Episode 2 of "Task" opens with the FBI fanning out in a desperate search for Sam. Simultaneously, we are introduced to Jayson, a pivotal figure within the notorious Dark Hearts gang. He swiftly discovers that Warren, Derek, and Joanne met their demise the previous night and promptly calls for an urgent meeting with the rest of the gang members.
Meanwhile, Sam remains blissfully unaware, still fast asleep in Robbie’s house. Cliff is consumed by panic as Robbie’s contact, MZ, fails to respond to their frantic messages. To make matters worse, the bag Robbie retrieved from the house contains packages of fentanyl, not the expected cash. Sam finally stirs from his slumber after the other kids have departed, and Robbie, in an attempt to deceive him, claims that he must stay put for a few days due to his parents needing to care for his ailing grandmother.
Tom and his team interview Kaylee, Peaches’ distraught fiancée. However, her grief renders her unable to engage in a meaningful conversation. On the drive back, Anthony inquires about Tom’s journey from priesthood to the FBI. Tom recounts his days as a volunteer with a crisis team, where he first crossed paths with his boss, Kathleen. After leaving the priesthood to marry, Kathleen offered him a position at the FBI. Anthony, who was raised by a devoutly religious mother, reveals himself to be a cynic at heart.
Emily confides in her counselor about the dilemma she faces regarding whether to write the family statement for her brother, Ethan. She admits her fear that her statement might expedite his release, a prospect she dreads.
The task force convenes for its inaugural status meeting. Their investigation uncovers that Sam had been living with his grandmother due to his parents being deemed unfit. However, upon his grandmother’s illness, he was returned to his parents' care.
Anthony briefs the team on the key figures within the Dark Hearts. Jayson Wilkes, the leader of the Delaware County faction, was handpicked by Perry Dorazo, one of the gang’s national leaders. Freddy Friars, another associate, is responsible for distributing all the drugs in the county. Anthony emphasizes that the Dark Hearts are a tightly knit organization and suggests that the recent robberies indicate the presence of a mole within their ranks.
Elsewhere, Perry meets with Jayson to express his dissatisfaction with the current state of affairs. Jayson assures him that the thieves now possess the drugs and will have to go through Freddie Friar to offload them. He proposes that they enlist Freddie’s help to apprehend the thieves in the act. Jayson is also cognizant of Tom and his task force but dismisses them as a significant threat.
Tom subsequently finds himself in the company of a man named Joe, an authority on the gangs that roam the East Coast. Joe recounts to Tom a tale from a gang member, detailing how a Dark Hearts affiliate named Billy met a brutal end, beaten to death for transgressing the gang's strict codes. The description of Billy leaves little doubt in Tom's mind that he was none other than Maeve’s father.
Meanwhile, Robbie finally receives a reply from MZ, instructing him to rendezvous at 8 pm. Upon Maeve's return home with the children, Robbie seizes the opportunity to introduce Sam, masquerading him as the offspring of a colleague named Dave Larson. Yet, as Maeve assists Sam, she begins to suspect his true identity. A swift internet search confirms her fears: Sam is the missing child, the son of Derek and Nance.
In a different corner of the city, the Dark Hearts gang congregates at a seedy club. Perry cautions Jayson to keep mum about the fact that the thieves have made off with drugs rather than cash. Elsewhere, Robbie and Cliff arrive at their designated meeting spot, only to receive a message from MZ announcing his inability to attend.
Tom collects his daughter, Sara, from the airport and escorts her home, where Matt (the family lawyer) and Emily are already present. Matt breaks the news that Ethan has confessed to third-degree murder. The topic of a family statement resurfaces, with Emily admitting she has contemplated drafting one. This revelation ruffles Sara's feathers. Emily elaborates, expressing her desire to share with the judge the story of her and Ethan's upbringing before their adoption by Tom.
The conversation then unravels the grim truth of Ethan's actions—he murdered Sara’s mother. In Sara's own words, he hurled her down the stairs, snapping her neck. When Emily attempts to console her by pointing out that she, too, lost a mother, Sara makes it abundantly clear that she perceives a stark difference between their losses. Fuming, Emily storms out, prompting Tom, after baring his soul to Sara about his profound sense of loss, to chase after her.
That same night, Maeve executes a daring plan. She smuggles Sam out of the house and drives him to a store adjacent to the arcade where she works. She instructs him to go inside, promising to join him shortly. She then slips into the arcade, retrieves a phone from the lost and found section, and dials 911 to report seeing Sam. However, upon returning to her car, she finds Sam already waiting inside. He confesses to feeling frightened in her absence. Unfortunately, by this time, the police have cordoned off the area. With no other option, Maeve instructs Sam to hide in a compartment in the backseat, hoping to evade the authorities.
As she navigates her car through the checkpoint, she hastily informs the police officers that she's just spotted a lost child wandering around in the arcade. The officer promptly relays the message to Tom, who then instructs Maeve to step inside the arcade and sift through the crowd of kids to determine if any of them is Sam. She points tentatively at one of the children, but as fate would have it, it's not Sam. With a dismissive wave, Tom allows her to leave. Meanwhile, elsewhere in town, the members of the Dark Hearts gang uncover Peaches' true identity and make a beeline for Kaylee's house. By this juncture, Robbie has finally cottoned on to the fact that Sam is nowhere to be found, yet he's completely at a loss as to where to begin his search. Eventually, Maeve returns home, Sam in tow, and confronts Robbie, demanding to know what he's done to wreak havoc on all their lives.
