Charlie’s secret is out on The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 6, and, as expected, Emma didn’t react well to the truth. 

It seems she forgot that just days ago, the tables were turned and Charlie was being ambushed with the hard truth that she’s part of the CIA. She was so nervous about his response, and while it was a huge shock, he was supportive. A little grace when someone is divulging something so personal would be nice.  Admittedly, finding out that your boyfriend is a criminal—and working with the syndicate you are trying to take down, no less—isn’t ideal, but Charlie deserved a better response/reaction, or, at the very least, some grace. She didn’t even acknowledge that Charlie basically incriminated himself to help and protect her because he loves her. She may have been hurt and blindsided, but the truth is that she also used this moment to run away from the messiness of her feelings. 

Then again, Emma’s black-and-white vision tracks with her personality type, giving the character plenty of room to grow, even within the episode. 

Emma never allowed any gray area to exist but in reality, that’s not how life is, and her approach will be challenged at every turn. Charlie didn’t want to continue with this lifestyle, especially not after he met Emma, but Daphne gave him and his family no other choice. And soon after, Emma learned rather quickly what it’s like to be under Daphne’s thumb when she threatened to blackmail Emma’s family. 

As of now, Emma is pretending that all the love is gone between them, but we know that’s not true. And now, the duo be working together after her father suggested she look for an alternative solution to her little Daphne problem. Emma thought that she either couldn’t do her job or had to sell out her family, but the answer was right there in front of her this whole time. Some might even say it was fate that brought Charlie and Emma together because they could help each other out. 

Instead of going their separate ways, Emma and Charlie will be more intertwined than ever.

By the end of the episode, Emma was forced to get over the betrayal, asking him to work for her as an asset in hopes of bringing down Daphne. In exchange, she’d offer him and his family immunity. And in turn, Charlie would help protect Emma’s family from being dragged by the press for her father’s affair with Claire Fox. Side note—that’s how her dad knows that Claire Fox is bad news. It makes sense as to why he doesn’t want his son to get in bed with her, er, accept her support as he knows that it comes at a very high cost. 

Charlie seemingly agreed to the deal, talking himself up to Daphne and telling her he can do so much more for her, but it’s a risky game as Daphne is perceptive. Will she catch onto what’s happening? Or will she be blinded by Charlie’s conman ways? It definitely seems like she has the hots for him—I don’t blame her!—and a teaser for the upcoming episode reveals that Charlie is caught up in between both of these women. Emma says her feelings for him are gone, but when she sees him getting cozy with Daphne, she definitely gets a little jealous. 

This Charlie and Emma shakeup is exciting because it adds a level of chaos and uncertainty to their relationship. Feelings don’t just go away despite betrayal, but now that they have to work together, it will only make it harder for them, especially as Emma gets a front-row seat to Charlie’s criminal ways. How will that alter her image of him? And will she start realizing that the line between black and white is very blurred?

And seeing Daphne and Charlie get closer ups the risk factor while creating a unique love triangle. 

Through a very meticulously orchestrated art robbery, audiences—and Charlie—learned that Daphne set her sights on guns being provided by a Russian oligarch. The pieces of the puzzle are slowly falling into place, but essentially, Daphne wants the keys to the throne… and to outshine her brother, Connor. With Charlie by her side, it’s possible that she can make it happen, though we all know it’s dangerous to mix business and pleasure. What happens when she lets her guard down?

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP – “The Real Thing” – Birdie reaches out to an old flame to help the family steal a painting; meanwhile, Emma grapples with Charlie’s admission and must deal with conflicts of interest at work at the CIA. SUNDAY, APRIL 2 (10:00-11:00 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Raymond Liu)
MILO VENTIMIGLIA, SARAH WAYNE CALLIES, GEOFF STULTS

While much of what went down between Charlie and Emma was to be expected, the most meaningful part of the episode was the heart-to-heart talk between Birdie and her daughter Ollie. Ollie wants to be treated like an adult, not like a “dumb” child who has no idea what’s going on. She’s aware of the family business, though I appreciate that Birdie wants to keep her out of it and protect her innocence. And once Ollie did get confirmation about Birdie’s “gig,” she didn’t think any less of her mother, explaining that she always was and will be her hero. It was beyond sweet. She even trusted her mother enough not to press about meeting her father. When Birdie said she’d think about it, Ollie respected her mother’s decision. 

Birdie wants to believe that Simon has changed, but it’s very scary when you’ve been burned by someone so many times before. They have a great dynamic, but as the family pointed out, he’s her blind spot, and it ended very poorly the last time. Then again, it does seem as though Simon has done the work to curb his addiction and become the person that’s worthy of being in Birdie and Ollie’s life—he’s even learning sign language which seems to be a sign of good faith.  While everyone deserves a second chance, they should always proceed with caution. His comment about Birdie asking her father why he left so abruptly as it was unlike him has the means of creating plenty of family drama, drama that they don’t need right now as they work under the CIA. 

What did you think about the episode?

The Company You Keep is proving to be a delightful new addition to Sunday nights, hooking in audiences with a heaping dose of chemistry and cons. 

The chemistry between Emma and Charlie has been palpable since day one, but the cons are the glue that holds it all together, providing an intense and thrilling hour of television. 

The how, the why, and the will they pull it off grips viewers, as does the fact that both Emma and Charlie are running their personal cons by keeping secrets from their loved ones—and each other—and living secret lives. 

It has to be exhausting to keep walking on eggshells the way Charlie does all the time, around everyone. He may know the right thing to say to get out of every precarious situation, but I’m not surprised that he’s realized he can’t go on living like this. 

If he wants a real shot at Emma, who he has genuine feelings for, he cannot keep playing this game. 

Of course, that’s underscored by the fact that working a con isn’t as fun when it’s to repay a debt to someone else. Daphne is lingering and putting everything at risk, forcing Charlie to take some big shots and promise to deliver a one lump sum payment of $10 million to get her off the family’s back. 

It’s a tall order—and a decision he made rogue without the family’s approval—but they fall in line eventually, even coming up with a winning plan to guarantee they walk away victorious and minimize danger. 

While I usually don’t care much for the mechanics behind the con, I’ll admit that this one was smooth, even if Leo briefly broke cover, and enjoyable to see pan out. This family really knows what they are doing.

Leo’s declining health is another layer that adds to the already-tense situation, leaving fans on the edge of their seats. 

Thankfully, Charlie was able to save face and the plan went off without a hitch. But with anything of this caliber, there was some unexpected turbulence, which in this case was Connor and his men, who surrounded Charlie and stole all the yacht money that he was going to use to repay Daphne. Not ideal, but hey, he did get away with his life, so I’d call that a success. 

The saying “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” applies in this situation think Daphne and Charlie/fam are going to have to team up in order to nab Connor. Connor doesn’t trust Daphne, calling her the “boss’s bastard,” which means Daphne needs Charlie and his family. They were so close to shaking her, but now, they’ll be more deeply engrained in each other’s orbit. 

Of course, Daphne’s presence jeopardizes Charlie’s relationship with Emma, so it isn’t ideal.

There’s also the little fact that Emma is trying to identify Daphne’s new revenue stream, which puts a target right on Charlie and his family, and after witnessing the ambush, she thinks she got a lead when she saw the little tiff with Connor. 

The duo locked eyes for a moment as he was driving away, but I doubt he got made. It was nearly impossible for her to be able to make the connection. Not only does she have blinders on because of her feelings for him, but it was dark, he was far away, and he had a ski mask on. There’s just no way for it to be believable. And any weirdness she’s getting from his could be chalked up to being abducted with a black bag over his head. 

Charlie now has the upper hand because he knows everything about Emma’s case—including that he’s her target—while also having information that she works for the CIA. I’m kind of surprised the CIA would reveal that to someone while doing a background check because of a red flag. It seems like the kind of thing you’d like to keep quiet about, especially since she’s an undercover agent. 

So far, Charlie’s name isn’t on their radar, but I don’t expect that to ring true for long considering Emma and Charlie’s romance is heating up. She’s bound to see or hear something. And since the series revealed her secret to him so early on, it means they aren’t dragging it out as some kind of big reveal—there’s a larger plan in place to integrate what some other shows may have considered to be cliffhangers in order to keep the mystery afloat.

Either way, things are only getting more and more complex as Charlie and Emma’s feelings deepen, which also means there’s more potential for them to get hurt, heartbroken,

Emma’s father wasn’t convinced by Charlie’s “act,” and props to pops for seeing through the bullshit, even if Charlie wants to be the guy deserving of Emma’s love and trust. 

It’s also a pot meets kettle situation because politics is a dirty game, and if Emma’s dad knows Claire, who promised to help David’s campaign, then that means he’s done his fair share of questionable things as well. And now David needs to play Claire’s game if he wants the funding and support, otherwise, his political career will be over. Wouldn’t it be intriguing if Claire somehow connected back to Connor and Daphne?

Charlie and Daphne are both skilled and resourceful—their strengths are being underutilized. But what if they were to put them to use for the CIA? If you can’t beat them, join them, right?

What did you think of the episode? Do you think Charlie and Emma are in over their heads? Should Leo be pulled off of the cons? He’s definitely a liability at this point, especially when the stakes are so high. 

Share your thoughts in the comments, Cravers!