David Hill BETTER be okay!
With The Company You Keep Season 1 winding down, you knew there would be crazy action and some gasp-worthy moments, but I did not see the end of The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 9 coming.
I reiterate — David Hill needs to be okay!
Oh, and Jennifer, too. Neither one deserved to get in the crosshairs of Emma’s war with the Maguires, which reached all-new heights in the penultimate installment.
Emma’s been singularly focused on the Maguires all season, and with Charlie as her asset on the inside, she’s continued to build her case, though even with all the evidence she’s gathered, it hasn’t been enough to bring forth a formal case.
Side note, can I say I never understand that on a series like this, you will have someone undercover seeing death, drug deals, and all kinds of terrible things, yet there’s never enough evidence. There is always one ridiculously dangerous last mission they have to do so the authorities can FINALLY bring in the bad guys.
It’s like, what more do they need?
Apparently, Emma needed the Maguires meeting with the arms dealer to finally make her case and set Charlie free. Cue one of the crazier cons the Nicolettis have pulled off this season.
A con this complex required more than just the usual suspects, and it was the perfect time to bring in Ollie.
We all knew Birdie would eventually bring Ollie into the family business in some capacity; it just became a matter of when. Whether or not you agree with a child being a part of this life, it’s commonplace in that family.
Charlie and Birdie were born into the life, and Ollie was too. And she’s shown an interest in what they were doing. It’s not as if she was fighting back and they were forcing her to join them. She wanted in, and this was the kind of con she could engage in because of how public it was.
And she wasn’t directly involved. She was on that metro, but she was just another passenger that no one would look at twice.
The “2 Jeff’s” plan relied heavily on many different things going right, including Simon playing his part well. And Simon’s addition to the family has been great because he seems to get it.
He’s doing right by Ollie, building that connection and trying his best, and he’s doing right by Birdie as well. He’s not pushing anything, and he’s taking Birdie’s lead. He asked for a second chance, and he’s doing the most with it.
Simon’s job to impersonate Wilford was much easier than Charlie and Leo stepping in as Patrick and Connor, but there’s nothing these two can’t do at this point.
Charlie has had to don many a disguise and the occasional exaggerated accent, but he nailed Connor in that meeting, and everything went according to plan until Emma caught on to the con and then got made by Patrick.
Emma has been doing her job. There’s no question, but she has asked a lot of Charlie. And it’s not like Charlie was some innocent party in all this, but it does feel like, at times, she doesn’t fully grasp what she’s asking of him.
Emma is still driven by hurt from Charlie’s deception, which sometimes clouds her when she lets that anger spill over into their now strictly professional relationship.
It’s not like she’s actively willing him to get hurt, but she can also be pretty callous in instructing him to step into these dangerous situations, with the only advice being to avoid getting caught.
Charlie’s anger once the mission was over also came from a place of hurt, and damn, do I wish these two just sat down and had a conversation since there are so many things they’re not saying because of how scared they are.
Emma opened her heart to Charlie, and she was burned so badly that she was terrified of doing it again. And Charlie told her the truth about who he was and was ready to blow up his whole life for her, only for it to turn into him giving over his life to her in a completely different way.
Now they’re in this place where they still care for one another but push each other away at every turn. It has to be exhausting lying to yourself and the person you love all the time.
Charlie: I get caught, they kill me. You understand that, right?
Emma: So, don’t get caught.
Charlie: You make it sound so easy.
Emma: You make it look easy.
I’m Team Charlie and Team Emma, both together and apart, but sometimes Emma’s decisions are total head-scratchers, even if I can understand where she’s coming from.
She wants to get bad people off the street. Cool. But she’s putting someone she cares about in constant jeopardy to do it.
Going to Daphne and outing Charlie without even talking to him first was one of those times that left me shaking my head.
She took a massive risk in going there and giving Charlie up because what if Daphne decided not to work with her? Even though Daphne was well aware that daddy dearest and brother terrible were plotting against her, you still couldn’t be sure what she would do.
Charlie played her in more ways than one, and Daphne had to feel like a fool, even if she played it off like her cool and calm self. He got her to open up and trust him, not unlike what he did with Emma, though he wasn’t lying to Emma.
When Daphne kissed Charlie, it was right after he defended her and made her feel valuable. And I don’t think he was lying. I think a part of Charlie has grown to care for parts of Daphne because he understands her.
There’s a lot more under the surface of Daphne, and Charlie has gotten to see those parts. I don’t think he fell for Daphne in any sustainable way, but I do believe he enjoyed her company more than he’d probably like to admit.
And Daphne definitely fell for Charlie, in so much as she was attracted to him and trusted him. So, she could have marched over to Charlie’s and killed him for all Emma knew.
That’s not Daphne’s MO, of course, but Emma was still taking a rather large gamble, assuming that her plea would work.
Imagine she had returned the information to Connor and Patrick, trying one less Hail Mary to finally be enough for her dad to see her. Where would that have left Charlie?
Lucky for Charlie, Daphne just accepted the deal, but she most certainly dropped by Charlie’s place just to let him know that she knew he betrayed her. It was a quick little scene but loaded with so much tension.
Charlie and Daphne have this crazy energy between them, and I have to wonder what will happen if everything goes as planned and they take down the Maguires. Where does that leave them?
The hour could have ended there, and I would have been more than satisfied, but they decided to rip my heart out instead!
Listen, David’s storyline has been far from exciting, mainly because we need to explore his character more. But you could tell his heart wasn’t always in the race, and once his family’s laundry started getting exposed, it gave him the perfect opportunity to quit.
It’s a little crazy that a week before the election, he decided to drop out, and all those who worked on his campaign will probably feel more than disappointed that they wasted their time, but David had to do what was right for him.
He wanted to be like Joseph and follow in the footsteps of the man he admired. And I don’t think he stopped admiring him, but his view certainly changed when he discovered some of the family skeletons.
Of course, he picked the worst possible time to go rogue because, after such an exhilarating moment, where he finally felt free to do what he wanted to do for himself only, he got blown up.
Charlie: Grownups inside?
Connor: What’s stopping me from killing you where you stand, son?
Charlie: I don’t know. I’d say intelligence, but we both know that’s never stopped you before.
Daphne is a villain who is much more interested in blackmail than actual murder, but Connor is different. They all know what Connor is capable of, and I’m surprised they haven’t been more diligent in protecting themselves.
Though this isn’t a 1990s mob flick, so who would have thought he’d plant a bomb underneath her car?
Now, we have to wait with bated breath to see who survived the blast and what Emma does next now that her family has been put in danger because of her actions.
Lots to resolve, and only one more hour left this season. Expect more fireworks from here on out, folks!
The Notes I Kept
- Tony Shalhoub sighting! Fran’s ex-boyfriend came out of nowhere trying to get her and Leo to sell the bar, and it felt fishy, but you can’t blame them for considering the offer. Why do I feel they’ll decide to sell, Frankie will be the buyer, and something terrible will happen?
- Claire Fox, not being the devil they spent all season building up, was a surprise. She just wanted to assuage her guilt by helping David. A nice little plot twist.
- The scene where Ollie got her key to the basement and then explored all the little gadgets was great. The kids grow up so fast!
We’ve reached the end of a phenomenal first season, and there’s still so much to sort through!
Will David survive?
Will Emma finally bring the Maguire’s down?
What does the future hold for Charlie and Emma?
Hopefully, we’ll get some answers to these questions and so much more! But in the meantime, hit the comments with all your predictions for the finale and come back here to watch The Company You Keep online!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.