When Brad Ingelsby slipped a new crime drama onto HBO’s lineup, nobody expected the first episode to feel like a showdown between a priest‑turned‑FBI agent and a trash‑collecting robber. Task – “Crossings” premiereHBO aired Sunday night at 9 PM Eastern, and within minutes viewers were glued to the bleak streets of Delaware County, Pennsylvania. The show’s hook? Two parallel lives collide over a stolen stash of drug money—and an eight‑year‑old boy who vanishes into the night.
Background: Creator and Setting
Ingelsby is best known for the critically‑acclaimed Mare of Easttown, where a small‑town homicide detective juggled personal grief and professional pressure. This time he lands in the working‑class suburbs of Philadelphia, swapping rain‑soaked coal mines for garbage trucks and FBI career fairs. The series leans into the gritty realism of the county: rust‑stained warehouses, cramped trailer homes, and a community that watches the same local news anchors night after night. By rooting the drama in a specific place, Ingelsby makes every background car, every street sign feel lived‑in.
Episode 1 Plot Breakdown
The opening minutes follow Mark Ruffalo’s character, FBI Special Agent Tom Brandis, as he mans a booth at a high‑school career fair. He’s not just handing out flyers; he’s trying to convince kids that a life of law‑enforcement can be a calling, not just a badge. The twist is that Brandis spent eight years serving as a priest before swapping a collar for a gun—an odd career pivot that colors every decision he makes.
Meanwhile, Tom Pelphrey plays Robbie Prendergrast, a sanitation worker for J and W Waste Management. Robbie lives with his two kids, Harper (12) and Wyatt (9), plus his niece Maeve (7), after his wife Karen walked out a year ago. When Robbie and his colleague Cliff finish their route, they slip on masks, pull out guns, and target a house they’ve scouted for weeks: a drug dealer rumored to be sitting on a small fortune.
The robbery spirals when a small boy darts out of the basement, eyes wide, asking, “Are you my dad’s friends?” Robbie’s instinct is to protect the kid—he scoops him up and, against every law‑enforcement protocol, brings him home. Esquire’s Jordan Rose called the move “technically kidnapping,” but also highlighted Robbie’s moral dilemma: he’s a father of two who can’t bear to hurt a child.
Back at the FBI office, Brandis watches the same house being ransacked through binoculars. He’s interrupted by Kyle (played by Robert Denzel‑Edwards), a fresh‑out accounting grad who joins the task force. The episode ends with the FBI shifting focus from stolen cash to a missing‑child case, setting the stage for a cat‑and‑mouse chase that feels inevitable.
Characters in Focus: Tom Brandis and Robbie Prendergrast
Brandis is a picture of contradiction. He’s an agent who can track a suspect with military precision, yet he’s haunted by his years in the priesthood. He lives with his teenage daughter Emily in a tidy suburban home, while his adopted son Ethan sits in jail awaiting sentencing for an undisclosed crime. Brandis refuses to visit Ethan, a choice that compounds his internal conflict and hints at a deeper family fracture.
Robbie, on the other hand, is the bartender‑turned‑outlaw of the story. He’s the “world’s most soulful trashman‑slash‑trap‑house‑robber,” as The Ringer put it. Though he’s committing felonies, his primary drive is simple: keep a roof over his children’s heads. The episode’s dialogue reveals his yearning for companionship—he tells Cliff he’s ready to share his life with someone again—while his wife’s absence still lingers like an echo in the hallway.
Both men share a bird‑loving hobby, an odd detail that The Ringer used to score “Misery Points.” The show asks the uncomfortable question: who’s worse off? The answer, as the recap on Review Geek notes, is that they’re more alike than they appear.
Critical Themes and Moral Ambiguities
The series thrusts viewers into a moral gray zone. Brandis wrestles with spiritual residue from his priesthood, which shows up in moments where he hesitates to use force. Robbie, meanwhile, crosses legal lines but never loses his “good guy at heart” aura—he’s willing to risk everything for a child he barely knows.
Another thread is the mysterious figure of Peaches, a friend whose fate becomes a running question: “Is Peaches dead or alive?” The intrigue adds a layer of noir, reminding the audience that every side character could be a pivot point.
From a technical standpoint, the show’s cinematography emphasizes muted colors, rain‑slick streets, and close‑ups of characters’ eyes—visual cues that reinforce the theme of looking versus seeing. The soundtrack, a mix of low‑bass synths and faint church organ notes, underscores the clash between sin and redemption.
What’s Next? Looking Ahead to Episode 2
Episode 2, slated for September 14, will likely deepen the missing‑child angle. The FBI’s task force, now aware of a possible abducted child, will pressure Robbie into a corner. Meanwhile, Brandis might finally confront his adopted son Ethan—perhaps a scene that forces him to reconcile his priestly forgiveness with his FBI duty.
The show also promises to tease the fate of Peaches, potentially tying that storyline back to the larger crime network. Fans are already speculating whether Robbie’s kidnap‑like decision will earn him a reluctant ally in the FBI or seal his fate as a target.
- Premiere date: September 7 2025, 9 PM ET
- Creator: Brad Ingelsby
- Main cast: Mark Ruffalo (Tom Brandis), Tom Pelphrey (Robbie Prendergrast)
- Setting: Delaware County, Pennsylvania
- Network: HBO
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the episode focus so much on the missing‑child angle?
The child’s disappearance raises the stakes for both protagonists. For the FBI, it adds a public‑interest case that can’t be ignored; for Robbie, it forces him to confront the moral cost of his criminal act, turning a loot‑the‑cash plot into a personal crisis.
Is Peaches ever revealed in the first episode?
No, Peaches remains an off‑screen presence, mentioned only in passing as a friend of Robbie and Cliff. The mystery fuels speculation and sets up a potential subplot for later episodes.
How does Tom Brandis’s past as a priest affect his current work?
Brandis’s priesthood gives him a unique empathy that clashes with FBI procedural rigidity. He often hesitates before using force, and his internal dialogue frequently references forgiveness, making his investigative style more contemplative than aggressive.
What role does J and W Waste Management play in the story?
The waste‑management company is Robbie’s day‑job and the cover for his night‑time heists. Its routes give him intimate knowledge of the neighborhood, turning ordinary garbage pickups into reconnaissance missions for the robbery.
When can viewers expect the next episode?
Episode 2 is scheduled for Sunday, September 14 2025, at 9 PM Eastern on HBO, continuing the cat‑and‑mouse chase between Brandis and Robbie while deepening the missing‑child storyline.
