The preview for the next episode of HBO’s crime drama Task sets the stage for a major confrontation. Episode 6, which airs on October 12, 2025, picks up right where the story left off, with FBI agent Tom Brandis and the robber he’s hunting, Robbie Prendergrast, pointing guns at each other in a forest. This tense moment is about to be interrupted by the arrival of a dangerous gang, forcing a dramatic convergence of good and bad.
The Story So Far
Task is a limited series that follows an FBI agent, Tom Brandis, played by Mark Ruffalo, who is leading a task force to find the criminal behind a string of violent robberies at local drug houses. That criminal is Robbie Prendergrast, played by Tom Pelphrey, a garbage collector who started his crimes after his brother was killed.
In Episode 5, titled “Vagrants,” their separate paths finally collided. Tom went to Robbie’s house looking for his niece, Maeve. Robbie quickly realized Tom was an FBI agent and took him hostage. The two shared a long, tense car ride where they talked about life and loss. Despite having a gun to Tom’s head, Robbie let him go, even asking him to make sure Maeve wasn’t blamed for his crimes.
Tom immediately rejoined his team, who tracked Robbie to a remote cabin in the woods. The episode ended with Tom finding Robbie by a stream, aiming his gun and yelling for him to get on the ground. Robbie, in turn, pulled his own gun on Tom.
A Three-Way Confrontation
The preview for Episode 6 shows that this standoff is just the beginning. The scene is about to become much more complicated and dangerous. The criminal gang Robbie stole from, the Dark Hearts, has also tracked him to the woods. This means three opposing forces—Robbie, Tom’s task force, and the gang—are all about to meet in the same place.
This convergence is expected to have drastic consequences for the story. The preview hints at a possible shootout, with losses likely. Tom is heard saying, “Confessions, for humans… It’s a human practice. To help us deal with the shame. Confessions not for God’s sake.” This line touches on the show’s central theme of guilt and the blurred lines between right and wrong.
The Mole Inside the Task Force
Adding to the danger is a critical twist revealed in the last episode. One of the members of Tom’s own task force, Anthony Grasso, has been working as a mole for the Dark Hearts. He was the one who stole a key cell phone and gave it to the gang, which led to the death of Robbie’s partner, Cliff. As the task force moves in on Robbie and the Dark Hearts, Tom is unaware that he has a traitor on his team, making an already volatile situation even more threatening.
Behind the Scenes of a Pivotal Scene
The car ride scene between Tom and Robbie in Episode 5 was a standout moment. Actor Tom Pelphrey described it as one of his favorite scenes ever to film. He noted that the conversation the characters have is surface-level, but everything important is happening beneath the words.
“What’s really beautiful about it is that the scene that Brad wrote is a very surface-level scene. They’re not talking about any of the important things that they’re actually thinking about. They’re not showing how they’re feeling about the things that are really happening. They’re having this conversation up here, even though everything is happening down here,” Pelphrey said.
The episode’s director, Jeremiah Zagar, called the scene “the core of the show.” He praised the actors for their performance under difficult conditions, as the scene was filmed in a real car on a hot day.
When and Where to Watch
Task Episode 6, titled “Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a river,” will air on HBO and begin streaming on HBO Max on Sunday, October 12, 2025, at 9:00 PM ET. The episode was directed by Salli Richardson-Whitfield, who worked closely with the previous episode’s director to ensure a seamless transition into the intense cliffhanger.
Also Read: Task Episode 6: The Final Confrontation Between FBI Agent and Criminal Mastermind
