Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for The Company You Keep Season 4.After a week off due to the Oscars, The Company You Keep returned with an all-important episode that picked up right where we left Charlie (Milo Ventimiglia). In the final scene of Episode 3, we saw Charlie being forcefully abducted by three men and thrown in the back of a van just outside his family’s bar. That left us wondering who ordered this attack and whether this was meant as an intimidation play by Daphne (Felisha Terrell) to accelerate the debt payback from the Nicolettis. Seconds into Episode 4, we learned who orchestrated this order, and it was not what any of us were expecting. As a result, The Company You Keep finds itself in a precarious situation as one of the story’s biggest secrets has made its way back to one of our leads.
Charlie Now Knows Who Emma Really Is
There were a few close run-ins over the course of the first three episodes — none more so than Charlie and Emma (Catherine Haena Kim) being feet away from one another as both snuck into Daphne’s apartment for different reasons in Episode 2. Their different “career” paths finally crossed over in Episode 4 to the point where one major secret was revealed to Charlie. The group behind him being tossed into a van was the CIA. This twist was fueled by the government organization vetting Charlie, as they would with anyone who gets close to an agent. As Emma’s assistant (played by Courtney Taylor) reminded her previously this season, whenever an agent goes on multiple dates with a person they’re required to notify the agency. Clearly, the CIA went through his background and opted for a harsher means of bringing him in due to a concern they had about an incident he had in Nicaragua, which also included him staying past his visa date. He clarifies he had a physical altercation with a guard that placed him briefly in prison there and after a back-and-forth is let go, but not before learning Emma’s true identity.
Just like us, Charlie is taken aback not at the fact that the CIA was behind this but that the woman he's been dating is a part of this organization. What made this series unique in its premise is the idea of two opposites entities attempting to be together and seeing how long they could proceed before learning of the other’s private life. It turns out that it took three episodes and another five minutes for one of the two major secrets to get out. Was this too early?
The Company You Keep has hit all the right buttons so far in becoming one of the top network programs, but this decision is the first questionable one they have made in the early going. Getting Emma’s secret out this quickly removes that fun element that gave the show its most interesting plot point. What we saw unfold in Charlie and Emma’s interactions after this reveal was one lead who now is pulling back, while the other feels bad for what happened but now believes they know everything there is to know about the other.
'The Company You Keep' Just Added an Interesting Layer to Its Drama
While Emma’s identity being made public to Charlie was jarring, there are still plenty of runways the show has to work with. The premise, though altered, can still remain as was because a new layer has been added to the drama. Instead of two contrasting characters being pulled together, the story now has this same concept but with the added twist that one of them knows this likely can’t work, and the other is convinced this can work.
Now we have two intriguing dynamics at play with The Company You Keep. This episode hinted at how difficult this can get for the two as Charlie was frazzled upon learning this truth while Emma sees no reason these two can't be happy in the future together. As we see towards the end of Episode 4, though, this is going to be tough for Charlie to continue as he and his family continue to get pulled into a larger subplot between Daphne and Connor (Barry Sloane). There's still the issue of them owing money to Daphne after Connor took the money they scammed from a yacht party in this episode that they were planning on giving to Daphne as repayment. Just when they thought they were close to getting out, the Nicolettis are now even more in a daunting situation between these two bitter half-siblings.
How Long Can Charlie Keep His Life a Secret?
Moving forward, the series should emphasize maintaining Charlie’s questionable identity a secret to Emma for as long as possible. If both truths are revealed before Season 1 nears an end, The Company You Keep risks showing its cards too early. The current state between these two leads has a lot of different ways it can go, particularly with how one of the final Episode 4 scenes unfolded. Charlie, wearing a black ski mask, was seen driving off from an interaction with Connor and his gang as Emma stared him directly in the eyes as he pulled away. Charlie obviously knew why Emma was there, which is why he expresses concern to his family that they're exposed, but did Emma actually decipher that the eyes behind that mask were that of Charlie’s?
The final scene suggests she may have noticed this, which sets up an Episode 5 that may tell us just where this series plans to take this high-stakes journey. Emma comes to Charlie’s apartment with exciting news, but he's nervous that she knows his identity at this point. Emma reveals she has a lead on the case she was working on and notices his hesitancy before asking if everything is alright, which we know is just Charlie feeling uneasy but also relief that she doesn't appear to have put two-and-two together that he was the driver she saw. Emma expresses that she feels good about their future before the episode ends, letting us know that this story of theirs is far from over — but one that now is as complicated as it ever has been.
The Company You Keep airs on Sunday nights on ABC and is available to stream on Hulu.