This week on Tell Me About Your Father Matt, Erin, and Elizabeth break down episode 2 of HBO’s Task — a tense hour that pushes family ties to the breaking point and puts children directly in the crosshairs.

From FBI war rooms to chicken coops (both are essentially shacks), Task keeps building its character-driven “Sons of Anarchy reject script” storytelling around the big question: who counts as family, and how far will you go to protect them?

Episode 2 maintains the dramatic anchor of Task in in its characters, through fragile bonds, messy families, bad decisions, and the dangerous weight of responsibility.

And once again, the littlest character (Sam) delivers the biggest emotional punch.

What we cover in this recap:

* Father Figures Everywhere – From Perry’s iron grip on Jayson to Tom Brandis’ complicated household, Episode 2 leans hard into daddy issues.

* The Family Dinner from Hell – Tom’s kids (adopted and biological) clash over Ethan’s fate, while Sarah delivers the show’s coldest line to Emily without any words.

* Robbie’s Double Life – He’s plotting revenge and moving stolen fentanyl, but also making pancakes for little Sam in the sweetest (and strangest) father-son moment of the season so far.

* The Kids Aren’t Alright – Sam’s heartbreaking “deer monologue” stops us in our tracks. Is Task setting him up as its emotional core… or its future villain?

* Women Taking Action – Whether it’s Maeve, Emily, or even Jayson’s as-yet largely wordless girlfriend in the background, the women of Task are driving the story forward while the men flail.

* Deep-Cut Needle Drops – Erin excavates more and more layers to this nuanced and engrossing story. From a surprise Pearl Jam track (“Long Road”) to Dan Deacon’s score, the music is as intentional and unexpected as the storytelling. Also, Mark Ruffalo’s sandwich-eating acting.

See you again next week for episode 3!

Welcome to our first weekly recap of HBO’s latest Sunday night prestige crime saga, Task. This Delco-set Tale of Two Sad Dads from Mare of Easttown writer-director Brad Inglesby stars Mark Ruffalo as a grieving ex-priest–turned-alcoholic FBI agent with a philosophy degree, and Tom Pelphrey as a garbage man–turned–robber trying to keep his family afloat. Sign us UP, girl!

Starting next week, our Task recaps will live on tellmeaboutyourfather.substack.com. All you have to do to hear them is hit “subscribe.” It’s free. Save your money for wooder ices. See you again next week.

Literary It girl Caroline Calloway joins Erin Hosier and Elizabeth Thompson to talk about her father's tragic suicide amidst her viral public shaming in 2019, her obsession with the late Prozac Nation memoirist and Gen X agent of chaos Elizabeth Wurtzel (who Erin knew well as EW's first assistant in 1999), and the generational legacies left by their unknowable fathers (particularly Wurtzel's secret bio dad Bob Adelman). Caroline interviews Erin about the making of Wurtzel's 2001 advice book, Radical Sanity - which is the inspiration for Caroline's latest - and the three discuss the fallout of the daddy issues complicated women inherit from complicated men.

[1:00–12:00] Becoming Caroline Calloway

The rise of Caroline’s Instagram-era fame, her viral captions, and the internet culture that turned her into a lightning rod. Caroline shares how grieving her father led her to a midnight pilgrimage to the Harvard library, connecting with the version of him she loved most.

[12:00–20:00] Scammer and SurvivalCaroline leans into the “scammer” label and reframes it.

[20:00–36:00] Father Fallout

TW: A frank discussion of Caroline’s father’s suicide, mental illness, and the parallels the hosts draw from their own paternal losses.

[36:00–53:00] Ghosts We Can LoveCaroline reads from Scammer, reflecting on the “younger version” of her father she grieves and how memory can be redemptive.

[53:00–1:03:00] The Wurtzel ConnectionErin recounts her friendship with Elizabeth Wurtzel and the confessional literary era of the 90s that reshaped women’s writing, and the tragic true story of EW's secret father

[1:03:00–1:14:00] Literary LineageCaroline explains her obsession with Wurtzel, the artifacts she collected, and why “messy women” matter.

[1:14:00–End] Mentorship, Madness, and MeaningA spirited discussion of mentorship, fandom, and finding beauty in complicated legacies.