It’s a tough week for Charlie! He learns the truth about Emma and is all the more determined to put his current “employment” situation behind him. He presents Daphne with a high stakes compromise to end their deal but when Connor gets involved, it gets complicated. Oh and now it’s Emma’s turn to introduce Charlie to her family!
(ABC/Eric McCandless)
Please note this recap contains spoilers for season 1, episode 4 “All In”
After being abducted by a group of masked figures, Charlie (Milo Ventimiglia) finds himself in an interrogation room getting hooked up to a polygraph machine. Emma (Catherine Haena Kim) and her boss Cas are watching from behind a two way mirror and she asks if this was necessary. Cas says when she filled out the relationship form, Charlie’s background check showed some red flags. Mainly overstaying his visa by 8 months in Nicaragua in 2013. The officer in the room with Charlie asks if he knows Emma Hill is a CIA officer. He’s surprised but maintains his cool, “I do now.” She asks if he’s been to Central America. He admits to being in Nicaragua and overstayed because he was in prison. He says he punched a military official and it was not his best moment. He didn’t tell Emma because he didn’t want her to think less of him.
Emma and Charlie are sitting in her car and her voice is fuzzy as she apologizes about the situation. The agency needed to interrogate him because she declared they were in a relationship. Her voice clears, “are we good?” “Yeah.”
Charlie returns to the bar. His family was worried because he’s been silent for 12 hours. He defensively says he was with Emma. Birdie (Sarah Wayne Callies) tells him they found the keys in his bike and it scared them, plus the Maguires are getting antsy about their money.
Emma returns home and David (Tim Chiou) asks if he can put her down for plus one at his campaign fundraiser dinner. She agrees. Joe (James Saito) comes in and says the new polling numbers are strong. He’s proud of his son. As he looks over the sheet again, he sees Claire Fox’s name. He says that her support, “is not the kind you want. It always comes at a cost.”
After being tipped off by Charlie that Daphne (Felisha Terrell) is his half-sister, Connor (Barry Sloane) comes to the U.S. He tells her from now on they’re doing things his way. She tells him the Feds are watching. He doesn’t care and reveals that he knows the truth. “If you think being the boss’ bastard is gonna get you a seat at the table sister, it won’t.” He reiterates that he’s here to clean up her mess.
(ABC/Raymond Liu)
Birdie and Charlie share a moment at the bar and she admits that she didn’t hate Emma. In fact she liked her. Leo (William Fichtner) pipes up that everybody loved her. Their conversation is interrupted by Daphne, who wants to know when she’ll see the next payment. She needs more money now. Charlie suggests that instead of paying her back in half million increments, he gets her $10 million by the end of the week and their deal is done. There’s a high stakes underground poker game on a yacht where he’ll get the money. Daphne agrees that if Charlie can pull it off, “we’re square.”
The family is a bit taken about by Charlie’s solution. Birdie reminds him it’s very dangerous, that's why we’ve not done it before. They couldn’t figure out a way to get out with the money and would likely be killed in international waters.
Charlie gets a voicemail from Emma saying she’s sorry followed by an invitation to David’s fundraiser. Leo finds his son and asks why he wants to do such a risky job? “You expect us to just fall in line?” Charlie says he saw an opportunity and that he’s going to do what needs to be done to care for his family. He tells Leo that he can’t lie to Emma for much longer, the truth is going to find them. He says he never wanted to go straight until her. Leo agrees that they can’t move on with Daphne in their lives. He tells Charlie that when it’s the one, you go all in; then shares his ideas for their yacht con.
At the CIA, Cas and Emma get a hit on one of Connor’s aliases, Matthew Damone. They wonder why he’s back stateside.
Daphne tells Connor that they can expand the operation, but they have to work together. She clarifies that she didn’t hunt down Patrick Maguire, he showed up at her mom’s funeral. She wants to do for their business what Bezos did for books. Daphne's idea is to unite street level ops for distribution. She says if they sell at a loss and undercut the competition, their rivals will become weak and dependent on them instead of the Mexican cartels. We don’t build our own network, she says, we steal theirs. She tells Connor she’s not the enemy and there is room for both of them. “We could make a lot of money together.” Connor agrees that he likes money, but he wants to know how she makes up for their losses.
(ABC/Raymond Liu)
Leo and Charlie reveal that they know how to get out of the yacht heist alive. A wealthy man, Robert Renway (Daniel Sunjata), frequently hosts high stakes poker games on his yacht. Fran (Polly Draper), Birdie and Leo will get on the boat as waiters and a dealer while Charlie posing as “Ernesto Ricci” gets invited to play. But first, Ricci needs to get on Renway’s radar and Charlie is going to show he’s legit with a million dollar buy-in in a different game. They’ll have to use their Pastor Earl money, and that’s all they have.
“Ernesto” wins his game and as expected, Renway introduces himself. Ernesto says the game was good but he’s looking for high stakes. Birdie radios in not to push it. Fortunately, Renway gives Ernesto his card. The con is on.
At the fundraiser, Emma gives Charlie the rundown on her family, stressing that her mom, Grace (Freda Foh Shen), will be a challenge. They ask about his occupation and Charlie says he owns a bar with his family. Grace grabs his arm and takes him for a private conversation. Joe tells Emma not to be hard on her mom. She tells him Charlie is different. Emma looks around the room and asks about a woman she doesn’t recognize. It’s Claire Fox (Marin Hinkle) and Joe calls her, “a shark in the water.”
(ABC/Eric McCandless)
Oh damn! Robert Renway is at the fundraiser dinner and sees “Ernesto.” The men exchange greetings as Emma comes up. Fortunately, no one uses their names. Grace and Joe see the exchange from inside the house and she tells Joe she likes Charlie. He’s not too sure. Charlie is too smooth.
Claire introduces David to her colleague Jennifer West and says she’d make a great addition to the campaign. David is surprised but doesn’t decline.
Joe and Charlie have a chat and Joe doesn’t hold back, he says he’s wary of anyone who has all of the right answers. “What’s your angle Charlie?” Emma and Grace intercept and Charlies assure Emma it’s fine. She walks him out and he thanks her for having his back. She goes back inside and Charlie waves to Renway as he leaves.
Ernesto shows up to the yacht game and Renway greets him warmly. He says what’s mine is yours, and Ernesto says he’ll remember that. As the events unfold, we hear Charlie discussing the plans for the heist with his family. The cash is being held in a guarded room and they’ll need to cause a distraction.
(ABC/Raymond Liu)
Leo is the dealer at Ernesto’s table. He wins the first game, but then his luck turns. Fran comes by with drinks and Leo slips, calling her by her name, but she makes a savvy cover. Ernesto loses and can’t handle it. Renway tells him to take a walk. Birdie hacks into the guard's phone and sends an urgent text. With the room unguarded, Fran, Birdie and Charlie take the money. They’re running out of time and Fran creates a further distraction. When the guard returns, the money is gone!
Ernesto returns for another game, right as Renway and his team learn they’ve been robbed. A dummy boat sails away from the yacht and as the Renway’s men chase it down. Fran and Birdie get away with two trash cans full of money.
Connor meets up with one of Daphne’s men and inquires where she’s getting the extra money.
Fran tells Leo they have to talk, he broke cover during their heist, they can’t will away his health problems. He tries to shake it off telling her they walked away with $10 million, “I can’t be slipping that much.”
Emma has been keeping tabs on Connor and meets up with an FBI contact. He says Connnor is heading to the airport. She asks about the quick turnaround, why he’s leaving so soon. They decide to follow him.
Charlie goes to meet Daphne with money, but on the way he’s intercepted by Connor. Connor tells him to lift his mask; he knows it’s Charlie. He takes the money and Charlie says this covers the deal he had with Daphne. “We’re done.”
Emma and her FBI friend are observing from afar. He wants to arrest Connor, but she stops him, saying it’s a short term win.
Connor is not done with Charlie just yet, but Charlie keeps talking saying that every legacy has an heir and spare. Which one is Connor? He doesn’t like the conversation, and one of his men interrupts saying, “we got a tail;” Connor leaves. Charlie pulls his mask back down and takes off driving by Emma and her friend. They make eye contact. He knows it's her, but did she figure out it's him??
Connor calls Daphne and asks why she’s working with the man who ripped them off? He says she’s not part of this family and if she wants what’s his, she can come and get it.
(ABC/Raymond Liu)
Charlie tells his family he might have gotten made. They ask if someone saw his face. He said he had the mask down, but he’s got a feeling….The family says let’s not panic until we have a reason to panic.
There’s a knock on Charlie’s apartment door, it’s Emma. He asks if everything is good and she tells him she thinks she caught a lead on her case. They kiss, and she asks if he’s ok. She says she knows this week was a lot but thinks it’s worth it. “I think so too,” Charlie says.
Thoughts/Predictions:
Wow! Another strong episode! Things are about to get pretty messy. So it turns out I was wrong, and Charlie found out about Emma first. Oh well. I’m intrigued to learn what Claire Fox is up to and how much she wants to manipulate David. I’m also gonna guess that Daphne comes to the Nicolettis for help to take down/overthrow Connor. Sorry Charlie, but you’re far from being out of the con game.
The Company You Keep airs on ABC Sundays at 10pm ET/PT and next day on Hulu.