Ozark Star Tom Pelphrey’s New HBO Series Task Foreshadows Tragic Ending

Warning! This article contains spoilers for HBO’s Task episode 4!

Ozark star Tom Pelphrey is at the center of a new crime drama series, Task, and it looks as if his character is going to take a similar route. Pelphrey played Ben in Ozark, Wendy’s brother, who had a good heart but just couldn’t keep himself under control. Ben’s erratic behavior made him a liability, so Wendy tragically allowed Ben to be killed. Now, it seems a similar fate will befall Pelphrey’s Task character.

In Task, Pelphrey plays Robbie, a significantly different character than the one he played in Ozark. Robbie is a single father trying to build a better life for his kids while also getting revenge for his beloved brother’s death, and this leads to a handful of pretty bad decisions. In Task episode 4, it looks as if Robbie’s choices are close to catching up with him, and that’s unlikely to bode well.

Task Episode 4 Is Setting Up Robbie’s Death

Task has gradually revealed precisely why Robbie’s brother died, and the actions Pelphrey’s character has taken to get revenge. It all began to fall apart when Robbie and his partner-in-crime, Cliff (Raúl Castillo), were forced to commit murder and kidnapping rather than their planned robbery. This put Mark Ruffalo’s Tom and the titular task force on their trail, and now they’re closing in.

The ending of Task episode 4 saw Tom obtain footage of Robbie (with his face covered) and little Sam, providing the task force with a significant new lead. Escaping the country has officially been deemed impossible, since Robbie can’t move the fentanyl he ended up with after his most recent home invasion. To make matters worse, the Dark Hearts are hot on Robbie’s trail as well.

Cliff’s tragic death in Task episode 4 is an eerie foreshadowing of what awaits Robbie.

Robbie is running out of options. He will either be arrested by task or killed by the Dark Hearts. Since there’s an informant within the FBI, it seems likely that the motorcycle gang will find Robbie first, just as they did with his partner. Cliff’s tragic death in Task episode 4 is an eerie foreshadowing of what awaits Robbie—an ironic repeat of Pelphrey’s Ozark character’s fate.

Robbie’s Teased Death May Be Even More Tragic Than Ben’s In Ozark

Ben’s death in Ozark was certainly tragic, since we knew that, to a point, he couldn’t help that he had become such a liability. Wendy’s involvement only added to the anguish. Still, Robbie’s death would be an even tougher pill to swallow. Unlike Ben, this Pelphrey character has several people who love and depend on him. His loss would rock their lives.

The scene between Robbie and his daughter in Task episode 4 really drives this fact home. The ever-darkening events of this episode give us the sense that the walls are closing in on Robbie, so watching him dance in the kitchen with his young daughter added some significant emotional tension. If this truly is how Task will end things for Pelphrey’s character, it won’t be an easy watch.