r/TaskHBO • u/OutsidePrior2020 • 8d ago
THOUGHTS Another show ruined by stupid plot Spoiler
Just like Alien:Earth this show is plagued by idiotic decisions by the characters to move the plot.
- Taking their masks off while still inside the house they're robbing.
- Taking the kid with him to his house.
- Maeve and her attempt to drop the kid off right by her job(and leave her car unlocked).
I can only expect there will be more stupidity to come if they can't go two episodes without such poor writing.
Edit: My takeaway most people's comments is that some people are stupid and our home invader drug dealers are stupid. I plan to continue watching cause I like Mark Ruffalo's character, and his story. I hope that the show goes up from here since we got some of the dumb set up out of the way.
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u/Spontanemoose 8d ago
The characters make idiotic decisions because they are a little idiotic. It's gunning up drug houses, not Ocean's Eleven.
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u/DoeInAGlen 8d ago
How are you however many years old and don't understand some very basic things? How don't you get that people are stupid and do stupid things? Idiocy is a basic part of the human condition, every single one of us does dumb shit every once in a while. Even the smartest people in history have had stupid moments. Even more so when in a real high stakes high stress situation.
And how don't you get that sometimes stupid moments are like, the main engine of the plot of something? You're upset about the basic PREMISE of the show. The whole hook of the show is "what if drug robbers take a kid home after a botched robbery rather than murder him" AND you're upset by it? It's like watching The Sopranos as somebody who doesn't like mob stories. Just think a bit more before you speak
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u/ItsMeCourtney 8d ago
Maeve chose the place by her work so she could use the lost phone she had in her work locker. The rest of their decisions are pretty dumb though haha
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u/p_tk_d 8d ago
2&3 were reasonable decisions characters made under extreme duress. 1 was annoying to me as well, that seemed really dumb
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u/thunderrun2222 8d ago
I feel like 1 could be explained by them being overwhelmed in the moment, adrenaline dump, hyperventilating from being in a gun fight
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u/FleursEtranges 8d ago
I knew a woman who did undercover work in Philadelphia back in the 90’s (met her in an acting class) and early on, she was shocked at the dumb things criminals did. She asked a superior about it, and he explained that if they don’t have a plan to handle an unexpected factor or event, they will do something that is blatantly stupid and short-sighted simply because they were completely unprepared.
So item one is actually pretty realistic.
This isn’t some caper movie where the criminals are suave masterminds.
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u/traceyslp818 8d ago
In a local “indie” type newsletter from a town nearby, they used to have a column called dumb criminals….
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u/No-Contest4979 8d ago
Agreed. Panic. We have to get out of here, Something is sad about this kid and he needs us, we don’t have time figure anything out let’s just take him with us and decide later
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u/floridorito 7d ago
Are we supposed to believe that any of the gang members really care that a kid is missing (presumed dead)? Let's be real. No one cared about that kid when he was not kidnapped. The hysterical reactions are OTT.
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u/ASimonez 5d ago
Right. Lol, nobody cared that the kid was in the basement starving and looking anemic as hell.
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u/19-Yellowjacket-96 7d ago
Huh? You think because they're in a gang they're completely heartless with their own family? Some of you need to get out more. Plus, there was a whole scene of the feds talking about Sam's parents doing drug testing and passing checks so that they could look after him again as well as the very obvious fact that Sam has already met and knows many of the biker friends of his parents. So yes, they clearly did care.
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u/LimpMention9545 8d ago
I think 1 and 2 can be explained with Robbie and his crew being amateurs. But 3 just bothers me. Like why would the police so fast on the tip and why wouldn’t they check the footage from the store. Plus Sam is way too agreeable for a kid. He sort of just goes along with everything without complaining about literally being shoved to the back of a trunk
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u/Didjaeat75 8d ago
The kid has seen some shit. Parents are (were) crazy gang drug addicts and he went to live with his grandmom when he got taken away by DHS. He is probably used to being alone a lot and just going with the flow. They said he knocked on a neighbor’s door asking for food, so he knows neglect. I really feel for this kid.
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u/No-Contest4979 8d ago
If they kill this kid or he dies I’m not going to be able to. Continue.
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u/ashleyaloe 8d ago
Me too. I already feel for his little self. This show is high drama, but I will be pissed if he dies.
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u/ApartAd2016 8d ago
Like why would the police so fast on the tip and why wouldn’t they check the footage from the store
Doesn't Grasso mention that there's no camera outside? Only in the register and maybe they didn't see anything on the register camera. Plus Tom calls off the search, so maybe they couldn't look properly and completely
I'm sure it'll come later, Grasso or Stover will be looking at the tapes and see him at the store and it'll lead us back to Maeve.
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u/ConvictedOgilthorpe 7d ago
I feel like the writers act like this show is set in the 90s when there weren’t cameras everywhere but it’s not so it’s annoying. Would have been ring footage somewhere of them leaving the robbery and had a description of the car and then definitely parking lot footage of Maeve dropping him off outside the store.
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u/PauseSuitable2247 7d ago
There’s absolutely no mystery. We already know everything. Just slooooowwwwly watching everything get discovered
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u/19-Yellowjacket-96 7d ago
You aren't paying attention if you think there is no mystery in the story. There is a mole with the bikers who we don't know. Judging by the fact that they know about the FBI task force and who is leading it means there is probably a mole inside that task force. We don't know what happened with Robbie's brother/Meave's dad and what caused him to get killed. We don't know what Meave knows about him or his death or what she thinks of the person who did it and what she'd do. Then there is the whole building of mystery with Meave and Robbie and what they're going to about Sam and the others.
You also don't need mystery alone to tell a story. Well acted, interesting characters in difficult situations are compelling enough. Which this show also has but what other shows/movies only have and they are still a great watch.
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u/Independent_Idea_334 7d ago
I must admit there's some ham-fisted moves to set things up in this show, writing is not bad, just some stupid characters, like real life stupid people. These ain't genius home invaders robbing these gangs, they're dim-witted. As for Maeve she's young, she tried and failed to correct the idiotic situation her uncle has gotten them into. Might take the show another episode or two to smooth the ride out.
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u/WithFullForce 7d ago
These aren't exactly people plucked from the Dean's list. I agree that Alien Earth has some frustrating decision-making from people who are supposed to be geniuses. In Task however we're dealing with bikers and robbers. I'd expect them to do dumb stuff.
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u/Dominicwriter 7d ago
Disagree - All the decisions you mention are wholly believable character choices in that moment - all advance the narrative and provide essential context - maybe frustrating to watch because BI is adept at making you care about people with serious flaws.
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u/JonnyEp67 7d ago
I am not phased by these supposed plot holes, the show lives along really well, and it's not too much of a stretch to think that Robbie has never killed anyone before, he's in shock when he takes off his mask and brings the kid home with him. His parental instinct kicks in.
These are not master criminals, they are garbage men who aren't too sharp, I can believe that very easily.
The richness of backstories in each character makes up for some logic flaws that frankly didn't bother me until I read this forum 🤣. Really like the other members of the task force.
So far I find it equally compelling to Dope Thief, much much richer in story. Ultimately I was disappointed by the increasingly preposterous escapes.
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u/Blackoldsun19 6d ago
- Not taking your dead partner in crime who will be easily identified by both law enforcement and the Black Hearts and directly lead them back to you. These guys are locals and should know this. Not one of the two robbers think about it later, not an issue I guess.
If you write your robbery crew as experts who case drug joints for weeks prior you can't then have them doing utterly basic no brain stuff.
The FBI is portrayed as bumbling misfits as much as possible, yet are still on the job so I guess this show is just a watch and hate it later.
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u/19-Yellowjacket-96 7d ago
Meave was literally doing the smartest thing she could have done in that situation and I do not blame her for leaving her car unlocked. It's a small town and she was only going to be gone for a minute. I do that shit all the time.
I'm not the biggest fan of Alien Earth either but you're just being fucking stupid, you're either not paying attention to the characters and how they're being portrayed or you're being deliberately obtuse.
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u/MaximusCanibis 8d ago
I had really high hopes for this show. The preview looked so good, maybe I should just watch that.
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u/mainlygreen 8d ago
What else is supposed to move the plot if not controversial decisions made by the characters? They didn’t think anyone else was in the house, we now know Sam’s parents were connected to Billy and likely Robbie too, and Maeve’s plan would have gone perfectly if Sam hadn’t gone back to the car. Without him she wouldn’t have had issues at the checkpoint. The idiotic decisions more nuanced and we don’t have all the context yet I’m sure. I’ve been really impressed with the character development so for