IR TV Review: TASK - EPISODE 7 (“A Still Small Voice”) [HBO]

The progression of "Task" has been,. in many ways, not the story of an investigation but about two men coming to terms of faith and fate. The last two episodes have upped the ante, culminating in a very specific ending of Episode 6. But the writing here for the final episode (#7) in "A Still Small Voice" understands what needs to be wrapped up but provides an inevitable coda that is extremely satisfying. Mark Ruffalo's Tom Brandis keeps pushing the buttons but the story interestingly shifts to the secondary characters, specifically Grosso (Fabien Frankel), Perry (Jamie McShane) and Jayson (Sam Keeley) in the final edge. The cool aspect is that there is an expected consequence for all the actions they take...and even though certain moves are pushing the narrative towards one side with certain powers that be, fate has another thought.

The great thing about the journey of Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) is that even though things didn't turn out the way he wanted, there is a context of both him believing in certain people while not in others. Brandis is ruled by faith or his idea what the good is, which is interesting considering an action he takes earlier in the episode. A former priest colleague actually says something really profound to Brandis at one point which sets up the coda. Grasso's progression is effective too but it is Brandis' reaction and the pinpoint dialogue (which is not about exposition but about reality and existing) that is right on the nose. The final scenes including one of Ruffalo at a hearing are some of his best work (one of the final scenes is Emmy worthy) and even the last shot is a perfect coda. "Task" started off slow, easing the viewer into it (the series is only seven episodes). But the final three were some of the most crisp television (not using artificial genre or special effects) in recent memory...and should be commended. A

By Tim Wassberg