Charlie and Daphne make a pretty good team.
The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 7 took the odd couple to West Virginia, where their objective was to get Daphne knee-deep in the gun game. And to no one’s surprise, they pulled it off.
But the “con” wasn’t so much at the forefront this hour. It was more Charlie getting a chance to open up to Emma in the most unconventional of ways.
Daphne definitely seemed a little flirty with Charlie during The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 6, but perhaps that was a one-off, or my eyes were playing tricks on me because, during this hour, it was all business between the two, for the most part.
They had a singular goal in mind and worked together like they’d been doing it for years to get what they wanted.
It’s a good thing Charlie is an asset, otherwise, there was probably no shot he was getting anywhere near Pine Grove, let alone coming up with a believable cover to get him through the door.
He needed every single bit of Emma’s coaching as he stepped into the shoes of an ex-CIA agent. And Charlie can act his butt off whenever necessary, but he’s only human. Emma’s intel gave him that extra push to make everything feel real.
He and Daphne put their screws into several people throughout the conference, and they got along pretty well while doing it.
Daphne has always been an intriguing villain because there are a lot of different layers going on there. She wasn’t born into money, and Patrick didn’t groom her to take over the throne one day. She is a hardworking, educated woman trying to take the opportunity she was given to rise to the top.
We’ve gotten some insight into her backstory, but here she explains to Charlie what landed her in this position. And coming off her mother’s death, she took what her father presented to her, taking her smarts and prowess in a different direction than initially intended.
Daphne is a lot of things, but above all else, she’s ambitious. She seems like the kind of person to never be content with anything. When she remarks to Charlie about this being the most committed relationship she’s been in, you can believe it because she carries herself in a way that doesn’t lend itself to weakness.
Relationships, feelings, and everything that comes with it? For someone like Daphne, that could have the power to make her weak, and she doesn’t have the time for that.
In a world where men of a specific hue have the advantages, she won’t let anything distract her from her end goal, which is to have it all.
Money, power, respect, right? If you want it all, then there are sacrifices to be made.
Throughout the hour, she and Charlie fall into a partnership that sees them bumping elbows with elite government men and business people, and they fit right in. They also find time to talk to one another, and even though Charlie very much has an angle, their talks feel important.
As the weekend wears on and Charlie proves his competency, Daphne slowly lets her guard down. The two exchange family stories and come to a much deeper understanding of who the other is. Though Daphne doesn’t realize some of the things he says are more for Emma’s benefit than his.
Ever since discovering Charlie’s double life, Emma has completely closed herself off him. And even though she slips here and there, she’s not willing to fully let Charlie back into her heart again.
It’s obvious she wants to. You can tell in every facial expression and every time they’re within a few feet of each other, but her words certainly don’t match the look in her eyes when they’re trained on the man.
Following along to Pine Grove and listening in on all Charlie’s conversations was going to be a challenge, especially considering how much chemistry Charlie and Daphne have.
I may have jumped the gun on these two moving beyond a business arrangement, but Emma can see something between them. At the very least, the two have much more in common than they don’t, and the way they flawlessly work together certainly attracted Emma’s attention.
Each time Charlie told a story about his family, it was so obvious it was for Emma to hear. She hasn’t given him any chance to talk and explain himself in any way. And perhaps it wouldn’t have made a difference if she did, but Charlie doesn’t know that.
Emma: Any updates?
Charlie: Nope. She ditched me.
Emma: Get her to open up to you. You’re good at getting women to trust you.
It’s not as if Charlie isn’t aware that he’s doing bad things, but it’s more complicated than Emma knows. And so much of it ties back to his family, not unlike so much of who she is and where she currently is ties back to hers.
When these two inevitably get back together, they first need to talk about their pasts. They jumped into a relationship, and it didn’t work out, but when they get past the hurt, they need to talk about who they are and what makes them who they are.
I wanted to replace Daphne with Emma so much during the episode, so Emma could see Charlie speaking earnestly about his past. Emma may have heard it, but she didn’t get to see it, which is a shame.
Back to the con, though, it was a little convoluted and a lot ridiculous, but that’s this shows bread and butter.
Is it insane that, over a few days, Charlie and Daphne get a top gun manufacturer to stop producing a weapon they want to get their hands on and use the Department of Defense to make it happen? Absolutely.
But was it fun? Absolutely.
That Eyes Wide Shut party Charlie attended was straight rich people shenanigans, but again it’s a good thing Emma gave him the 411 on all things CIA because Bridges was grilling him the second he walked through the door.
And then we had the whole Vik thing, which was almost comical in its absurdity.
Emma racing across the lawns in her nightclothes and arriving mere seconds before Vik was about to ruin everything was too funny. But it’s a good thing Emma had some built-up capital with Vik because if Charlie had been made, I don’t even want to know what would have happened.
Forget about Emma’s case. He and his whole family would be in deep, deep trouble with many people.
Everything works out in the end, and I loved Daphne’s little pitch to Charlie about joining her because it makes sense on the surface.
Charlie loves to fancy himself a thief with a conscious and moral code, which is fine, but he’s still a thief. And he and Daphne fit in a way neither of them expected, so working together would probably be a rousing success.
But Charlie nor his family are interested in helping to flood the streets with drugs and guns.
Emma: I think I like the idea that there was right and wrong. Good and evil.
Vik: It’s a comforting idea. If we’re chasing down the bad guys, then we must be the good guys, right?
Emma: But what if they’re only the bad guys because we’re chasing them?
Emma brings up a good point in her chat with Vik about what it means to be the good guys or the bad guys. Does Charlie’s reluctance to engage in the activities Daphne engages in make him a good guy?
If so, is that all negated by his decision to steal from people?
Life is messy, and rarely are there things in life that fit neatly into one box, including humans.
While Charlie and Emma were dancing around one another and Charlie and Daphne were literally dancing with each other, Birdie was trying to figure out what to do with the Simon situation.
Birdie has been haunted by what if’s for years, wondering what she could have done something differently to make Simon stay, but little did she know, his reasons for leaving had very little to do with her specifically.
Sure, part of his reason for taking off was his not wanting to hurt her or Ollie, but Leo forced his hand. He then accepted the consequences and stayed away from her to get better.
From the outside looking in, it’s easy to have an opinion on what Leo did. You can agree with it, or you can think he overstepped, but until you’re in his shoes, it’s best not to judge. Who knows what you would do if you had to scoop your helpless grandchild up in your arms and save them from the incompetence of their parent.
Leo did what he felt was best for his daughter and his granddaughter, knowing that Birdie wasn’t going to leave Simon because, to that point, she’d shown him that she wasn’t going to.
Now, Birdie is faced with a man she once loved begging for a second chance to be a father, and it isn’t easy to parse through.
Sarah Wayne Callies and Geoff Stults are so good in that scene at the restaurant, and damn, if the whole conversation didn’t make me emotional. There is still so much pain there, but something like hope seems to blossom from their talk.
Hope from Simon that he may get to know his daughter. And hope from Birdie that a man she once loved so fiercely has gotten his life together.
Putting the onus on Ollie is a big step for Birdie, who has spent so much time shielding her from things. If she wanted to, she could tell Simon yes or no, and that would be that. But instead, she follows through with her decision to be more open with Ollie and treat her as the young woman she is.
She’s old enough to have a say in the relationship she does or doesn’t want with him.
I’m glad she chose to at least spend some time with him because it does feel like Simon has changed. He’s expressed remorse, and he’s taken accountability for his actions. He’s not running around placing the blame on anyone but himself. And he’s not pushing for too much.
An ice cream date is a perfect low-stakes outing for them to learn what it’s like to be around one another. There is plenty of time for those tough conversations, but right now, they should concentrate on getting to know one another in an easy environment.
I’m rooting for Simon, but if he messes this up, I’m coming for him just like Leo!
The Notes I Kept
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The Nicolettis giving Emma the cold shoulder caught me off-guard! I guess they’re mad at her for turning Charlie into an asset, but it felt so weird to see them like that. They’re generally such sweet people!
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I wonder if Charlie played tennis before, or if he’s just THAT good at faking it til he makes it.
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Poor Vik was really crushing on Emma, and she just lied to his face. It’s a brutal world out there.
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Who will be the first from the CIA to peg Charlie as Emma’s asset and figure out he’s a con man? My money is on her assistant. She’s already getting weird vibes.
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We’re likely to see Connor again soon. Things have been going a little too well, so it’s about time his ego ruins everything.
This was a different hour than we’re used to, with Charlie away from the family doing missions, but another fun ride nonetheless.
Lots of questions are still out there as we head into the home stretch of the first season!
When will Emma admit she still loves Charlie? Should Charlie work with Daphne?
Let me know all your thoughts in the comments!
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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
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