Task’s ending was largely about Tom heading into the next chapter of his life while ensuring that all those who deserved better got the help they needed to move forward. The finale was essentially divided into 2 halves. The first half wrapped up the mission of the Task Force, and the second half focused on concluding Tom’s arc. So, in that first half, we saw Dorsey and Vincent planning to tie up all loose ends by killing Anthony, Jayson, and Perry, and then retrieving the drug money from Maeve’s house. Jayson ended up killing Perry after learning that he had killed Eryn, and then he headed in Maeve’s direction. Anthony, Dorsey, and Vincent found themselves in a 3-way shootout where Anthony was the only survivor, albeit with a bullet wound in the gut. Despite bleeding out pretty quickly, Anthony too set out to get to Maeve and protect her from the Dark Hearts. Aleah and Tom were tracking Anthony’s phone, and that’s why they reached Maeve’s place as well. And when their paths collided, Jayson and Breaker bit the dust. What happened next? Let’s find out.
Spoiler Alert
Jayson and Perry’s Comeuppance
Perry had committed a lot of crimes to get to the position that he was in at the Dark Hearts. He seemed like he was very protective of the core group of the Dark Hearts, called the Mother Club, and he was ready to do anything to ensure that they didn’t have any disloyal members amongst them. But the fact of the matter was that that moral integrity was a charade, because he had killed someone called Butch Hampton to make Jayson one of the leaders of the Delaware County chapter of the Dark Hearts. That showed that Perry wasn’t afraid to kill one of their own to maintain his dominance. However, during his quest for power, he turned a blind eye towards anything that Jayson did, which was why he was clueless about the true reason behind Billy’s death. That brings us to the whole Jayson-Eryn-Billy affair. Sure, Eryn and Billy were wrong for partaking in an extramarital affair, but I’m pretty sure that Jayson murdering Billy for that was a much greater crime. As soon as Perry learned what he’d done, he should’ve punished Perry or thrown him out of the crew. Instead, he let him stay, thereby allowing the anger within Eryn and Robbie to reach boiling point. I don’t know if chucking Jayson out would have stopped Robbie and Eryn from hitting the Dark Hearts’ drug dens, but at least they would have directed their ire towards Jayson and Jayson alone, not the entire gang. And what did Perry do after he learned the truth? He gave Jayson an earful and then killed Eryn, even though he was ordered by Vincent to fire Jayson. It was evident that Perry really loved Jayson, which was why he couldn’t kill him. He chose Jayson over the Dark Hearts. But it was that very love that had turned Jayson into a monster, and when that monster learned that his love was dead, he didn’t care if he was stabbing his father figure or any common thug.
As for Jayson’s death at the hands of Anthony, yes, you can say that the duplicitous cop avenged the Prendergrasts. However, I feel that when Anthony pulled the trigger on Jayson, he was thinking of Elizabeth. I mean, Elizabeth was a really nice-hearted person. She was chaotic, innocent, and overall, a good human being. And she died so mercilessly at the hands of Jayson. When he ran her over, he didn’t even stop to see what he had done. He didn’t show any remorse for his actions. He just moved on. No, killing Jayson wouldn’t bring Elizabeth back; we’ve watched enough revenge movies and TV shows to know that by now. At the same time, there was no point in letting Jayson live. He was a burden on the world. If he would have gone to jail, he wouldn’t have come out a reformed person. He would have gone back to his old ways, and he would have done more damage. With him gone, at least we can hope that his children, Kevin and Rachel, will have a future that’ll be free of violence. The last time that we saw them, they were under Donna’s care, who was empathetic enough to care about Maeve’s wellbeing. Therefore, it’s safe to assume that she’ll ensure that Kevin and Rachel don’t become like Eryn or Jayson.
Tom’s Penance and Forgiveness
Two of the most pivotal moments during the closing moments of the Task episode 7 came from Tom as he chose not to punish Anthony while choosing to forgive Ethan. Both Anthony and Ethan were responsible for the death of innocents. But the key difference was the ability to think rationally. Anthony’s association with the Dark Hearts was definitely born out of his desperation to solve his financial woes. That said, as time went on, he began to realize that the anxiety and sleeplessness he was experiencing due to his work for the Dark Hearts wasn’t worth the money that he was getting in return. He clearly wanted out, but he only decided to act on it when Elizabeth died. If he had just allowed the law to take its course, I’m pretty sure that Jayson and the Dark Hearts would have been in handcuffs. After that, Anthony could have thought about whether or not he wanted to confess to his sins. However, he chose to let go of that perfect opportunity to sever his ties with the Dark Hearts in the hopes that if he served them one last time, he’d be able to get out of their clutches. The only good thing in this whole scenario was that Anthony knew that he was guilty. He had taken a bullet for his crimes, and he had killed Vincent and Jayson too. Yet that wasn’t enough to convince him that he was in the clear. That’s why, when Tom came to visit him in the hospital, he asked for penance. Tom said that, as a pastor, he had never given anyone penance, because people who were self-aware enough to feel guilt would give themselves the appropriate amount of punishment all on their own. And, yeah, Tom is correct.
We are all just human beings. We don’t know what will cleanse one’s soul after one has been through hell. Only the person who thinks their soul needs cleansing through punishment knows what will set them free. Since Anthony has survived that gunshot wound, he has gotten a second shot at life. Instead of letting that go to waste by becoming an alcoholic or dying by suicide, he should choose to introspect and become a better person. That’ll be a better way of honoring Elizabeth’s memory. Coming to Ethan, he was guilty of killing Susan. However, as evident in the statement that Tom gave at the court during Ethan’s hearing, the kid wasn’t in total control of his emotions. He was suffering from several mental health issues, and it’s possible that he didn’t get the help that he needed for a variety of reasons. Even though Ethan was a man of very few words, it was clear as day that he was already punishing himself for killing his mother. Tom knew that the justice system would give Ethan the punishment that they felt was necessary to reform him. So, what would be the point of adding Tom’s anger on top of that pile? So, when Tom told Ethan that when the law would allow him to come home, he’d be waiting for him with open arms, a part of the weight on his shoulders was lifted. The bottom line is that Anthony wasn’t worthy of Tom’s forgiveness because, despite having every opportunity to lead a decent life, he chose not to, while convincing himself that he was a victim of circumstance; meanwhile, Ethan was worthy of Tom’s forgiveness because, firstly, he wasn’t in total control of himself when he took Susan’s life; secondly, he was atoning for his sins; and thirdly, he was Tom’s son.
Tom and Maeve’s New Beginnings
When Sara asked Tom if he had decided to foster Sam to fill the void that had been left by Ethan, Tom said that that wasn’t the case at all. But his actions said otherwise. He put Sam in Ethan’s room. He was buying all kinds of stuff for Sam. And it seemed like he was seeing Sam as an opportunity to not make the same mistakes he had made with Ethan. I know that that sounds nefarious, but I think it was Tom’s deep sense of remorse that was guiding his hand. Even when he blamed Ethan for killing Susan, deep down, Tom knew that he was at fault for not looking after him properly. He had seen what Sam had been through, first when he was with his own parents and then when he was with Robbie. So, he knew that Sam had every chance of becoming a violent individual, much like Ethan. Hence, he probably wanted a do-over and to prove to himself that he was capable of being a good father by molding Sam into a proper human being while waiting for Ethan to come back. However, the Sam Project was cut short by the guardian ad litem at the juvenile center where Sam had been kept before Tom took him in because they had found a family for Sam. Tom was conflicted about what he wanted versus what was good for Sam. He consulted his old friend, Father Daniel, about it, and he told him, point blank, that while it didn’t matter anymore why Tom had decided to foster Sam, if he didn’t allow the kid to go to the family that was ready to take him in, Tom should do so knowing it would be for his own benefit, not for Sam.
Daniel underscored the fact that even though Tom had given up on alcohol and was genuinely trying to improve as a person, he had a long way to go. In addition to that, Sam had his whole life ahead of him. As a kid, he might be malleable and sweet. But he’ll be unruly as a teenager and an adult. And Daniel felt that Tom was not equipped to handle those phases of Sam’s life. Thankfully, Tom accepted Daniel’s advice and allowed Sam to go to his new family. Tom had expressed his disappointment at not being a good father to Emily. Now, with Sam gone and Ethan’s return being a question mark, maybe Tom will be able to make it up to Emily. By the way, as evident from the ending of the Task episode 7, Tom was not only a father figure to Emily, Ethan, and Sam, but also to Maeve, Wyatt, and Harper. While we can say a lot of things about Tom’s character, he was one of those rare honest cops. Therefore, when he found the drug money—that Shelley had given to Maeve after she sold the drugs that Robbie had stolen from the Dark Hearts—in Maeve’s possession, technically, he should have put that in his report so that the police or the DEA could have confiscated it. However, he saw what the Prendergrasts had been through. He knew that they needed a fresh start, and it was obvious that that bag that had a million dollars in it was their key to a better future. Hence, he chose to overlook its existence, thereby giving the Prendergrasts that second chance that they deserved. Since this is a miniseries, there’s no way to know what’ll happen to Tom, Maeve, and all the characters that survived the war between Robbie and the Dark Hearts. All we can do is hope that those who wish to do good will get several avenues to do so, and those who wish to harm people will be aptly punished in this lifetime. Anyway, those are just my thoughts on the ending of Task. If you have any opinions on the same, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
