HBO's crime drama Task finally came to an end with an emotional finale. Created by Brad Ingelsby, this series follows FBI agent Tom Brandis and his team investigating a series of robberies. The mastermind behind these robberies is Robbie, who works as a sanitation worker during the day and robs stash houses run by drug gangs at night. After an eventful and action-packed penultimate episode, the finale tries to wrap up the loose ends.
HBO's Task doesn't end with chaos but with quiet moments. After a season filled with guilt, violence, and grief, the final scene left viewers with one lingering image: Tom Brandis sitting alone on his bed with a faint smile, looking outside the window as the birds sang outside. As the credits rolled in, the viewers got a montage of birds chirping. For a show steeped in tragedy, that small expression of peace speaks volumes.
According to Mark Ruffalo (via TVLine), that smile is where the show's true meaning lies. In the final hour, we saw how Tom handed young Sam to a new family, knowing that it was best for Sam even though it broke him. Then in the court, he forgave his son Ethan, who killed his wife. He delivered a compassionate speech, one that remains a highlight of the entire series.
Continue reading to know more.
Mark Ruffalo on the Task finale
The final episode, even though it was not as eventful as the penultimate one, stripped Tom down to his bare humanity. He had lost his wife, nearly lost his son to the justice system, and now was saying goodbye to Sam, the child who filled his home and heart with love.
Yet in the end, after every goodbye, Tom found calm, and that was beautifully portrayed by Ruffalo's expression at the end of the episode. During a conference, as per TVLine, he revealed:
"It's not that it's over, you know. It's that we can continue. Like, we can live on. Just in the face of that kind of loss, that kind of disruption of the family, somehow, we make it through. And we make it through with a modicum of grace, and that we can keep going, and that we have the aid of nature."
For Ingelsby, here's what the series ending meant. Speaking to TVLine, he revealed:
"I always felt like Tom's emotional journey in the story was forgiveness. I wanted it to be a hopeful ending."
The power of silence in the Task finale
Unlike most crime dramas, Task didn't end with action but with stillness. The violence subsided, the noise faded, and only the sound of birds remained. Tom's smile wasn't about happiness; it was about resilience.
Tom, after nearly losing everything, looked out of the window and smiled. Not because he was healed but because he understood that healing doesn't come all at once. In this moment, Tom accepts that no matter the loss, betrayal, and tragedy, life continues, with or without answers. The birds chirping outside his windows are a quiet reminder of one simple truth: That life goes on. Ruffalo added:
"It's sweet that we end on the birds singing because the birds come out every day even in the midst of whatever — the rain, you know? And they're there, and their song is such an affirmation of life"
Stream all episodes of Task on HBO Max.
Trending
Tune in to Soap Central for more such updates on Task.
Reply
