Despite the public fall from grace, the voter said he missed John Dougherty’s leadership in Philadelphia, adding that he believed Dougherty had been good for workers in the city. They are brothers, Kevin Dougherty confirmed.
Justice Kevin Dougherty (left) canvasses with his son, State Rep. Sean Dougherty (center) in Fox Chase Sunday Sept. 7, 2025, stopping at the home of a voter. The elder Dougherty is one of three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices up for retention.
But in this year’s unusually high-profile state Supreme Court retention race, the connection has, in some circles, become unavoidable. Republicans seeking to oust Kevin Dougherty and two of his colleagues, all initially elected as Democrats, have sought to tie the judge to his brother’s misdeeds. The justice, a son of South Philadelphia who previously led Philadelphia’s Family Court, has sought to distance himself, and has seen the continued support of labor unions in his retention campaign.
“Over the course of 25 years as a judge, including ten years as a Justice on the Supreme Court, Justice Dougherty has had the privilege and the benefit of meeting a multitude of Pennsylvanians including the working men and women of organized labor,” Shane Carey, Kevin Dougherty’s campaign manager, said in a statement. “Our campaign is proud to receive their support, as well as the support from almost 5,000 other individual donors.”
How Johnny Doc helped elect his brother to the Supreme Court in 2015
Kevin Dougherty didn’t choose to be related to one of the city’s most prominent power brokers, but he certainly benefited from his brother’s former union’s help, with significant support from the politically powerful Local 98 during his 2015 campaign for the state bench.
Local 98, where John Dougherty was the longtime business manager, contributed more than $620,000 during Kevin Dougherty’s 2015 campaign for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Local 98’s spokesperson at the time also served as Kevin Dougherty’s campaign manager and appears from campaign finance filings that year to have been paid by Local 98. The union also spent more than $480,000 on in-kind contributions for “professional services,” mailers, merchandise,and more.
Justice Kevin Dougherty talks with volunteers before they head out the canvass in Fox Chase Sunday Sept. 7, 2025. Dougherty is one of three Pennsylvania Supreme Court justices up for retention.
Kevin Dougherty is the only justice up for retention from Southeastern Pennsylvania. The other justices, Christine Donohue and David Wecht, live in Pittsburgh. They will each appear on the November ballot with no party and no home county. Voters will simply be asked “yes” or “no” whether each individual justice should be retained for another term.
Republicans working to oust the three justices this year have tried to leverage Kevin Dougherty’s past support from his brother to encourage voters to oppose his retention.
Scott Presler, an influencer aligned with President Donald Trump who has more than 2.4 million followers and runs a political action committee aimed at registering Republican voters, posted an AI-generated image of John Dougherty behind bars, tying, without evidence, Local 98’s contributions to Kevin Dougherty’s 2015 campaign to his brother’s convictions.
“Coincidence?” Presler wrote.
Johnny Dougherty, the former IBEW business manger, and his attorney Gregory J. Pagano as they leave the U.S. District Court, Reading, Pa. on the day he was sentenced to 6 years in prison Thursday, July 11, 2024.
For months, the conservative influencer has posted on social media urging followers to vote against retaining Kevin Dougherty and his colleagues, citing the times his name was mentioned during John Dougherty’s trials, such as when prosecutors alleged the justice received free home repairs or snow removal on the union’s dime. Kevin Dougherty’s lawyer at the time of the embezzlement trial said the judge never knowingly accepted services paid for with union funds.
While door-knocking in September, Kevin Dougherty dismissed attacks against him related to his brother as “misinformation,” noting his decades-long career as a judge.
Kevin Dougherty, 63, spent more than a decade as a Common Pleas Court judge in Philadelphia before his election to the state Supreme Court. During his tenure on the state’s highest court, he has authored majority opinions and is leading a statewide initiative to improve how Pennsylvania’s judicial system interacts with people with behavioral health issues.
“I spent close to a quarter of a century being a judge,” Dougherty said on a sidewalk in Northeast Philly. “I just don’t accept people’s comments and judgment. I want to know what the motive behind those comments are. Some of these comments are just partisan … and I believe in my reputation.”
The justice should be vetted on his own merits, said John Jones, a former U.S. District Court judge for the Middle District of Pennsylvania who was appointed to the bench by former President George W. Bush.
“You can pick your friends, but you can’t pick your relatives,” Jones, now president of Dickinson College, added. “You have to judge the justice on his own merits. This is not a country where we favor guilt by association.”
Kevin Dougherty still has broad union support, including from Local 98
With John Dougherty no longer at the helm of Local 98, labor unions in Pennsylvania this year still overwhelmingly supported the justice for retention, contributing $665,000 to Kevin Dougherty’s campaign as of September. While trades unions contributed the most of any interest group to all three justices — for a total of $903,000 as of the latest filings — Kevin Dougherty is the largest beneficiary of that support.
Among those contributors: Local 98. The union, which has reorganized and distanced itself from John Dougherty since he was first convicted in 2021, gave $70,000 to Kevin Dougherty’s retention campaign.
“IBEW Local 98 does not support candidates based on personal relationships,” said Tom Lepera, Local 98’s political director, in a statement. “We support candidates who understand and stand up for the needs of working men and women in organized labor. Justice Dougherty, along with Justices Donohue and Wecht, have consistently demonstrated their commitment to protecting the rights and interests of middle-class workers across this commonwealth.”
Kevin Dougherty’s campaign did not respond to several questions this weekabout his brother’s role in his 2015 campaign or whether his brother’s reputation has influenced the retention campaign.
Anti-retention material featuring President Donald Trump as Uncle Sam was on display at Republican rally in Bucks County last month headlined by Treasurer Stacy Garrity, a candidate for governor. The material is from Early Vote Action, a group led by GOP influencer Scott Presler.
Union leaders insist their support for Kevin Dougherty this year has nothing to do with his brother and is a reflection of his quality work in the judiciary. Labor unions often support Democratic candidates, who are often seen as more beneficial to unions and their priorities.
“It’s about keeping good judges on the bench,” said Ryan Boyer, leader of the Philadelphia Building and Construction Trades Council, an umbrella organization of local trades unions once commanded by John Dougherty. This year, the building trades gave just over $33,000 to each justice.
“We don’t live on Mars where we don’t know that sometimes familial connections can be there,” Boyer said, “and they try to exploit those things.”
Nonpartisan and Democratic groups favor Dougherty’s tenure on the bench
Like his colleagues running for retention, Kevin Dougherty has earned broad support from nonpartisan and partisan groups alike.
Lauren Cristella, CEO of the Committee of Seventy, the Philadelphia-based good-government group, noted that the justice was never charged or found guilty of wrongdoing.
Justices David Wecht, Christine Donohue and Kevin Dougherty sit onstage during a fireside chat at Central High School on Monday, Sept. 8, 2025 in Philadelphia.
“The Committee of Seventy relies on the findings of law enforcement and professional oversight organizations, such as the Bar Association, when evaluating judicial candidates. This year, the Pennsylvania Bar Association has evaluated Justice Dougherty and recommended him for retention. Our focus remains on transparency, accountability, and maintaining public trust in Pennsylvania’s courts,” Cristella said in a statement.
Dougherty and his fellow justices have also gained the support of Gov. Josh Shapiro, Pennsylvania’s popular Democratic governor, who in a fundraising email to Pennsylvania Democrats on Thursday urged voters to mark “yes” on retaining Dougherty, Donohue, and Wecht.
Justice Kevin M. Dougherty listens during a Courtroom Dedication Ceremony at the Supreme Court Courtroom in Philadelphia City Hall on Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025 in Philadelphia.
“The threats to our freedoms are coming from all directions, and we need a Court that stands up for what’s right,” Shapiro said in the email. “Justices Donohue, Dougherty, and Wecht have proven that we can count on them to protect freedom, reproductive rights, and the rule of law.”
In a statement to The Inquirer, Kevin Dougherty didn’t mention his brother by name.
“With regard to my personal relationship I love my big brother. For obvious reasons, my brother is not participating in my Retention campaign,” he said.
NEW YORK — The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a player for the Miami Heat were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations that authorities said leaked inside information about NBA athletes and rigged poker games backed by Mafia families.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games tied to La Cosa Nostra organized crime families that cheated unsuspecting gamblers out of at least $7 million. Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused in a separate scheme of exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games.
The two indictments unsealed in New York create a massive cloud for the NBA — which opened its season this week — and show how certain types of wagers are vulnerable to massive fraud in the growing, multibillion-dollar legal sports-betting industry. Joseph Nocella, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
“My message to the defendants who’ve been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended,” Nocella said. “Your luck has run out.”
Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges. Also charged was former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones, who stands accused of participating in both schemes.
“The fraud is mind boggling,” FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. “We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multiyear investigation.”
The alleged fraud, however, paled in comparison to the riches the athletes earned on the court. Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, had about $106 million in earnings over his 17-year career. Rozier made about $160 million in his stops in Boston, Miami and Charlotte.
Billups and Rozier have been placed on leave from their teams, according to the NBA, which said it is cooperating with authorities.
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said in a statement.
Hours after his arrest, Rozier appeared in a federal court in Orlando, Florida, wearing a Charlotte Hornets sweatshirt, handcuffs and shackles. Billups appeared before a judge in Portland, Oregon. Both men were ordered released from custody on certain conditions.
Billups’ attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a statement Thursday evening denying the allegations, calling his client a “man of integrity.” “To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall-of-Fame legacy, his reputation and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game,” Heywood said.
Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, said in a statement that his client is “not a gambler” and “looks forward to winning this fight.” Trusty criticized authorities for not allowing his client to surrender on his own and accused officials of wanting “the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk.”
Messages were left Thursday at a phone number and email address listed in public records for Jones.
Roughly 20 other defendants appeared in federal court in Brooklyn, where most of them pleaded not guilty. Many of those charged with violent crimes or with lengthy criminal records and ties to organized crime were detained.
Mafia families profited off gambling scheme, officials say
The poker scheme lured unwitting players into rigged games with the chance to compete against former professional basketball players like Billups and Jones. The games were fixed using sophisticated cheating technology, such as altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read cards, authorities allege.
The scheme often made use of illegal poker games run by New York crime families that required them to share a portion of their proceeds with the Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families, according to court papers. Members of those families, in turn, also helped commit violent acts, including assault, extortion and robbery, to ensure repayment of debts and the continued success of the operation, officials said in court documents.
Athletes accused of leaving games early
In the sports betting scheme, Rozier and other defendants are accused of accessing private information from NBA players or coaches that could affect a player’s performance and giving that information to others so they could place wagers. Players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early to rig prop bets — a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistic, such as a total number of points, rebounds or assists, according to the indictment.
In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars, authorities said. That game against the New Orleans Pelicans raised eyebrows at the time. Rozier played the first 9 minutes and 36 seconds of the game before leaving, citing a foot issue. He did not play again that season.
Posts still online from March 23, 2023, show that some bettors were furious with sportsbooks that evening when it became evident that Rozier was not going to return to the game after the first quarter, with many turning to social media to say that something “shady” had happened regarding the prop bets involving his stats for that night.
The indictments contain the descriptions of several unnamed NBA players whose injury status and availability for certain games were the source of betting activity. Those players are not accused of any wrongdoing, and there is no indication that they would have even known what was being said about their status for those games.
Those players include LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. Their identities are clear based on a review of corresponding injury reports surrounding games mentioned in the indictment. The indictments show that certain defendants shared information about the availability of those players in a game on March 24, 2023, involving the Portland Trail Blazers, and two games in 2023 and 2024 involving the Los Angeles Lakers.
The NBA had investigated Rozier previously. He was in uniform as the Heat played the Magic on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida, in the season opener for both teams, though he did not play in the game.
A month after Keon King was charged with breaking into his ex-girlfriend’s home and attempting to strangle her, police say, his violence escalated: In January, he returned to her home with a gun, then kidnapped and assaulted her.
A warrant for his arrest was issued days later.
In the weeks that followed, King twice appeared in Philadelphia court and stood before a judge in the initial strangulation case. But no one in the courtroom seemed to know he was wanted for kidnapping.
So both times, King walked out.
In February, despite the warrant for King’s arrest, prosecutors — seemingly unaware that police said he had recently attacked their key witness — withdrew the burglary and strangulation case when the victim failed to appear in court.
Police did not go to either hearing to take him into custody, and do not appear to have alerted the prosecutor about the new arrest warrant.
And King was not formally charged with the kidnapping until April, when, for reasons that are unclear, he turned himself in.
Kada Scott, 23, was abducted from outside her workplace on Oct. 4, police said.
A review of King’sprevious criminal cases raises questions about whether police and prosecutors could have been more vigilant in holding him accountable for the earlier crimes they say he committed.
City Council has since vowed to hold a hearing examining how the city’s criminal justice system handles cases of domestic violence.
But even before the charges were withdrawn, police and court records show, there were missteps.
Marian Grace Braccia, a former Philadelphia prosecutor who is a law professor at Temple University, said she found it alarming that law enforcement failed to take King into custody when he twice stood before them in court while wanted for a violent felony.
“If this is supposed to be a collaborative effort — if there is a shared mission of public safety and victim advocacy — it sounds like everyone dropped the ball,” she said.
Detectives and prosecutors, she said, should have been aware of the arrest warrant and had officers take him into custody.
Then, she said, prosecutors could have cited the alleged kidnapping to ask a judge to increase King’s bail and keep him behind bars.
Instead, she said, “it passed by everybody, and he came in and walked out, and slipped through the cracks of the Philadelphia legal court system.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner discusses the killing of Kada Scott at a news conference earlier this week.
Krasner said there is no system to automatically notify prosecutors when a defendant in one of their cases is arrested anew.
Similarly, there is no system to let police know that suspects in new cases have outstanding criminal matters, said Philadelphia Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Eric Gripp.
“Detectives are not automatically notified when a wanted subject is physically present in court on a different active case,” he said.
Krasner said the issues in the case underscore a lack of communication among law enforcement agencies that happens in part because their digital information systems are decades old. He said his office and other law enforcement agencies should work to update those systems.
“That is something that we can all improve together if we have the will and if we have the resources,” he said.
A wanted man walks free
Police said King first attacked his ex-girlfriend in early November of last year. He broke into her Strawberry Mansion home, then tried to strangle her, according to the affidavit of probable cause for his arrest.
He was taken into custody in December and charged with burglary and strangulation, and bail was set at $50,000. King immediately posted the necessary 10%, $5,000, and was released.
About a month later, police said, King returned to the woman’s home and tried to break in. When he could not gain entry, they said, he waited for her to step outside, then grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into his car. He drove for at least four miles, beating her along the way, before dropping her off in Fishtown, according to the affidavit for probable cause for his arrest.
A judge approved the warrant for King’s arrest on charges of kidnapping, strangulation, and related crimes on Jan. 19, court records show.
The Justice Juanita Kidd Stout Center for Criminal Justice in Philadelphia.
King — now wanted for a violent felony — appeared in court the following week for a preliminary hearing in the earlier burglary case, records show. But when the victim did not show up in court a second time, Municipal Court Judge Jacquelyn Frazier-Lyde ordered that the case had to proceed at the next listing. Prosecutors agreed.
King left court.
Meanwhile, police said, officers tried at least once to arrest him. On Feb. 11, Gripp said, police went to a home where they thought King might be, but he was not there.
Two weeks later, King was again in court for the burglary case — but police did not go there to arrest him. Once again, the victim did not show up, and prosecutors withdrew the charges
King walked out of court a free man.
Braccia, the Temple law professor, said the detective assigned to the case should have been aware of the hearing. When seeking to charge King for the kidnapping, she said, the detective should have pulled up King’s arrest history and noticed the ongoing case. He then could have flagged it to the prosecutor in the first case and gone to the hearing to arrest him.
At the same time, she said, the prosecutors who approved the kidnapping charges against King should have noticed the earlier case and told the prosecutor — particularly because it involved the same victim.
In April, King turned himself in to police to be charged with kidnapping, strangulation, and related crimes in connection with the January attack. Prosecutors asked for bail of $999,999, but the magisterial judge, Naomi Williams, set bail at $200,000, court records show. King posted the necessary $20,000 and was released.
The following month, after the victim again did not appear in court at two hearings, the kidnapping charges were also withdrawn.
Since prosecutors have refiled the charges, Krasner’s office said it has been back in touch with the woman and hopes she will testify. She declined to comment about King’s alleged crimes and the previous handling of the cases by police and prosecutors.
Six months later, King is back in custody, this time charged with murder. He is being held without bail.
The Sixers have figured out the key to a stress-free life.
You can’t let anybody down if they don’t have any expectations.
It would be a fitting twist if this was the year the Sixers finally lived up to the hype of the last decade. They spent eight years as a Snapchat-filter contender, entering each season with the unsubstantiated energy of a team that desperately wants to speak its self-image into existence but at the same time understands that the teams that win NBA titles usually aren’t the ones trying to channel Ben Affleck in Boiler Room. The problem with the whole “act as if” mindset is that you need to stop acting at some point or else you just become an act.
The tricky thing about the Sixers is that it is tough to pinpoint when, exactly, they became that act, given the preponderance of options. I would argue that it was when James Harden held a birthday party at which women held signs that said, “Daryl Morey is a liar.” But you could just as easily argue that it happened a year earlier, when the Sixers traded a guy who was too scared to throw down an open dunk in a decisive playoff game for a guy who showed up to a playoff press conference wearing a designer coat that looked like it was constructed from the pelt of a Teletubby.
Morey has taken the brunt of the blame for the last couple of seasons, mostly because it was his name on the marquee. If you don’t like the circus, you either blame Barnum or you blame Bailey. In selling Harden and then Paul George, Morey’s message was the classic “Don’t believe your eyes.” The scariest part of Dave Dombrowski’s press conference last week was when he channeled Morey and suggested that older players don’t get old the same way they used to. Whatever truth there is to it — and I could lay out a very strong case that there isn’t much — the marvels of modern sport science still haven’t managed to solve a conundrum that each of us encounters at some physiological age. Once you get old, there is no getting un-old. The only question is whether you can slow down the decay.
Funny thing about Morey, though. While his more vocal critics have written him off as little more than a salesman, they are giving his sales proficiency way too much credit. He has been much better at his actual job, which, let’s not forget, began five years ago with inheriting a roster that was assembled on the premise that Al Horford and Josh Richardson could be the missing pieces that would enable Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Tobias Harris to win a title. Back then, people felt a lot like they did by the end of last season. The Sixers’ best chance had already passed them by.
Sixers president Daryl Morey is entering his sixth season with the franchise.
What the interim has wrought is in the eye of the beholder. It has been easiest to focus on Morey’s yearly quest to push the Sixers over the top, his annual reshuffling of the deck, from Simmons to Harden to George, each one falling short of even reaching the conference finals. The Sixers have not come close to achieving the ultimate goal, but they have made a sport of it, taking the Celtics to Game 7 in 2023 and the Knicks to Game 6 in 2024 before landing George as part of a free-agent bonanza last summer. Yet even as they have tried and failed — and flailed — they somehow manage to enter 2025-26 with a roster that actually looks like the one the Sixers thought they had in those first post-Process years, long before Morey arrived. Morey drafted Tyrese Maxey and then Jared McCain and just five months ago VJ Edgecombe, who may have the most potential of them all.
You watched the Sixers this preseason and you saw the makings of the team they never actually had. The first quarter of their 126-110 win over the Timberwolves on Friday was eye-opening. Early in the quarter, Edgecombe crashed the weak-side glass and corralled a Kelly Oubre miss for an easy putback. Edgecombe and Maxey spent the period running the court like it was crumbling behind them, pushing the pace after makes as well as misses, displaying an uncanny connection for teammates whose partnership can be measured in months.
After going hard to the basket and finishing his textbook footwork with a contested layup off a fastbreak pass from Maxey, Edgecombe stole the ball from Johnny Juzang at the other end of the court, sparking another break that resulted in a free-throw trip for Quentin Grimes. But the most instructive play might have been one that failed: a cross-court, alley-oop pass from Maxey near the hash to Edgecombe on the weak-side block. They did not convert, but they came close enough to project that they will finish plenty of them.
Even without McCain, who quickly worked his way to the top of the rotation last season and who will be there again soon, the Sixers looked a lot like the kind of team people always wished they would be instead of steadily growing older, slower, and more difficult to watch.
For the first time in a long time, the Sixers have the makings of a team that is, at the very least, a fun team to root for. It remains to be seen how well it will translate into wins. It will translate into more than people think if Embiid can consistently be the guy he was in his preseason debut. Healthy. Light on his feet. Knocking down elbow jumpers and charging to the rim. Whatever they get from George will be a bonus.
And, who knows, maybe that will be enough in a wide-open Eastern Conference where two top contenders are taking gap years. Injuries to the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum and the Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton have created a power vacuum. You can’t completely discount the Sixers’ chances of filling it.
Sixers guard VJ Edgecombe brings the ball upcourt alongside Tyrese Maxey during Friday’s preseason game against the Timberwolves.
For now, the reason to watch this team is for an early look at what the future will look like. Edgecombe has a chance to become the Sixers’ most electric star since Allen Iverson. Maxey is Maxey, and McCain is almost as fun to watch. It is a fascinating dynamic, one that complicates the more cynical narratives about the Sixers’ trajectory over the last five years.
The safe play is to not expect much out of the Sixers. But you can expect them to be fun.
We’ve all been there. The game is finished, now it’s time for you to run your own play: Escape the Linc. So what’s the fastest way out of the sports complex? Naturally we decided to settle this age-old debate with a race.
On Sunday, Oct. 5, Inquirer staffers braved the post-Eagles game crowds to test five ways to beat the rush. They began on foot at Xfinity Gate and their destination was a neutral location far enough to test postgame traffic across the city – Dalessandro’s in Roxborough, where they would be rewarded with a bracket-winning cheesesteak.
story continues after advertisement
Meet our racers and their modes of transportation:
ARIEL SIMPSON
Ariel grabbed a rideshare.
HENRY SAVAGE
Henry parked in Lot Q.
JASEN LO
Jasen hopped on his bike.
JULIE ZEGLEN
Julie parked in FDR Park.
JOHN DUCHNESKIE
John rode SEPTA.
Loading…
TIME ELAPSED
ARIEL
HENRY
JASEN
JOHN
JULIE
ARIEL
HENRY
JASEN
JOHN
JULIE
Five minutes after the conclusion of the Eagles’ 21-17 loss to the Denver Broncos, fans rush out of Lincoln Financial Field and it’s time to Escape the Linc. The race is on and our competitors head their separate ways.
JASEN
Bicycle
I strategically locked my bike to a street sign just a few feet away from the starting point. I’m motivated by my stinging defeat two years ago in the Race to the Shore, when I finished last despite a two-hour head start. I’m feeling good about my chances today though.
ARIEL
Rideshare
Weaving my way through fans, I order an Uber at the corner of the rideshare lot and quickly receive a call from my Uber driver. “I’m across the street, can you just meet me here?” the driver asks.
Of course, I agree. First place is starting to feel more achievable. Skipping the rideshare lot entirely, I am in his car four minutes later. I have never been this lucky getting an Uber after a game.
JOHN
SEPTA
I scurry to NRG Station, along with some of the 15,000 to 17,000 fans who use the Broad Street Line to get home after Eagles games. I make it to the station in 10 minutes. The intercom is announcing that one of the 10 Sports Express trains is now boarding. The express train is packed. There’s a single standing-room spot by one of the train doors, and I snag it. The doors close, and a sweaty mass of disappointed Eagles fans is off.
HENRY
Car from Q Lot
I parked in Lot Q specifically due to its distance from the major traffic chaos, and if you can beat the rush, you can get out of the direct stadium traffic. But I’m taking a car on I-95, so getting out of stadium traffic is only the beginning.
story continues after advertisement
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
I’m a pretty fast walker, but it takes me 17 minutes to get back to FDR Park, where I’d paid $50 to park. Henry has probably already left Lot Q! Though I’m not-so-secretly rooting for John and public transportation to win it all, I’d like to beat the other driver, for the sake of my pride.
Also, something I hope other competitors aren’t contending with: angry drivers, like the guy behind me who appears to be screaming as he pounds on his steering wheel. But let’s be real, they probably are. That game sucked.
ARIEL
Rideshare
It’s never gone this smoothly leaving an event at the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. Because of the speed and location of my Uber pickup, at the end of the normal pickup area, I am able to avoid most of the Eagles traffic. We made it onto I-95 less than 15 minutes after the race started and now we’re quickly making our way north toward the Vine Street Expressway.
It’s been 20 minutes since our racers set off from Xfinity Gate and the contestants are spread across the city. Jasen is out ahead, but Ariel is close behind. John is already at City Hall and about to transfer to Regional Rail. But our drivers, Julie and Henry, are still making their way toward I-76 and I-95, respectively.
JOHN
SEPTA
Feeling good about my chances, I stroll into Jefferson Station, look up at the board for the train schedules, and see that the 5:10 p.m. Regional Rail train on the Manayunk-Norristown Line is canceled. My heart sinks. It’s all over. I’ll be the biggest loser.
The Route 32 bus could be my lifeline, but it’s scheduled to leave City Hall in two minutes. I rush outside onto Market Street, and then, to my surprise, I’m doing something I’ve tried to avoid my entire life. I’m running.
JASEN
Bicycle
I bypass the Schuylkill River Trail in favor of MLK Drive, which is closed to motorized traffic on the weekends during the warm-weather months. Instead of having to pass pedestrians and slower cyclists on the trail, I can safely speed as fast as I can in pursuit of cheesesteak victory. My plan is only made possible thanks to the timely opening of the MLK Bridge, which reopened to the public in September, after three years of refurbishment.
ARIEL
Rideshare
We hit some traffic as we get onto I-76, and I take in the scenes of the Philadelphia Art Museum as we slow to a crawl on the Schuylkill Expressway. The slowdown hardly matters though, and we are already approaching Manayunk.
JOHN
SEPTA
Why does it seem that the only time a SEPTA bus is on time is when you need it to be late?
I miss the 4:56 p.m. bus leaving City Hall, and my options are dwindling. My best bet is to stay where I am and wait for the next Route 32 bus to roll around in about a half hour. That would get me to Dalessandro’s after 6 p.m., when I presume my fellow contestants will be polishing off their cheesesteaks.
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
It takes about 15 minutes to get from Pattison Avenue to Penrose Avenue to 26th Street. From there, my co-pilot, Ben, and I make our way to I-76 fairly easily, albeit slowly. This is not fun! There’s definitely residual game traffic, even farther out. But at least we’re moving.
HENRY
Car from Q Lot
The ride – or wait – along Oregon Avenue takes nearly 20 solid minutes of standstill traffic. Drivers are constantly speeding past lines of cars only to try and nudge their way back into the lane farther down the road. It takes seven minutes just to traverse the exit from Front Street onto I-95.
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
We pass the University City exit and I briefly fantasize about ditching the competition and heading home to West Philly. The will to beat Henry wins out. I really should have eaten before embarking on this trek. I start to feel carsick.
Meanwhile, SEPTA is causing its own chaos for John. And farther north, Ariel and Jasen are leading the pack.
ARIEL
Rideshare
I arrive at Dalessandro’s in just 48 minutes. The ride cost $73.47, before tip. Despite an Eagles loss, the cheesesteak sure did taste sweet after the win.
JASEN
Bicycle
I can’t help but think that the race planners chose Dalessandro’s just because it sits on a steep hill range, the same one that cycling legends have climbed in the storied Philadelphia International Cycling Classic. I’m only less than a mile away, but climbing up Ridge Avenue is tough going given the roughly 250 feet of elevation gain.
JASEN
Bicycle
Coming down Walnut Lane, I wait to cross Henry Avenue at a stoplight — for what feels like an eternity, thanks to the ridiculous configuration of this four-lane highway. As soon as the light turns green, I zip across and catch my first glimpse of our photographer. Mistakenly thinking my legs had won the day, I hoot and holler — only to spot Ariel taking a video of me. Private equity takes the crown today. I’ll settle for second. My ride took 56 minutes.
JOHN
SEPTA
At 5:32 p.m. — and right on time, despite my low expectations — my chariot arrives.
story continues after advertisement
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
Henry and I are neck-and-neck, according to the Slack chat where we’re sharing updates, and Dalessandro’s is in view. Ben and I hit a red light at the intersection of Walnut Lane and Henry Avenue and have a quick decision to make: turn left onto Henry, or stay straight for another block. I’m seized by a sudden, urgent, competitive rush. I will roll out of this car to get third place! The light changes. Ben follows Google Maps and says it’ll be easier to find parking on Wendover Street. He’s right, but we waste precious seconds making two (!) left turns.
JULIE
Car from FDR Park
We park halfway down the block. I throw open the car door and sprint up Wendover. I round the corner and see Jasen, Ariel — and no Henry. Victory is mine! That’s bronze, baby.
HENRY
Car from Q Lot
It’s the final leg and the final boss of this race in a car — finding a parking spot near one of the top cheesesteak tourist traps. I pass the restaurant and am lucky to find a spot across the street. Little did I know that right as I passed the restaurant, Julie was making her final sprint up Wendover Street.
Henry arrives at Dalessandro’s 1 hour and 14 minutes after leaving the Linc.
While the other racers celebrate with cheesesteaks (in Henry’s case, a vegan cheesesteak he picked up from Triangle Tavern), John steadily brings up the rear on the bus.
JOHN
SEPTA
Finally. After a smooth and uneventful 36-minute ride, I hop off the bus, steps away from Dalessandro’s. My fellow contestants have been waiting for me, with a curious mix of relief and pity. I realize that if I had gone straight to the bus stop after getting off the subway, I would have come in third — behind Ariel with her expensive Uber trip and Jasen on his bicycle, but ahead of Julie and Henry with their cars.
In a shocking upset, at least in the mind of trending sports reporter ARIEL SIMPSON, the rideshare won. She was in her rideshare within 10 minutes of the start of the race. She finished in first place, making it to Dalessandro’s in just 48 minutes. All for the low price of $73.47, before tip … one way.
Riding his bike, JASEN LO was close behind, finishing in 56 minutes. If you’re able to bike to the game, you’ll avoid pedestrian and vehicle traffic. Although some hills in Philly can prove to be a serious workout.
JULIE ZEGLEN and HENRY SAVAGE both drove and paid $50 to park. Julie walked about a mile to her car and had to deal with less stop-and-go traffic than Henry. Henry was parked closer to the stadium, but spent half of his trip crawling through traffic. The difference was marginal, though. Julie’s trip took 1 hour and 12 minutes and Henry’s trip took 1 hour and 14 minutes.
John Duchneskie regales his competition with tales from his journey on SEPTA.Bastiaan Slabbers
After a strong start on the Broad Street Express, a canceled train stalled JOHN DUCHNESKIE and he had to wait 30 minutes for the next bus to take him north to Manayunk. His trip took 1 hour and 43 minutes.
After this completely scientific test, how should you Escape the Linc? You’re going to need some combination of luck, money, or physical exertion. For everyone else, there are traffic jams and the seemingly endless wait for the Route 32 bus.
Staff Contributors
Design and Development: Aileen Clarke
Reporting: Ariel Simpson, Henry Savage, Jasen Lo, John Duchneskie, Julie Zeglen
Editing: Sam Morris, Aileen Clarke, and Matt Mullin
Photography: Bastiaan Slabbers
Photo Editing: David Maialetti
Copy Editing: Jim Swan
Subscribe to The Philadelphia Inquirer
Our reporting is directly supported by reader subscriptions. If you want more journalism like this story, please subscribe today
“;if(e)return Promise.resolve(i);if(t){t(null,i);return}return i}if(e)return Promise.reject(n);if(t){t(n);return}throw n}}function yn(r,e){return(t,n,i)=>{typeof n==”function”&&(i=n,n=null);let s={…n};n={…m.defaults,…s};let o=pi(n.silent,n.async,i);if(typeof t>”u”||t===null)return o(new Error(“marked(): input parameter is undefined or null”));if(typeof t!=”string”)return o(new Error(“marked(): input parameter is of type “+Object.prototype.toString.call(t)+”, string expected”));if(ui(n),n.hooks&&(n.hooks.options=n),i){let a=n.highlight,l;try{n.hooks&&(t=n.hooks.preprocess(t)),l=r(t,n)}catch(c){return o(c)}let u=function(c){let f;if(!c)try{n.walkTokens&&m.walkTokens(l,n.walkTokens),f=e(l,n),n.hooks&&(f=n.hooks.postprocess(f))}catch(p){c=p}return n.highlight=a,c?o(c):i(null,f)};if(!a||a.length{a(c.text,c.lang,function(f,p){if(f)return u(f);p!=null&&p!==c.text&&(c.text=p,c.escaped=!0),h–,h===0&&u()})},0))}),h===0&&u();return}if(n.async)return Promise.resolve(n.hooks?n.hooks.preprocess(t):t).then(a=>r(a,n)).then(a=>n.walkTokens?Promise.all(m.walkTokens(a,n.walkTokens)).then(()=>a):a).then(a=>e(a,n)).then(a=>n.hooks?n.hooks.postprocess(a):a).catch(o);try{n.hooks&&(t=n.hooks.preprocess(t));let a=r(t,n);n.walkTokens&&m.walkTokens(a,n.walkTokens);let l=e(a,n);return n.hooks&&(l=n.hooks.postprocess(l)),l}catch(a){return o(a)}}}function m(r,e,t){return yn(Z.lex,N.parse)(r,e,t)}m.options=m.setOptions=function(r){return m.defaults={…m.defaults,…r},Vr(m.defaults),m};m.getDefaults=gn;m.defaults=ee;m.use=function(…r){let e=m.defaults.extensions||{renderers:{},childTokens:{}};r.forEach(t=>{let n={…t};if(n.async=m.defaults.async||n.async||!1,t.extensions&&(t.extensions.forEach(i=>{if(!i.name)throw new Error(“extension name required”);if(i.renderer){let s=e.renderers[i.name];s?e.renderers[i.name]=function(…o){let a=i.renderer.apply(this,o);return a===!1&&(a=s.apply(this,o)),a}:e.renderers[i.name]=i.renderer}if(i.tokenizer){if(!i.level||i.level!==”block”&&i.level!==”inline”)throw new Error(“extension level must be ‘block’ or ‘inline’”);e[i.level]?e[i.level].unshift(i.tokenizer):e[i.level]=[i.tokenizer],i.start&&(i.level===”block”?e.startBlock?e.startBlock.push(i.start):e.startBlock=[i.start]:i.level===”inline”&&(e.startInline?e.startInline.push(i.start):e.startInline=[i.start]))}i.childTokens&&(e.childTokens[i.name]=i.childTokens)}),n.extensions=e),t.renderer){let i=m.defaults.renderer||new ye;for(let s in t.renderer){let o=i[s];i[s]=(…a)=>{let l=t.renderer[s].apply(i,a);return l===!1&&(l=o.apply(i,a)),l}}n.renderer=i}if(t.tokenizer){let i=m.defaults.tokenizer||new ve;for(let s in t.tokenizer){let o=i[s];i[s]=(…a)=>{let l=t.tokenizer[s].apply(i,a);return l===!1&&(l=o.apply(i,a)),l}}n.tokenizer=i}if(t.hooks){let i=m.defaults.hooks||new le;for(let s in t.hooks){let o=i[s];le.passThroughHooks.has(s)?i[s]=a=>{if(m.defaults.async)return Promise.resolve(t.hooks[s].call(i,a)).then(u=>o.call(i,u));let l=t.hooks[s].call(i,a);return o.call(i,l)}:i[s]=(…a)=>{let l=t.hooks[s].apply(i,a);return l===!1&&(l=o.apply(i,a)),l}}n.hooks=i}if(t.walkTokens){let i=m.defaults.walkTokens;n.walkTokens=function(s){let o=[];return o.push(t.walkTokens.call(this,s)),i&&(o=o.concat(i.call(this,s))),o}}m.setOptions(n)})};m.walkTokens=function(r,e){let t=[];for(let n of r)switch(t=t.concat(e.call(m,n)),n.type){case”table”:{for(let i of n.header)t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(i.tokens,e));for(let i of n.rows)for(let s of i)t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(s.tokens,e));break}case”list”:{t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(n.items,e));break}default:m.defaults.extensions&&m.defaults.extensions.childTokens&&m.defaults.extensions.childTokens[n.type]?m.defaults.extensions.childTokens[n.type].forEach(function(i){t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(n[i],e))}):n.tokens&&(t=t.concat(m.walkTokens(n.tokens,e)))}return t};m.parseInline=yn(Z.lexInline,N.parseInline);m.Parser=N;m.parser=N.parse;m.Renderer=ye;m.TextRenderer=Pe;m.Lexer=Z;m.lexer=Z.lex;m.Tokenizer=ve;m.Slugger=Re;m.Hooks=le;m.parse=m;var vs=m.options,ys=m.setOptions,ws=m.use,xs=m.walkTokens,bs=m.parseInline;var ks=N.parse,Ss=Z.lex;var wn=1,Xe=class{constructor(e){this.el=e,this.contentPosition=”default”,this.possibleSteps=new Array,this.currentStep=null,this.offset=window.innerHeight*.9,this.focus={},this.zoom={},this.instanceOfSteps=wn,wn++,this.setPossibleSteps(),this.updateContent(),this.bindings()}setPossibleSteps(){this.el.querySelectorAll(“.js-steps-step”).forEach(e=>{e.dataset.step&&(this.possibleSteps.push(e.dataset.step),this.focus[“is-“+e.dataset.step]=e.dataset.focus.split(“,”).map(t=>t.trim()),this.zoom[“is-“+e.dataset.step]=e.dataset.zoom)})}bindings(){window.addEventListener(“scroll”,()=>{this.updateContent()}),window.addEventListener(“resize”,()=>{this.updateContent()})}updateContent(){this.updateCurrentStep(),this.findExactTime()}updateCurrentStep(){let e;if(this.el.querySelectorAll(“.js-steps-step”).forEach((n,i)=>{n.getBoundingClientRect().top{let o=”is-“+i,a=”is-“+s;this.possibleSteps.indexOf(i)s.dataset.step==this.currentStep.replace(“is-“,””)),n=e[t],i=e[t+1];if(i){let s=n.getBoundingClientRect().top,o=i.getBoundingClientRect().top,a=o-s,u=1-(o-this.offset)/a,h=parseInt(n.dataset.time),f=parseInt(i.dataset.time)-h,p=Math.round(f*u),b=h+p;Q.updateTime(b)}else{let s=parseInt(n.dataset.time);Q.updateTime(s)}}else{let e=this.el.querySelector(“.js-steps-step”),t=parseInt(e.dataset.time);Q.updateTime(t)}}},xn={init:()=>{document.querySelectorAll(“.js-steps”).forEach(r=>{new Xe(r)})}};var gi=(r,e,t)=>{document.querySelectorAll(“.js-subscribe”).forEach(n=>{n.classList.toggle(“is-unsubscribed”,!r),n.classList.toggle(“is-preview”,e),n.classList.toggle(“is-dev”,t)})},bn={init:()=>{gi(ke(),Se(),ue())}};var di=()=>{},kn={init:()=>{di()}};var Sn={init:()=>{ct.init?.(),ie.init?.(),yt.init?.(),bt.init?.(),Tt.init?.(),Q.init?.(),xn.init?.(),bn.init?.(),kn.init?.(),X.init?.()}};var mi=()=>{},Tn={init:()=>{mi()}};var vi=document.querySelector(“.js-inno”),zn=()=>{Sn.init(),Tn.init()};vi?zn():new MutationObserver((e,t)=>{if(document.querySelector(“.js-inno”)){t.disconnect(),zn();return}}).observe(document,{attributes:!0,childList:!0,subtree:!0});})();
The spirits of the pets come first, treading home on soft, shadowy paws, making their way by the light of altar candles and guided by the eternal tie of love.
They are welcomed with offerings of favorite treats and fresh water, and by the careful placement of old toys and worn collars that have become cherished mementos.
It’s a new tradition connected to the Day of the Dead, the ancient Mexican holiday where people honor and celebrate the lives of family members at a time when the wall between worlds melts.
Now, in Philadelphia and elsewhere, people have begun to recognize not just human relatives but those with wings and whiskers, the departed dogs, cats, birds, and other animals that enriched their lives. And who, like family, continue to be mourned and missed.
The souls of pets are said to return on Oct. 27, a few days before the Dia de Muertos on Nov. 1 and 2.
“The day,” said Gerardo Coronado Benitez, manager of the Association of Mexican Business Owners of Philadelphia, “is not about death, but about celebrating and remembering people, keeping memories alive. Of course many people want to keep alive the memories of their pets.”
He is helping organize a big Day of the Dead event at the Italian Market on Nov. 2, where people will be able to place photos of relatives and pets on a community ofrenda ― a decorated altar ― at Ninth Street and Washington Avenue.
A crowd gathers at last year’s Day of the Dead celebration at the Italian Market in South Philadelphia.
Others have set up altars in their homes. These ofrendas may be adorned with traditional marigolds, with candy skulls, paper skeletons, and photographs. But they may also feature a snatch of fur or a whisker left behind.
Genesis Pimentel-Howard created an ofrenda for her cat, Mobi, on a bedroom shelf of the West Philadelphia home she shares with her husband, Yaphet Howard.
It’s hard for her to talk about Mobi, who died suddenly in May at only 4 years old.
He was, she said, an adorable menace. Mobi loved to poke at and play with the couple’s other cat, Sannin, though Sannin didn’t always appreciate the attention.
Mobi sometimes stole food from the trash. And he managed to push over and break Pimentel-Howard’s flat-screen TV. Still, she said, he followed her everywhere. She couldn’t even use the bathroom without him trailing her inside.
“A sweet momma’s boy,” she said. “Always next to me.”
On the ofrenda, Pimentel-Howard placed her grandmother’s pearls. And photos of her family dogs, Ella and Red, and her hamster, Shia LaBeouf. She added a shadow box that holds Mobi’s collar and an impression of his paw.
“I’ll stay up as late as Ican to welcome him,” she said. “I like to think he’ll be around.”
Genesis Pimentel-Howard lights a candle for her late cat, Mobi, beside a lovingly crafted ofrenda in her Philadelphia home on Monday. The altar glows with candlelight, welcoming the spirits of her beloved departed pets. The ritual is part of a growing tradition tied to Día de los Muertos.
The roots of the Day of the Dead go back 3,000 years, to Aztec and Mayan traditions. It is celebrated not only in Mexico but also in wider Latin America and in communities across the United States.
Dogs have always played an important role. The ancients considered them sacred, guides that led souls through the afterlife. They revered the Mexican Hairless dog, the Xoloitzcuintle, or Xolo for short.
It’s a Xolo dog, Dante, that guides Miguel to meet his ancestors in Coco, the popular animated Disney movie. And it’s a song from the movie, “Remember Me,” that has become the soundtrack for countless social media posts about departed pets.
In Philadelphia, the Italian Market festival welcomes all who wish to take part in its Day of the Dead event to South Ninth Street between Federal and Christian Streets from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Nov. 2
The Fleisher Art Memorial in South Philadelphia also will hold a big Day of the Dead celebration. Everyone is invited to help with final preparations for the ofrenda from 2 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 31, and to come to the Day of the Dead event the next day.
“The animals, that’s family, too,” said María De Los Angeles Hernández Del Prado, the artist who led the creation of the Fleisher’s large, three-part ofrenda, which includes a section devoted to pets. “They’re the same as us, they just don’t talk the same language.”
Pimentel-Howard knew after Mobi died that she would find a way to honor him, along with the other animals she has loved.
“You don’t know what it’s like to lose an animal,” she said, “until you’ve lost one.”
After the Eagles won Super Bowl LIX, Jeffrey Lurie told some NFL folks close to him that his greatest concern for the upcoming season had little to do with the talent level that would return, even with personnel losses looming. He didn’t worry about the salary cap, though it presented gnarly challenges, nor did he worry about the draft, though their title meant they were scheduled to pick last in every round.
He worried about a void in leadership. He worried about life after defensive end Brandon Graham.
He’s coming back because the Birds don’t have enough good defensive ends and edge rushers. Nolan Smith and Ogbo Okoronkwo are hurt, Za’Darius Smith retired, and rookie Jihaad Campbell isn’t ready. Only four teams have fewer than the Eagles’ 11 sacks — only 3½ have come from edge rushers — and they rank 22nd against the run.
Worse, though, the defense often plays without focus, discipline, and physicality. That’s where leadership comes in. That’s where Brandon Graham comes in.
“I think they got everything they need,” he said during his comeback announcement on his podcast.
He knows that’s not true. He knows the Birds lack playmakers and professionalism. He hopes to deliver both.
Will he be enough?
Through seven games this season, no one has stepped into the roles vacated by Graham, the hero of the franchise’s first Super Bowl win, and cornerback Darius Slay.
Slay, a bubbly personality and a master of his craft, spent the last five of his 12 full seasons in Philadelphia, starring and mentoring and bringing in banana pudding before the Eagles cut him in the offseason for salary-cap purposes. He’s in Pittsburgh now.
Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham was playing some good football last season before his injury.
Graham played more games than any other player over his 15 years in Philadelphia. He endured injuries; he endured comparisons to Earl Thomas and Jason Pierre-Paul, a star safety and a star defensive end drafted immediately after him in 2010; he endured lining up too far from the quarterback in Jim Washburn’s “wide-9” configuration, then endured lining up too far from the line of scrimmage in Bill Davis’ 3-4 scheme.
He hated most of it, but he did it all at 100%, and did it all with a smile, and he went all-out every practice and every game and every play. Moreover, he encouraged his teammates to buy in, too. He dragged them through the mud.
Why? Because he knew that anything less would lead to losing, and even when the team lost, BG was a winner.
— broad street sufferer (EXTEND SCHWARBER) (@bstreetsufferer) August 2, 2024
Graham was a playmaker who loved to play, loved the game, and loved Philly. That guy does not exist today in the Eagles locker room. That guy will exist tomorrow in the Eagles locker room, in his cubicle stuffed with shoes and bobbleheads and an outrageous number of colognes.
For the next 12 weeks and beyond, he will fill the void he left.
It’s not like they completely lack leaders.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts has a steady hand and a matchless work ethic, but he has deficiencies in his game and he will forever be a chilly teammate; it is his nature. Jordan Mailata, who took over Graham’s weekly radio show, is every bit the person and player Graham is, but he’s an offensive lineman. So is Lane Johnson, a strong, silent type, Mailata’s bookend at tackle and his polar opposite in personality.
The issue, of course, is that all three of those high-character, high-output players play offense.
Where are the defensive leaders?
Leadership was supposed to start coming from third-year defensive tackle Jalen Carter, but between a shoulder injury, a heel injury, poor conditioning, and an ejection for yet another foolish act, Carter clearly is not ready for the responsibility. He spat on Dak Prescott on national TV before the first snap of the first game, which earned him the expulsion and lost him the trust of his coaches. He then committed a penalty in each of the next four games and leads defensive linemen with five penalties.
How about fourth-year DT Jordan Davis? Well, it’s tough to present leadership when it takes you three years to lose the weight you should have lost in the first year, and it’s tough to carry clout in the locker room when you’ve forced one fumble and managed just 5½ sacks in your first 3½ seasons.
Both of those players have the capacity to be leaders. They just aren’t there yet.
Who is? Reed Blankenship, an undrafted, undecorated safety on the last year of his deal? Nakobe Dean, who’s missed half the Eagles’ last 44 games at linebacker because of injury? Zack Baun, who’s been a full-time starter for just 1½ of his six seasons?
No.
Not yet, anyway.
Maybe Graham’s return will speed their development.
The Eagles hope some of Brandon Graham’s leadership and professionalism will rub off on star DT Jalen Carter.
The Delco-set crime thriller Task came to a gut-wrenching end on Sunday, tying up loose plot lines, killing off the bad guys, catching the mole, and granting the most aggrieved characters happy endings.
The finale was also a real tearjerker, thanks to a profound and powerful performance by Mark Ruffalo.
The veteran actor, who recently joked about being in his “sad dad” era, is the central patriarch in a show that — underneath all the gunfighting and backstabbing — provides a brooding, layered examination of fatherhood in various forms.
Tom (Mark Ruffalo), Emily (Silvia Dionicio), and Sara (Phoebe Fox) in “Task.”
After months of wallowing in a Phillies souvenir cup full of vodka, Ruffalo’s Tom Brandis promises to be a better father to his adopted teen daughter Emily (Silvia Dionicio). To prove it, Tom steps up to deliver the long-debated family statement at his adopted son Ethan’s (Andrew Russel) court hearing, where he was being tried for accidentally killing his mother during a schizophrenic episode.
All season, Tom struggles to face Ethan. But he, finally, stops running away and tells the judge about the difficulties and joys of Ethan’s childhood before asking his son to look him in the eye.
“Ethan, I don’t want you to live with the shame anymore,” says Tom. “I forgive you. I love you. I’m not here today to tell the court when my son should be released. That’s not up to me. I’m here today to let you know, Ethan, that when that day comes, I’ll be ready. Come straight home. I’ll be there waiting for you.”
Meanwhile, Tom has acted like a father figure to another boy — Sam (Ben Doherty), the gentle boy who was kidnapped by Robbie (Tom Pelphrey). Tom, a registered foster parent, decides to bring Sam, an orphan, home from a shelter. They develop a close bond; though Tom insists that it’s a temporary situation, there’s a possibility Sam could stay with the Brandis family long-term.
Tom (Mark Ruffalo) and Sam (Ben Doherty) in ‘Task.’
When a family is found for Sam, though, Tom confronts the painful question of whether the boy should go. His priest friend Daniel (Isaach de Bankolé) suggests that Tom might not be in a good place to raise a young kid, especially once Ethan returns home.
“Have you done that good thing for the boy, or for yourself?” asks Daniel. He tells Tom to be “unselfish” with his love and “recognize that what’s best for you may not be what’s best for the boy.”
Ultimately, Tom makes the heartbreaking decision to let Sam go. It’s a plot choice that creator Brad Ingelsby fought to keep, though he anticipates it might upset some viewers.
“I’m a little nervous about the ending, because I feel like people probably want Sam to stay with Tom. But I also felt like the story was about Tom and Ethan, and that has to be what Tom is ready for at the end,” said Ingelsby, also the creator of Mare of Easttown. “We had to fight HBO on that.”
Executives at the network thought it would be better to end the finale after the courtroom scene, but Ingelsby believed that would be a “betrayal of Tom as a character.”
Brad Ingelsby in his office in Berwyn.
“I really wanted [Tom’s answer] to be, ‘No, I’m getting ready for my son. I’m not replacing him with this boy, who’s this cute little kid that everyone loves.’ Nope. We have to do something better than that,” said Ingelsby. “I’m sure we’ll catch some slack, like, ‘Why didn’t he just keep the boy?’ Which I know people will want — but I just couldn’t.”
Parenting requires sacrifice, and the fathers in Task exemplify that. Tom gives up Sam so he can dedicate himself to his biological daughter, Sara (Phoebe Fox), Emily and, eventually, Ethan. Robbie sacrifices himself to ensure that his niece Maeve (Emilia Jones) and his kids could live comfortably after his death. Within the biker gang, Perry (Jamie McShane), can’t bring himself to kill Jayson (Sam Keeley), whom he considers a son, despite receiving multiple commands to do so. Even after Jayson stabs him, Perry, with his dying breath, warns him of an impending betrayal.
It may be a bittersweet ending, but that’s just as Ingelsby intended.
Loading…
