Which “Task” Character Is Your Favorite FC Player or Coach?

Grayson

At its heart, soccer is about bringing a group of individuals together to accomplish a shared goal, or task. And hopefully the theme of this year’s FC Cincinnati team is redemption, or understanding that we all as humans have the opportunity to move on from what happened in the past and build a new future for ourselves.

Finally, a number of The FC’s players and staff have a connection to Philadelphia and its neighboring state, New Jersey. For this reason, there really is no better show for FC fans than HBO’s Task, which is about a team assembled under former priest/sidelined agent Tom Brandis to investigate a series of robberies of drug stash houses owned by a Delaware County motorcycle gang.

If you’re not convinced to watch by that explanation, then surely you will be after this thoughtful rundown of how each character of Task matches your favorite FC Cincinnati figure.

Kathleen McGinty

Agent McGinty, played by Martha Plimpton of Remember Me fame, was responsible for selecting the members of the task force. She put together a team of diverse backgrounds and talents, although some might question her judgment as to both the overall fit and some specific questionable personnel. Nevertheless, she never betrays and doubt and maintains an unwavering confidence.

She’s Chris Albright.

Tom Brandis

Agent Brandis (played by She-Hulk’s Mark Ruffalo) is the leader, or coach, of the team—so he’s Pat Noonan. Like Noonan, he has curly hair and a gruff exterior. Unlike Noonan, he’s mourning the death of his wife at the hands of his emotionally disturbed foster son and he tries to hide his drinking from his foster daughter by pouring vodka into a Phillies cup. (It’s not a perfect comparison.)

Robbie Prendergrast

Robbie (portrayed by Tom Pelphrey, best known for playing Megan Twohey’s husband in She Said) is the leader of the gang of robbers. His analogue is Obinna Nwobodo. Much like “Obi the ball thief,” Robbie excels at getting into tight spaces and coming out with his intended prize. He also, like Obi, experiences some injuries in the series that limit his mobility, but you can say he leaves it all on the field.

Maeve

Meave, played by Emilia Jones of Charlie Harper (but not who you’re thinking) and Cat Person (no, not Cat People, the classic Paul Schrader remake of the 1942 RKO Studios film), is a talented youngster ready for more responsibility who cooks but is sometimes late for things.

She’s Dado.

Aleah Clinton

Aleah (played by Thuso Mbedu, of Mufasa: The Lion King) is a sharpshooter who otherwise quietly goes about her business. She does not necessarily cover as much ground (physically or emotionally) as the other characters, but when it comes down to it she is the most crucial, irreplaceable member of the team.

In other words, Evander.

Cliff Broward

As you can see, Cliff (played by Raul Castillo, of HBO’s Looking) is not afraid to do the dirty work. He is Robbie’s best friend, and they share a lot of qualities, although you do not want to rely too heavily on Cliff or give him too much responsibility.

So if Robbie is Obi, Cliff is Brian Anunga.

Lizzie Stover

At first, a lot of folks fail to take Lizzie (played by Alison Oliver, from TV’s disappointing adaptation of Sally Rooney’s best novel, Conversations with Friends) seriously. However, it turns out that she is the heart of the team, and provides a number of necessary contributions without which the whole thing would collapse. And Lizzie also gets trucked in a “Latte Lath” kind of way that (I assume) broke some ribs.

So, Nick Hagglund.

Anthony Grasso

I want to be very clear about this. No one on the team bears any similarity, at all, to Grasso (played by House of the Dragon’s Fabien Frankel). Except in one superficial way.

Evan Louro, aka “DJ Grassanova at home.”

Anyway, I have no idea what else might be on TV this week, but everyone should just watch Task.