The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 2 Review: A Sparkling Reputation

Charlie and his family are put to the test on The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 2, “A Sparkling Reputation.”

The second episode of the series is just as fun and engaging as the first, but this time with higher stakes. Daphne is putting pressure on the Nicolettis to pay her back the money they lost by making it clear she knows their key vulnerability — Birdie’s daughter.

That places them in the uncomfortable position of running cons for someone else’s gain and on someone else’s timeline, which means they’re forced to take more significant risks. And the first one involves a priceless black diamond. 

Part one of that con takes place at an auction, where Charlie pretends to be a waiter and very convincingly scares a young kid into going to the back to see an angry boss that doesn’t exist. Between the various characters the family members play and Birdie’s impeccable tech skills, they learn quickly that the highest bidder is, in fact, the seller. 

The next part of the con takes has Leo reprise a character that he’s clearly played many times before — a very dramatic photographer. I said this in my review of the pilot episode, but one thing that sets this series apart from ones with a similar premise is the fact that it’s a family business.

The way they react to one another, including Fran’s little hint of jealousy when Leo brings that character back, adds a really endearing element.  

And while this family has been doing plenty of illegal business by running cons for what is obviously a really long time, they’re good people, and there are lines they simply won’t cross.

That’s why after they manage to get their hands on the black diamond necklace (thanks in large part to a very cute dog and quick thinking by Charlie) they have to come up with a new plan to make money off of it. Because as it turns out, it’s a stolen ancient artifact. 

Instead, they’d rather get it back to the rightful owner, get their money from someone who deserves to lose a little.

After seeing this guy in action, it’s that much more satisfying to see them lose the diamond and have to give Charlie the money he needs. 

Charlie knows how to make his case, too. He’s confident, just a little sarcastic, and knows exactly what this guy’s vulnerability is. Milo Ventimiglia plays this role so well, it’s hard to imagine him on any other show, which is saying a lot considering his last role was that of Jack Pearson on This Is Us.

Working on getting the money they need to pay of Daphne isn’t all the Nicolettis have been up to, though. They’re playing offense too, and this is where Charlie and Emma nearly collide. 

Because while Charlie and Birdie are focused on finding out Daphne’s vulnerability, Emma and her team are after her too. And both Charlie and Emma wind up in Daphne’s hotel room at the same time.

They come so close to figuring each other out, but it’s obviously too soon for all of that.

In terms of their relationship, Charlie and Emma are no longer in their bubble where we saw them fall for each other. They try dating, but a con keeps Charlie from being on time, and the two find it awkward to have a regular conversation. Neither is able to be honest about what they do for a living either, at least not entirely.

Charlie does share that he owns a bar with his family, and Emma tells him her cover career. She also reveals her education, which sets up another divide between them. Charlie even asks how her family would feel about her “slumming it” with a bartender.

That’s going to make for an interesting dynamic down the road.

Emma is also trying to be careful with him, and it’s easy to see why. Her job forces her to be a private person to begin with, even with her family. We start to see how that affects her on this episode when she finally tells her brother, who is now running for office, the truth about what she does. 

The question he ponders is an interesting one. Is she closed off and private because of her job? Or did she find the job that best suited those layers of her personality?

Unfortunately, we haven’t had a chance to see Emma her in action all that much yet. While it’s obviously more fun to watch Charlie and his family perform elaborate cons, we should also be seeing plenty of Emma doing what she’s good at. Instead, when we see her at her office, she’s mostly talking about that cute guy she met a few days ago. 

That said, it feels too soon to have Daphne play her the way she does at the end of the episode, even though it does set things up to get even more interesting moving forward.

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The Company You Keep airs Sundays at 10/9c on ABC.

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