Review: Taskmaster, “Cows are made of milk” | Series 20, Episode 2
The Taskmaster’s surprise daughter comes out of her shell
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Taskmaster series 20 soldiers on, with contestants Ania Magliano, whose sense of smell is so well calibrated that she can identify scriggeldy scarecrows; Maisie Adam, whose disembodied mouth provides some highly disturbing imagery; Phil Ellis, who does not know how World War I ended; Reece Shearsmith, who clones himself; and Sanjeev Bhaskar, who continues to want a nap.
Taskmaster Series 20, Episode 2: “Cows are made of milk”
The best thing about this episode was Magliano getting more comfortable in the studio, resulting in some delightful banter between her and Taskmaster Greg Davies as well as her fellow contestants. Absurd tasks may be the brains of Taskmaster, but the studio banter is the heart. It’s no coincidence that my favorite seasons (4, 19) have some of the most natural interactions among contestants, with friendly zingers flying right and left. I’m hoping we’ll see continued camaraderie build among this season’s participants.
The Prize Task
This week’s prize task was to bring in the object that is hardest to describe. The objects were, on balance, a little disappointing, though Shearsmith’s road kill horror diorama was wonderfully weird and showed some real effort. Ellis’ submission, a copy of the Treaty of Versailles — which he couldn’t describe because he doesn’t know that it was the peace document signed at the end of WWI — could have been funnier if he’d sold it a little more strongly. Bhaskar is earning a reputation for grabbing something on his way out the door, which we know is a pet peeve of Davies, so we’ll see if that bites him in the ass. I do think that Bhaskar wants this a little more than he’s letting on.
