Spoiler alert: This story contains spoilers for Episode 6 of HBO’s “Tusk,” now streaming on HBO Max.
One of the young recruits on HBO’s “Tusk,” Delaware County detective Anthony Grasso (Fabian Frankel) is an enigmatic figure, always ready to spring into action to help Tom Brandis (Mark Ruffalo) search for a missing child in a small town outside Philadelphia. But throughout the series, there are small hints that someone on the tight-knit FBI task force is leaking information to the Dark Hearts motorcycle gang, leading Tom to wonder who among his inner circle is behind the scenes.
Episode 5 reveals that Grasso had leaked information to Jason (Sam Keeley), one of the leaders of the Dark Hearts, about the whereabouts of Cliff Broward (Raul Castillo), and that Sam (Ben Doherty) is still alive and staying at the house of Robbie Prendergrast (Tom Pelphrey) after losing his parents in a drug house robbery.
Episode 6 begins with the FBI and the Dark Hearts surrounding Robbie in the middle of the woods, but everything Grasso has been working on comes to an abrupt halt when the Dark Hearts kill the task force’s closest aide, Lizzie (Alison Oliver), run over her, and leave her body on the side of the road. As Grasso tries to deal with his grief over Lizzie’s shocking death, he finds himself cornered by Tom about his past with a nefarious motorcycle gang.
Variety spoke to Frankel about Grasso and Tom’s final showdown, whether the detective was taking advantage of Lizzie in previous episodes, and the mystery of Catholic sin throughout the series.
Provided by Peter Kramer/HBO
At the beginning of episode 6, Grasso and Lizzie find themselves in the middle of a gunfight with Darkheart in the woods. When one of the Darkhearts tried to fire at Lizzie, Grasso fired the gun right next to her ear, causing her world to go silent. When he fires his gun, does he fully know what is happening to Lizzie, who is trying to recover in the heat of the moment?
He realizes that if he cannot resolve this situation or create the possibility of resolution, things will go horribly wrong. What he never realized until Lizzie was shot within earshot was that[his actions]would cost him the lives of the people he truly cared about.
Grasso tells Perry (Jamie McShane) and Jason to flee the scene, eventually running over and killing Lizzie on a bridge. After everything Grasso went through with the Dark Hearts, what was the moment he regretted his past with the Dark Hearts? Was it because of Lizzie’s death, or did it happen much earlier in the season?
He has always regretted getting involved with the Dark Hearts. He has a Catholic guilt complex that says, “I did something wrong and I need to repent,” but clearly in the first three episodes he has no sense that it’s escalating. Lizzie’s death becomes the final overshadowing moment when all of his worst nightmares come true.
Everyone keeps telling Grasso to move on from Lizzie’s death, as Grasso is actively grieving for Lizzie while the task force is being investigated. Throughout the episode, he is seen reflecting on his short time with her and what impression she made on him.
He already has a great bond with her. It’s funny, I was being asked in the press if it was part of his plan, whether Lizzie was using her all along, and I didn’t believe it. I know when Brad[Ingelsby]was writing this show, he didn’t think that would happen. These are two people who really get along and develop a real friendship. He will never sleep with her due to the fact that he is afraid of the marriage bed and, according to his relationship with Dark Heart, does not want to do anything worse in the eyes of his Catholicism and his relationship with her. He just genuinely cares about her.
I never saw him taking advantage of Lizzie. Especially in the first scene of episode 2, when Lizzie has everyone at her favorite bar rooting for her.
I’m glad you don’t see it that way, because he’s just trying to make her feel good! He cares about her and you can tell she’s a little lost in this police force. He feels sorry for her. I don’t feel sorry for her in every way, but in terms of my relationship with her as a police officer.
In the final moments of the episode, Tom asks Grasso about his past complaints at his previous job and that he knows of his past with the Dark Hearts. The two have a conversation about past sins, and Tom’s line, “God never seems to forget,” refers to his past as a priest. If Grasso had confessed to Tom at that exact moment, would he have been forgiven?
That’s a really great question. Who allows the talking points? I’m not a very religious person, but I believe in God. I don’t know where I identify on the religious spectrum, but what I certainly feel is that forgiveness has to come from within ourselves. If something in me comes from God, I don’t know if Tom would feel forgiven when he forgave Grasso. Brad talked about it a lot and said he really struggled with being Catholic when he was a kid. My mother is Catholic and I believe many Catholics have to grow up feeling this guilt in the eyes of the Lord.
For Grasso, it’s unclear whether that guilt will ever be completely alleviated. I think he wants to turn himself in because he wants to relieve some of that burden. If you confess, he will probably find it easier to forgive himself.
How does the last line Tom said to him before leaving stick in his mind? Tom gives Darkheart a chance to confess to leaking the information, but Grasso chooses not to confess.
It’s funny, we talked a lot about that scene and that line on set. Brad had written a version of that scene where the scene ended with Tom leaving and saying something like, “I’m going to pick you up,” and Grasso saying, “So come.” The idea is that this is Grasso’s last stand. Even if you subconsciously knew by then that you were going to turn yourself in, it’s a moment of defiance.
Last year, around the time you were filming “Tusk,” you co-founded a production company called “Marcel Monique Pictures” with your brother. What did you learn from working with Brad Ingelsby and the team on this series?
What Brad does and does better than anyone I’ve ever met is surround himself with the kindest people to work with. Brad’s choices are always about who will make the experience more enjoyable, not who is best for the job. I thought, “You know what? That’s how movies are made.” Create with your loved ones and work with your friends and family. Give your loved ones a chance. They will work the hardest for you and with you. Because you get 10x the rewards.
This interview has been edited and condensed.
