The Company You Keep (Season 1), Episode 1: Be it Martin Scorsese’s The Departed or Michael Mann’s Heat, a dual between opposite sides has always yielded gripping results. ‘The Company You Keep,’ on ABC, follows a similar narrative by pitting a CIA agent against a con man. Based on the South Korean television series ‘My Fellow Citizens!’, this drama series stars Milo Ventimiglia and Catherine Haena Kim in the lead roles.
Although not as cerebral, it wins you over with its seductive charm elevated by the compelling chemistry between these actors. It derives its sensual quality also from the secrecy between their characters, which creates a beguiling mystery for them to learn about each other.
The thrilling drama series premiered this week, where the pilot showed their encounter and gave a peek into their individual lives. Let’s find out how that happens. And it means that there are spoilers ahead!
The Company You Keep (Season 1), Episode 1: Recap & Ending Explained
The pilot initially introduces both its lead characters. We meet Charlie Nicoletti (Milo Ventimiglia) engaged in a card trick where he gives a first peek into his expertise as a con man. Later, he meets Patrick McGuire and his associate – Daphne Finch (Felisha Terrell), in a warehouse to trade the place for their drug trafficking business. Charlie requests payment in cryptocurrency rather than cash at the last minute. It makes Daphne suspicious of his intent. So, she takes Patrick away to discuss their deal.
Charlie senses that Patrick is probably backing out from the deal and starts taking back his documents. Patrick returns and tries to stop him from doing so. Charlie asks him whether he or Daphne is in charge of finalizing this deal. It hurts his ego, which makes him rush to close the deal within the next few moments. He pays in cryptocurrency, as Mike asked. During all this time, Charlie’s sister – Birdie (Sarah Wayne Callies), keeps guiding Charlie to make sound judgments. Right after Patrick pays the amount, FBI cars start approaching them. Patrick and his associates flee from the scene, leaving the documents behind.
While we assume that Charlie has been conned, it was actually he who conned Patrick. The FBI strike was faked by his family members – Leo (William Fichtner) and Fran (Polly Draper) and Charlie’s fiancée. They are over the moon for pulling off this con as a team. Charlie considers it as a part of his ‘happily ever after’ journey with his fiancée while she warns him about what comes next, probably hinting at their uncertain lives. The group clears out quickly before Patrick realizes that he purchased the warehouse from people who don’t even own it.
Meanwhile, Emma Hill (Catherine Haena Kim) is introduced through her job. She enters the Pattern Logistics office, which is a front for her CIA workplace. She has been following the global drug trade for a while and learns about a new lead from her associate about its push in the US. While they know other details, they do not have information about who is behind it. A notification she receives cuts off their conversation, and she later discovers her boyfriend in a hotel room having sex with someone else. Emma goes there and confronts him about it. He apologizes but tells her to ask herself whether she still loves him.
On the other hand, the Nicoletti family gathers up in their bar to celebrate their grand success. Birdie is still in shock that they pulled off such a big con and asks Charlie for his cryptocurrency wallet. He checks it in his pocket and finds a wedding ring instead. All of them realize that his fiancée has pulled a con on them and has run away with the money. Meanwhile, Charlie is also heartbroken by the loss of his relationship with a woman that he truly loved.
Both these heartbroken souls happen to meet at a bar. A man who is away from his family on vacation makes advances on Emma. She quickly picks up on his sexual hints and makes him back off. That’s when she sees Charlie, and they hit it off in no time. Both share the stories of their broken hearts and end up resonating with the experiences of one another. While getting drunk, they play a game of telling lies about themselves. After a few exchanges, she mentions that she is a CIA agent, and he says that he is a criminal. Both have a laugh at it since neither of them considers those to be truths.
After this game of playful mischief, Charlie goes back to his hotel room. Soon after, Emma knocks on his door and says that she read his hotel number on his bill receipt. They make out right then and go back to bed. However, overcome with hunger (not sexual, that’s the joke!), they decide to order room service and start talking about their lives while fulfilling their cravings. They spend the night together and share a spark without even touching each other. So, they continue their tomfoolery while having fun with all the things that the hotel offers. It also helps Charlie deflect from thinking about the next step for his family.
However, once they live their fantasy together, they return to their respective realities. Charlie goes out to meet a friend who offers him a lead about a televangelist. He has a mega church in Arlington and has a lot of cash. With this tip, Charlie returns to meet his family after being AWOL for two days. Birdie’s deaf daughter, Ollie (Shaylee Mansfield), was waiting to meet him in the bar. Upon seeing him, Birdie takes out her resentment for taking such a big risk and now being broke.
When Leo shows concern about the stunt pulled by his fiancée, he questions his father for using the same security code since his birth and risking the safety of their money. Then, Leo opens up about his early-stage memory loss. But he does not want Charlie to worry about it. So, instead, they start talking about their next con.
Their next target is Pastor Earl. Leo and Fran enter this pastor’s church in disguise to learn about him while Charlie sits in a van outside for his orders. Emma sends him some photos, and he gets lost in thoughts about her. That’s when Birdie brings his mind back on track. She hacks into the church’s financial data and learns that the church is laundering money. But she has no clue about the source. Later, they approach the pastor again to learn that he keeps switching between different burner phones every week and manages to do it without anyone’s notice. So, they attend a gala where he will be present.
Charlie enters along with Birdie to play their parts. He had no idea that Emma would also be present there. He sees her with her parents – Joseph (James Saito) & Grace (Freda Foh Shen), and her brother – David (Tim Chiou). Joseph is a former senator, and David is now running for office. They have no idea where Emma really works. Since she mentions her logistics career, they consider it inconsequential and wish she was more involved in the family business.
Soon after seeing her, Charlie approaches her at the bar. Since he earlier mentioned that he is a theremin player, she jokes whether they wanted someone to play it in the gala. He says that he is there for a job for his family. He shares that his family owns a bar, and he is caught up in family affairs. Emma empathizes with him since she also wants an escape from her family’s expectations of her.
While Charlie is speaking with Emma, Birdie is attentive to learning about the person who just met Pastor. Birdie notices him wasting his time and approaches him. While she tries to bring his attention back to their mission, Emma learns about an urgent work she needs to attend to. Before leaving, she asks Charlie whether they can meet again. Being apprehensive about how their future will turn out, Charlie takes a back foot. He coldly tells her that he never had any feelings for her. She leaves heartbroken by his comment.
At the end of this gala, the pastor receives a text saying that their cover is blown and that he needs to ‘clean house tonight.’ He takes out all his cash and brings the suitcase to a car parked outside. Charlie opens the car door and takes the suitcase. That’s how the Nicolettis manage to rob the pastor. Back at the bar, Birdie brings up the subject of Charlie’s new love interest. He mentions that he ended it. Since his previous partner ended up conning them, they do not want him to repeat the same mistake. They expect him to be fully committed to their business.
On the other hand, Emma goes back to her office. Her colleague shows a photo in a warehouse where Patrick McGuire and his associates were involved in a deal (the same deal carried out by Charlie). She mentions his relation to the global drug ring. Charlie appears in this photo only from the back, which is why Emma cannot recognize him. Later, she goes out for a joint operation along with the FBI. While McGuire and his associates enter the plane, Daphne stays back for a bit. Emma sees her and IDs her within a moment. Daphne starts running away, affirming her suspicion. So, she follows Daphne’s car but ends up getting her car crashed on her way and loses her.
The Company You Keep (Season 1), Episode 1 Ending Explained:
Emma returns home with minor bruises on her face. When she speaks with her colleague about the further steps, Charlie arrives outside her home. He apologizes for leaving the matter rudely at the gala and begs for her forgiveness. Charlie believes that they should give their relationship a chance and explains how he knows her on a deeper level. He then asks to take her out on a date the way she wants. Due to his heartfelt apology, Emma accepts his proposal and kisses him.
Then, Charlie returns to the bar and speaks with Birdie outside. He says that he wants one big score, which would settle the matter for good. The siblings return to the bar to find Daphne sitting inside. She knows that Charlie doesn’t own the warehouse. She asks for the $10 million he stole (by making a false agreement) and an extra $5 million for getting Patrick into jail. Charlie refuses to follow her demands, but she warns him to abide by them for his own good. Charlie asks her to give him some time. Since she cannot afford that luxury, she asks him to steal the money since he cannot lie his way out as he did before.
