Task Episode 3 recap: A new lead and a shocking cliffhanger

Nobody's Stronger Than Forgiveness, the third episode of HBO's Task, might be the most important episode of this season. Tom and his team finally discover the identity of Cliff in this episode. It also answers a major mystery that was set up throughout the second episode: who is the mole in the Dark Hearts gang? The episode also ends on a cliffhanger that will surely keep viewers on the edge of their seats.

On the more personal front, we meet Ethan for the first time in Task Episode 3 in a heartbreaking scene. The synopsis of the episode reads:

"As Cliff and Robbie look for a buyer, Aleah and Lizzie question Peaches' former coworkers, and Tom and Grasso pursue a lead."

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Task Episode 3 recap:

Here are some of the key moments from Task Episode 3:

• Robbie's mole inside Dark Hearts revealed

In the first act of this episode, we finally get an answer to the previous episode's most intriguing mysteries: Who is the mole informing Robbie and Cliff about Dark Hearts' drug houses? Turns out it is none other than Eryn, Jayson's romantic partner, played by Daredevil: Born Again's Margarita Levieva. Eryn is helping Robbie because she was in love with his brother, who Jayson killed.

The episode also answers why Robbie is targeting the Dark Hearts' drug houses: to get back at them for killing his brother. Eryn advises Robbie not to move the fentanyl, but he and Cliff are desperate, which is why the two men take a questionable step.

• Aleah and Lizzie learn Chris's identity

Lizzie and Aleah investigate Peaches' workplace to get a tip about the men who worked with him. One of the coworkers tips off the task force agents that Peaches used to brag about being involved in robberies with Cliff. He also tells the agents about Cliff being a garbage collector, which makes them realize the crew's methodology.

• Cliff and Robbie visit an untrustworthy man

Ray is one of Cliff's former cellmates who has supposedly gone clean and works as a referee for games. Cliff and Robbie come to him to help them move the fentanyl through an alternate route and avoid the help of the drug kingpin Freddy Frias, who has agreed to help Dark Hearts. Ray agrees to help them, but the last act of the episode reveals that he might be betraying them.

As Tom and his task force agents are about to arrest Cliff at his house, they find out that someone has broken into the home. Two thieves have broken into the house, and one of them throws Tom down the stairs, which is especially triggering for him. Aleah captures one of them and unmasks them, revealing Shelley, Ray's wife. While Lizzie and Grasso manage to arrest Ray.

• Ray was planning to betray Cliff

Grasso and Tom interrogate Ray, while Lizzie and Aleah question Shelley. Ray is a tough nut to crack, but Aleah manages to connect with Shelley. The episode previously hints at Ray being abusive towards her. Aleah reveals her own past as a survivor of domestic violence and connects with her Shelley. Thus, the task force manages to get Ray to confess to his plan to rob the drug off Cliff and take all the money. They instead set a trap for Cliff by intercepting him in the park.

• Tom reveals that he does not want to forgive Ethan

The last act of the episode also features a flashback to the day when Tom, Sara, and Susan (Mireille Enos) welcome Ethan and Emily to the family. This is the first time we see Tom's wife, Susan, in the series. We also learn that despite being initially social, Susan hardly left home, taking care of Ethan and his medications till the day she died.

Tom has a conversation with Sara in which Tom finally reveals that he does not want Ethan released because he hasn't moved on from Susan's death. Emily overhears this.

• Tom's team might be compromised

The concluding minutes of this episode set up an intriguing mystery that the show needs to answer in the upcoming episodes of the HBO series. Tom learns through one of his colleagues that one of the Dark Hearts' Lieutenant's car was parked right outside Cliff's house, which is impossible because they should not have had Cliff's identity. This means that one of Tom's task force members might be the leak.

But it could also be that the man who tipped off Lizzie and Aleah could have also tipped off Jayson in exchange for some cash reward.

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Nobody's Stronger Than Forgiveness, the third episode of the HBO crime drama, is currently streaming on HBO Max. Catch it if you haven't already.