How Task Episode 4 Brutally Raises the Stakes of the HBO Crime Drama

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The latest episode of HBO’s *Task* ended on a troubling note, with Robbie (Tom Pelphrey) facing increasing pressure. However, with three episodes still to come, it’s likely the situation won’t unfold exactly as it appears right now.

After Cliff was captured and killed by Jayson and his crew through a deception, Perry began investigating the gun found in Cliff’s car. Jayson had run Cliff off the road while he was waiting to complete a drug deal. Perry’s investigation stemmed from discovering the gun used to kill a member of Jayson’s crew, Warren Clarke, had once belonged to someone within the biker gang. He wanted to find out who was leaking information to the thieves who robbed their hideout. His efforts led him to an old photo showing Robby’s deceased brother, Billy, wearing the same holster as the gun. However, Perry’s attention quickly shifted to another person in the photo: Billy’s daughter, Maeve.

Just before Robbie and Cliff’s attempt to meet a drug dealer connected to Cliff’s old, unreliable cellmate Ray (Peter Patrikios), Maeve told Robbie that if he didn’t hand Sam (Ben Lewis Doherty) over to the police by the next day, she would do it herself. However, doing so might make her a bigger target for Perry and the Dark Hearts, putting her in even more danger.

Things are looking grim for Eryn (Margarita Levieva). Perry has already accused her of being the group’s informant after discovering Jayson lied about Billy’s theft – a lie used to justify Billy’s fatal attack on him because of Eryn’s affair. To make matters worse, Eryn was actually the one giving Robbie and Cliff information about which houses to rob. It’s likely Perry’s promise to protect Eryn and her children from Jayson wasn’t sincere.

According to McShane in an HBO interview, Perry focuses on solving problems as they arise rather than worrying about overall responsibility. He simply asks, ‘What happened, who caused it, and how do we fix it?’ He’s also deeply affected by the people caught up in these situations and the consequences they face.

Even though Cliff wouldn’t reveal Robbie’s name during a tough interrogation by the Dark Hearts, Perry will probably find out Robbie’s involvement if he investigates Eryn or Maeve. When that happens, Robbie needs to protect his children.

The show is hinting that Kathleen McGinty (Martha Plimpton), not one of Tom’s (Mark Ruffalo) team, might be the FBI mole. Viewers saw her make a suspicious phone call after advising Tom to focus on the current operation instead of the leak, and the camera deliberately highlighted her reaction when Tom discovered the sting operation was at the wrong place. Is Kathleen involved in something shady, or is she just a distraction?

Just when things looked bleak for Tom, he got a lucky break – a photo of Sam taken on a bystander’s phone. The same bystander, Robbie, had been attacked earlier that day. While Robbie partially obscured his face in the picture, the photo, combined with a potential conversation with the assault victim, should give Tom enough information to focus his investigation on Robbie.

As Robbie discovers what happened to his best friend and realizes their escape plan to Canada is ruined, he’ll have to decide whether to go through with it on his own. Meanwhile, Emily struggled to write her statement about the impact of her brother Ethan’s actions, overwhelmed by her complicated family problems. As Ethan’s sentencing nears, will she choose to support him over the family who raised her, potentially destroying Tom’s life in the process as the investigation comes to a head?

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2025-09-29 05:06