Task Episode 5 Recap: Will Robbie Die?

With its fifth episode, HBO’s ‘Task’ delivers its most intense episode yet. Following the events of the previous episode, Robbie finds himself in a very tragically precarious situation. The episode begins with him thinking about the time when he and his brother, Billy, would go swimming. In the winter, before jumping into the cold water that could stop a person’s heart, they would rub some water on their shoulders to acclimate their body to the cold, so that when they jumped in, their heart wouldn’t receive a shock. This memory blends into the one where he swims in the same waters with his dear friend, Cliff. When the dream breaks, he is back in reality, where there is no Billy and no Cliff. And this leads him to do some very unexpected things. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Tom and Perry Make Significant Progress in Their Investigations

When Cliff is nowhere to be found, Robbie goes to Ray’s house, believing that he did something to his friend. However, when Shelley tells him about the FBI arresting Ray, he realizes how much more messed up the situation is. The only consolation, perhaps, is that if the Feds have him, Cliff would still be alive. While he processes this, Shelley tells him that she can still help him. She is sure that Ray will soon make bail, and she wants to get out of town before that happens. Because she is in contact with the person Ray would have taken them to, she can still help him get rid of the fentanyl. The problem is that Robbie can no longer trust her. Meanwhile, the witness whom Robbie beat up is brought in by the Feds to work with a sketch artist. They also track down Bartosz while also checking for the car model that Robbie was driving when the witness saw him. Tom asks him about Sam, and he says that the kid seemed fine and did not have any visible injuries.

This is highly reassuring to Tom, and so is the fact that the witness is quite confident about providing an accurate description of the culprit. Elsewhere, Perry puts a tracking device on Eryn’s car. When Jayson walks in, she notices the blood on his clothes and realizes that something bad has happened. At her office, Kathleen is visited by Connor, whom she had assigned to look into the task force. He has discovered something interesting, but that detail has not been revealed to the audience yet. At the Prendergast house, Maeve tells Sam that it is time for him to leave. He asks to pet Gertie the chicken one last time, and Maeve lets him do it. This turns out to be a great thing because moments later, Perry knocks at the door. He makes up an excuse about how, in the next yearly gathering, the gang is going to do a ceremony for their fallen brothers. He wants Billy’s vest so that it can be used in the ceremony.

Maeve knows that this is just a ploy to get inside the house, but she keeps her calm and tells him to come from the back because his shoes are too dirty to be brought inside. After making sure that Sam is at the coop, she quickly lets Perry in through the garage and tells him that all of Billy’s stuff is there in a box. He questions her about all the kids’ stuff there, so she tells him that Robbie and his kids are living with her. While Perry looks around, she rushes to the coop and hides Sam. Meanwhile, Perry goes inside the house to look around. By the time he gets to the window with a clear view of the coop, Sam is nowhere to be seen, and Maeve is quietly feeding the chicks. For a moment, it seems that Perry will leave the house empty-handed, but then, he turns around, and there, on the refrigerator, is the photo of Robbie with Cliff. That is all the evidence Perry needs to know what has been going on. He leaves the house, bidding Maeve goodbye and telling her that they are still her family.

Eryn Meets a Tragic Fate

As Perry leaves Maeve’s house, he sees that Eryn’s car is on the move. As soon as he leaves, Maeve takes Sam to her friend, Bridge, and pleads with her to keep the boy. Bridge reluctantly agrees to it while also expressing her concern for her friend. Meanwhile, the sketch artist arrives, giving Tom about an hour’s window. It is also revealed that the bucket Sam was carrying when the witness saw him had fingerprints belonging to Maeve, Billy’s daughter. Tom makes a connection with Billy from the Dark Hearts gang and immediately leaves to find her. At the quarry, Robbie and Eryn meet, where he tells her about all the ways that things went wrong. He worries that Cliff has been taken in by the cops, but she tells him that Cliff is most likely dead and Jayson killed him. The shock leaves Robbie crying for his friend, who would still be alive if he hadn’t dragged Cliff into this mess. Before he leaves, he says that he is going to sell the fentanyl. Eryn tells him to lie low, but he doesn’t care about that anymore.

Right as Robbie drives away, Perry sees him, and this confirms his doubts. He confronts Eryn, and she tries to escape, but he catches her in the middle of the water. She calls out for help, hoping that the people on the other side will listen to her. But in trying to calm her down, Perry drowns himself, and she dies. Robbie shows up at Freddy Frias’ house, and to no one’s shock, Frias places a call to Jayson’s people. Meanwhile, Tom calls Anthony and tells him about the connection between Maeve and Billy, and that he is going to meet Maeve. Anthony says he will join him since he is close by, but before leaving, he turns around and meets Jayson under a bridge, confirming that he is the mole in the task force. They share information, with Anthony telling him that Sam is still alive, while Jayson receives a call confirming that Robbie is the person they have been looking for. A meetup has been set at Billy’s cabin in the woods. Anthony tells him to be careful and leaves to go to Tom.

At the station, Lizzie and Aleah have a heart-to-heart where the latter reveals that she lost her sense of smell after her ex beat her up. She also reveals that she has been keeping tabs on him by placing fake calls to follow up on a case with his parole officer, so that she always knows his whereabouts. Their conversation is cut short as the scene shifts to Robbie arriving at home, closely followed by Tom. Robbie’s car gives him away, so Tom approaches him cautiously. He calls Anthony, who says that he is on his way and tells Tom to wait. But when Tom sees Robbie getting ready to leave, he moves ahead. He says that he wants to talk to Maeve about a new development in the cold case of Billy’s murder. To get inside the house and buy himself some time, he pretends to want to go to the bathroom. Robbie lets him in.

Robbie and Tom Have a Heart-to-Heart

Tom tries to extend the conversation by asking for Maeve’s number so that he can reach her. When asked, Robbie reveals that Billy was his brother. Tom discusses how the new technology has provided them with the evidence they didn’t have before. He asks for something that belonged to Billy. While Tom goes away to fetch it, Tom gets the message with the sketch, which shows that Robbie is Sam’s kidnapper. However, before he can do anything about it, Robbie puts a gun to his head. It seems that he had been onto the FBI officer since the beginning. Tom is forced to get into Robbie’s car and drive away, while Anthony passes by and reaches the house when they have already left. He immediately calls the station to report that something has happened to Tom.

As Tom drives, Robbie holds the gun to his head. He tells him about Jayson killing Billy and Cliff, and the gang having an informant within the FBI. He finds a picture of Tom’s family, and Tom tells him about the adoption. He reveals he met his wife, Susan, at the hospital, and how they would clash because he was a priest and she was an atheist. Meanwhile, Maeve shows up at the station, waiving her Miranda rights and ready to talk without a lawyer. As Kathleen prepares to interrogate her, Aleah and Lizzie tell her about Tom, so she leaves the girl and decides to focus on Tom instead.

Elsewhere, Perry reflects on what he has done. He gets a call from Perry about Robbie. He also asks about Eryn, revealing that she wasn’t at home when the kids returned from school. Perry feigns ignorance, and when he meets Billy, he lies about his injuries, saying that he fell in the shower. With Tom missing, Anthony leaves a message for Jayson, telling him to back off from the deal because the Feds have also caught up with Robbie, which may lead to an unintended clash. Robbie and Tom have a conversation about final rites and about Robbie’s kids. Tom tells him about vagrant birds that die after becoming too far away from home, while also advising the man to return home when there’s still time. Robbie understands the comparison to vagrant birds, but he no longer has an option. He tells Tom to take an exit, which is unexpected.

Robbie, the Feds, and the Gang Converge at the Cabin

When his car doesn’t show up at the next stop, Kathleen, who is in the car with Anthony, Aleah, and Lizzie, correctly deduces the exit Tom and Robbie made. Meanwhile, Tom’s daughters are informed about the situation. This leads to a chat where Sarah reveals that she and her husband are separated because he cheated on her with a woman who looks like a younger version of her. She also tells Emily not to believe that gratitude is the only thing she is allowed to feel. As they go deeper in the woods, Tom worries that he is going to die, and he expresses the desire to talk to his family.

He also reveals that Susan is dead, but it has no bearing on Robbie’s plan. Robbie stops the car and walks away, making Tom think he is going to get shot from behind. Instead, Robbie lets him go. He tells Tom to walk a mile to find civilization again. He also tells him to help Maeve, while Tom tries to tell him that he can still go back. Robbie, however, has accepted his fate. Soon, Tom finds his way back and immediately calls his daughters to let them know he is safe. Then he calls Kathleen and tells her to track Robbie’s car via the satellite radio. Meanwhile, Anthony’s efforts to keep Jayson away fail.

As Robbie arrives at the cabin, Tom and his team find their way to the bridge, which puts them within a one-mile radius of his location. Now, they must look for him on foot, and the problem is that due to the dodgy connection in the woods, they won’t be able to contact him via cell phones. Meanwhile, Jayson and the gang also end up in the woods. Unaware of this development, Robbie goes to the river and rubs some water on his back. Tom finds his footprint and eventually finds him. He shouts his name and tells him to get down. The gang members hear Tom’s voice, and they make their way to him. While he tells Robbie to surrender, the latter points his gun at the FBI agent.

Read More: Is Cliff Dead? Did Raul Castillo Leave Task?