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Task is a tense show. The HBO series splits its focus between a kind-hearted working class man robbing drug dens to help his family and the tortured priest-turned-fed running the FBI task force trying to stop him. There’s brutal violence, deep ethical debates, and even a gang of fentanyl-dealing bikers.
However, there was at least one glimmer of goofiness in Task Episode 2 “Family Statements.” Two members of the task force — Anthony Grasso (Fabien Frankel) and Lizzie Stover (Alison Oliver) — bond over their stupid nicknames.
You see, last week, Lizzie was introduced to the team as an absolute wreck. She was screaming at her ex-husband over the phone and missing key briefing documents. Her email, she confirms to boss Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo), is Snickerdoodle, after a girlhood pet. Soon, “Snickerdoodle” becomes a harsh nickname to summarize how little the rest of the team thinks of Stover. The twist is that she’s actually competent at a crime scene.
In this week’s episode of Task, Grasso reveals to Lizzie that he used to go by “DJ Grassanova.” He had a whole circuit of Catholic church basements and confirmation parties he entertained.
Photo: HBOWhen DECIDER asked Task stars Fabien Frankel and Alison Oliver about their characters’ kooky nicknames at a recent press day, the actors struggled for the next few minutes to keep a straight face.
“I always felt with the Snickerdoodle thing that it was just like so telling,” Oliver said. “Like sort of a laziness of, like just make a new e-mail!”
Laughing, Frankel said, “You’re a professional.”
Oliver giggled, too. “You’re a cop.“
“You’re a professional cop,” Frankel said.
“Would you not just make a new email?” Oliver wondered aloud. “So that was quite telling of who she is.”
“I just remember like the first time we did this scene and like it’s a crazy thing to be on the first day of work and that would be your email,” Frankel said. “It’s snickerdoodle at yahoo.com. It’s just a crazy-“
“And like, he didn’t look it up,” Oliver said of Ruffalo’s character. “Like, she submitted that as her email.”
“Willingly,” Frankel said, still amused. “It wasn’t even, like an accident, right?”
Frankel then tried to tackle DJ Grassanova. “I don’t know, weirdly, I feel like that — I don’t know why that’s so funny,” he said, trying to keep the hysterics at bay. “I feel like they’re hooks there.”
Soon both Oliver and Frankel were apologizing for their giddiness. “We’ve gotten the giggles now,” Oliver said.
“Weirdly, I feel like Snickerdoodle and D.J. Grassanova warm the characters to each other, if that makes sense?” Frankel said.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.” Oliver agreed.
“Like they’re like the inroads,” Frankel said. “I think that him opening up about also having a stupid nickname is…”
“That’s like his olive branch,” Oliver suggested.
“Yeah, exactly,” Frankel said. “That’s his olive branch.”
Given the fact that the scene in question also hints at some crackerjack chemistry brewing between Grasso and Stover, can we hope that the relationship might extend past mere olive branches.
At the very least, the more we get of “Snickerdoodle” and “DJ Grassanova” on Task, the better.
English (US)