Task: Is Lizzie Stover Dead?

In HBO’s ‘Task,’ a multi-agency team is assembled to look into a string of robberies targeting a biker gang called Dark Hearts. Led by Tom Brandis, the team consists of three officers: Aleah Clinton, Anthony Grasso, and Lizzie Stover. Of the three, Lizzie is the least experienced officer, and the lack reflects in the way she responds in the field. Despite her shortcomings, she remains a mostly innocent character, which is what makes her fate in the penultimate episode of the show even more tragic. SPOILERS AHEAD.

The Showdown in the Woods Sets the Stage for a Tragedy

In the sixth episode of ‘Task,’ a showdown takes place between the FBI, Robbie, and the Dark Hearts. Following the events of the previous episode, they converge at the cabin in the woods, where Robbie had set up a meeting with Freddy Frias’ people. Tom finds Robbie by the stream, and when he calls out, everyone in the vicinity hears his voice. Kathleen and Aleah are the closest, and they quickly make their way to Tom, but Grasso and Lizzie are on the other side of the bridge, which means that they hear the voice, but they are still at a distance from them. Tom’s call is also heard by the Dark Hearts, who came to the woods to corner Robbie, get the drugs, and get rid of him.

When Perry sees the FBI agents, he implores Jayson to leave. He knows that with the Feds around, things can get messy. Jayson, however, does not listen and shoots at Robbie. This ensues in a gunfight with the Feds and the gang members shooting at each other, while both parties try to get to Robbie. While Jayson goes after Robbie, Perry tells the others to go back and get the car because he knows they will need to flee the scene soon enough. This means that the gang members will have to go back to the bridge, which is the only way in or out of those woods. Meanwhile, Kathleen gets shot in the chest, and someone needs to go back to the car to call for backup.

When the firing starts, Lizzie becomes nervous because she still hasn’t been able to fire her weapon. Grasso senses her anxiety and tells her to stay close to him. His intention is to keep her safe from the gang members while also making sure that she doesn’t apprehend one of them. When one of the gang members crosses paths with them, Grasso shoots at him without the intention of hitting him. With his gun being quite near Lizzie’s ears, she is incapacitated for a minute. Grasso uses this window to tell the gang member to run away and instructs him not to attack Lizzie. The man listens and runs away, but things only get more complicated from here.

Lizzie Meets a Shocking End

The gang member who was supposed to have run away ends up crossing paths with Lizzie and Grasso again. This time, Lizzie is primed to use her gun, and she tells the man to stop. In the background, Grasso gestures to the man not to do anything rash, but the latter does not listen. As soon as he moves, Lizzie shoots him right in the chest and falls. Grasso rushes to help him, but even he can see that there is no way the man can be saved. Lizzie, who has fired the gun on duty for the first time, takes a minute to process what she has done. She hasn’t just fired a shot, but she has also killed a man. At the same time, Grasso notes Perry and Jayson in the woods, and he signals them to run away.

Knowing that they would be headed to the bridge, Grasso tries to keep Lizzie right next to him. However, Aleah sends out a call for help. Kathleen has been shot, and someone needs to call for help. She asks if Lizzie and Grasso are closer to the car, which leads Lizzie to immediately jump into action. Grasso runs after her in a bid to stop her, but she runs to the bridge and calls for backup. At the time, her ears are still ringing from the shot. The sounds are dialed down a little bit, which is why she doesn’t hear another car coming up from the bridge. As she takes a step away from the car, she is smack in the middle of the bridge, and it’s too late before she sees Jayson and Perry driving a car in her direction.

Right as Grasso and Aleah arrive at the bridge from opposite ends, the car hits Lizzie, sending her flying in the air. Aleah shoots at the car, hoping to stop them, but they drive away. Grasso runs towards Lizzie, but even as he holds her in his arms and tells her that she will be alright, he can see that she is already gone. She passes away on the bridge shortly before backup arrives, marking a tragic end to her story, just as it seemed that she was starting to make some progress. What makes it worse is that her death could have been prevented if it weren’t for Grasso betraying her and the task force while helping the Dark Hearts in their nefarious and criminal actions.

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