The Identity Of The Mole In HBO's Task, Explained

This post contains spoilers for "Task" episode 5.

That's it, then? The cat is out the bag. After it was revealed that there was a traitor in the ranks of Tom's (Mark Ruffalo) team, "Task" creator Brad Inglesby drops the bombshell this week real casual-like, that it was Fabien Frankel's Anthony Grasso all along (not like we called it or anything).

What was particularly great about this twist was how simply it was revealed. There was no shocking moment of Grasso getting caught in the act, or a chance encounter exposing the truth. Instead, the twist was exposed in just a routine meeting between Jayson (Sam Keeley) and his man on the inside. What makes it so disappointing though, is just how much promise he was showing, almost appearing to be cut from the same cloth as his boss, back when Tom wasn't so worn down. By the sounds of things, this has been going on for some time even before Grasso was signed up to join Tom's team, but the concern is how long will it be before the rest of them catch on? It's the kind of complicated, stress-inducing direction that Inglesby would most likely go in, and what makes it even more exciting is the opportunity for an already great performance to go further because of it.

It's safe to say that the most notable character in Fabien Frankel's career isn't particularly a popular one. For the last two seasons of "House of the Dragon" as Ser Criston Cole, he's taken heat for reasons that have nothing to do with his performance and everything to do with how his character is written. It's such a great turnaround then, that as Grasso, he's got a far more meatier role and one that's flawed in the right way. Up until now, Anthony really has been the one under the command of Tom that has shown a little bit of promise. He's on the same page as his boss and the case, but now it's just a shame that we found out why. The question now is this: when the truth comes out, will it see him turn heel and go down with the biker gang he's been secretly in cahoots with?

Given the affectionate and heartfelt moments he's had with Lizzie (Alison Oliver), the show could instead set Grasso on a road to redemption. Perhaps the woman that's caught his eye might bring him back from the brink of being the snake with a badge, and maybe even see him giving up what he already knows about the Dark Hearts to Tom and the FBI. With two more episodes to go, it really is anyone's guess. We just hope that for the first time in a while, Frankel gets the praise he deserves for a character he's actually done some justice for.

New episodes of "Task" air Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO