On this week’s episode of The Company You Keep, Emma learning the truth about Charlie’s life seems to doom their relationship. But when Daphne’s next job has connections to Emma’s investigation, their paths are forced to cross again and again. Will the duo reconnect? And what is Daphne’s true endgame? Read on to find out what happened in “The Real Thing”!
The Jig Is Up, The News Is Out
We open on the final scene from last week, with Emma angered by Charlie’s lies. Charlie tells her everything, including that Daphne has dirt on the Hill family. When Charlie can’t give her any more information about her larger plan, Emma coldly tells him that he’s of no use to her. When he protests that he’s put his family at risk even talking to her, Emma twists the knife even more by reassuring him that “the agency” doesn’t care about “small time criminals” as long as they’re not in the crosshairs when they take the Maguires down. She storms off as Daphne texts Charlie that they need to meet.
She has a new job for him: stealing a painting currently owned by Grigori Abramov that’s worth a few million. He’s not in the mood to negotiate with her and agrees to the job. Cutting their meeting short, he heads back to the bar and shares the truth about Emma with his family — including the bad news that they have to pull off this next job for Daphne and involve themselves further. Birdie questions whether Emma would really take them down, but Charlie believes that whatever love she may have felt for him is gone now.
Charlie and Birdie talk about the job, with Charlie suggesting that they bring in her ex (and Ollie’s father) Simon. They went to art school together, and this would be an easy in. She’s reluctant given their history. Leo is even more upset at the suggestion given how badly their relationship ended. Without meaning to, he slights Charlie when he says that he couldn’t possibly know how bad it got because he wasn’t there — he was in jail in Nicaragua. In the end, Birdie decides to go through with meeting Simon.
Blast From The Past
When they sit down, he’s apologetic about leaving her and Ollie and discusses how he’s been working on his addiction. He’s desperate to do anything she asks of him. In exchange, he just wants her to consider that he has changed and potentially let him into Ollie’s life. Conflicted, she heads home to find that Ollie is trying to sneak into the basement. Wanting to protect her daughter from what they do, she claims there’s nothing down there but mousetraps and old kegs.
But Ollie won’t stay out of their business for long. Simon gets Birdie an invitation to Abramov’s salon. The swanky party is the perfect cover for the family as Birdie gets a good look at all the artwork. She notices that there’s very little security for such a high profile event, which troubles her and delights Charlie. As the night goes on, Simon does his best to convince Birdie that he’s changed. When Charlie warns her not to believe it, she simply turns off her earpiece. Charlie decides to do things his way, heading up the stairwell. He quickly gets stuck on the roof and can’t move without being spotted.
Birdie soon realizes why the security is so lax when Simon points out that all the art on display is fake. Abramov owns the painting they’re after, but it’s not at this party. She puts the earpiece back in as Charlie asks for a distraction. They successfully get Abramov off the roof balcony as Charlie and Simon realize that the true painting is at a separate art gallery closed to the public that functions as a storage locker for wealthy art collectors.
The family goes back to the drawing board as they plan their heist of the gallery. Charlie stole Simon’s access card, but Birdie doesn’t want to get him in trouble. As if to prove a point about Charlie and Emma, she pointedly goes to meet with Simon. He tells her he knows Charlie took the key card as she gives it back to him. He tells her he wants to help her to make up for everything he’s done.
He smuggles the family into his locker in the gallery before the deal goes down, even helping Leo sneak in. They set a fire in the storage room since the whole building has to be evacuated — the security system turns off the oxygen in the building. Birdie and Charlie wear oxygen masks as they swap the real painting for the fake. They find the painting and an address. As the firefighters swoop in, the duo dresses like them to escape.
After the heist, Birdie asks Simon why he left so suddenly. Simon tells her to ask Leo. He turns and sees Ollie hiding behind a shelf in the basement. He cautiously signs his name in halting ASL before Ollie runs upstairs. Birdie goes after her while Charlie gives Simon an olive branch by saying he’s sure Birdie will see him again.
Ollie confronts her mother about why she’s kept her in the dark. She says that she could never be disappointed in her and that Birdie is her hero. Ollie asks if Simon is her father and if she can meet him, with Birdie replying that she honestly doesn’t know. Ollie accepts this and hugs her mother. Charlie goes to the address and opens a storage locker containing weapons — the real deal that Abramov was making with his buyer. It’s above his pay grade, and he walks away.
Fathers and Daughters
Meanwhile, Emma confronts her father after receiving an envelope addressed only to her in the mail. It’s photos of Joseph having an affair with Claire Fox. He tells her that Claire has been blackmailing him with the photos for a while now, though her mother does know about the affair. He realizes that the only way Emma would have these is if she has a connection to a blackmailer. She reveals that she doesn’t work in logistics as she mulls over the blackmailer’s offer to meet. It turns out to be Daphne, who has a booth reserved for dinner. They trade barbs about daddy issues before Daphne names her price: end the CIA investigation.
Mason tells Emma about the Abramov deal, showing her a photo she snapped at the scene. Emma recognizes Charlie, but says nothing. At home, she shares her reservations with Joseph. She’s in a no-win situation. He urges her to find a solution in the gray, rather than black and white thinking. This inspires her to go see Charlie.
She offers him a deal. If the family continues working with Daphne, but this time as a CIA asset, she’ll protect them from prosecution. This way, she can outwardly back off the investigation and protect Joseph while not letting a criminal get away. Charlie reluctantly agrees, knowing it’s the best way to protect his family.
He goes to Daphne with the address and chastises her for her new investment in the gun business. But he has an offer for her. If he helps her beat her brother, they’re square.
The Company You Keep airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EST on ABC. You can find our other coverage of the series here!
