Is Cliff Dead? Did Raul Castillo Leave Task?

In HBO’s ‘Task,’ a cat-and-mouse chase between a criminal and an FBI agent leads to the unraveling of the lives of all the people involved. The criminal in question is a man named Robbie Prendergrast, who is working with his best friend and colleague, Cliff Broward, to rob drug houses to make easy cash. Soon, it turns out that he also has a personal vendetta against the people he is robbing, and Cliff supports him through and through. However, this loyalty costs him dearly in the fourth episode as something disturbing and tragic happens to him. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Cliff Broward Meets a Brutal End

In the beginning, the robberies were about money, at least for Cliff. He knew that they were also a form of revenge for Robbie, and he didn’t care if they were robbing the dangerous Dark Hearts for it. However, Cliff is forced to reconsider when things go drastically awry in a robbery where they should have walked out with the amount of cash that would have changed their lives. Instead, they end up killing people, have one of their own killed, and instead of cash, are stuck with an inordinate amount of fentanyl.

The only way to salvage the situation is by selling the fentanyl, getting the money, and leaving the country. Eryn, who is their insider source in Dark Hearts, advises them to lie low and not sell the drugs just yet. But they don’t listen. They are desperate and impatient, so Cliff tries to set a sale through Ray, his acquaintance from prison. Ray ends up betraying them, gets caught, and tells the cops everything. The FBI uses his phone to contact Cliff, and they call him to meet at a park where they intend to arrest him. However, their plan falls through when it turns out that Dark Hearts have found a way to circumvent this communication.

So, Cliff ends up setting up a meeting with the gang, and when he reaches the point of meeting, he is attacked and driven off the road. His car crashes, and he is taken hostage by the gang. They torture him to get the truth out of him, but he doesn’t tell them anything. While the violence doesn’t happen on screen, his state is enough to show that he has been through hell. In the end, the gang has to accept that they are not going to get anything out of him. So, Jayson wraps his head in plastic and leaves him to suffocate to death. With this, Cliff’s story comes to an end, but even till his last breath, he remains unwaveringly loyal to Robbie and doesn’t divulge anything about him.

Raúl Castillo’s Performance Gives a Heartbreaking Sendoff to Cliff

Cliff’s death in the fourth episode of ‘Task’ is shocking but not entirely surprising. Considering what he and Robbie had been against, with the FBI and the Dark Hearts chasing after them, one or both of them were meant to meet a tragic end. It remains to be seen how Robbie will fare for the rest of the show, and if he will get the satisfaction of revenge or meet a gruesome death. Cliff’s fate, on the other hand, has been sealed. The tragedy of Cliff is made more devastating by his likability, which is brought forth by actor Raúl Castillo. The actor had been a huge fan of Brad Ingelsby and ‘Mare of Easttown,’ which was one of the reasons why he was interested in joining ‘Task.’

Robbie and Cliff’s friendship is central to the plot line, and Castillo and Tom Pelphrey hit it off from the moment they met each other, giving the required depth to the relationship between their characters. Because they play garbage men, they went through the training required for the job and discovered some interesting things about the profession, which allowed them a better understanding of the job. Apart from the research, Castillo’s approach to the character makes Cliff a lovable character, which is why his death becomes such a heartbreaking thing, while also serving as a pivotal point in the story, particularly for Robbie, who must now deal with the guilt of dragging his friend into his quest for revenge.

Read More: Is Task Related to Mare of Easttown?