two young children, Harper (Kennedy Muir) and Wyatt (Oliver Eisenson), and his 21-year-old niece, Maeve (Emilia Jones). However, there’s definitely some tension between Robbie and Maeve over ownership of the house, and it’s clear that Maeve knew her father was involved in bad things. We’ll soon learn more about how Billy’s death played a role in all of this.
Why did Tom leave the priesthood?
From Tom’s interactions with his priest friend, Daniel (Isaac De Bankoli), it’s clear that he’s undergoing a crisis of faith in the wake of the tragedy that befell his family. However, it’s still unclear what exactly prompted his transition from clergyman to FBI agent years earlier.
Why did Derek recognize Robbie’s voice?
During the failed robbery, Derek (Dominic Colon), a member of the Darkhearts, tells Robbie that he recognizes his voice even though he’s wearing a Halloween mask to hide his face. Derek also seemed to be suspicious of Cliff and Robbie when they collected his trash a few days earlier. To try to connect the dots here, does this mean that Billie was involved with the Darkhearts and was possibly killed by them, which is why Derek met Robbie earlier?
What will happen to Sam?
After Robbie realizes that Derek’s son, Sam (Ben Lewis-Doherty), was in the house during the murders, he brings him back to his house to give him and Cliff some time to think about what to do. Since Sam saw their faces, it’s clear they can’t let him go if they want to get away with their crimes. But given his relationship with his children, Robbie doesn’t seem like someone capable of murdering a child. What a dilemma!
