The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 4 Review: All In

The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 4, “All In,” reveals one of the season’s biggest secrets. However, it leaves us with new and even more complicated secrets by the end of the hour.

The most significant reveal comes almost immediately after Charlie’s abduction on The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 3, “Against All Odds.” when he finds out Emma is a CIA officer.

It’s a surprising move early in the series, but it feels earned for a premise steeped so heavily in secrets.

The reveal sends Charlie into a tailspin. But he is processing in ways that feel very different from what we, and his family, are used to seeing as he snaps at them and makes a deal with Daphne to end involvement with the Maguires.

The con sounds more like a robbery — a fact that Birdie and Daphne agree on — which should deter Charlie.

But the stakes are higher now with a new secret: Charlie knows that Emma is a CIA officer, and the rest of the Nicolettis do not. The secret changes their dynamic and adds immediate tension. It’s an exciting shift. 

We already know the Nicolettis are a close-knit family and that Charlie is a standup guy.

However, watching him battle between protecting his family and exploring his new relationship with Emma adds new layers that will be fun (and likely stressful) to watch unfold as the season progresses.

We also see what protection looks like for the Hill family when Charlie is Emma’s plus one to David’s campaign fundraiser.

Joe Hill is wary of both Charlie and Claire Fox. Even though he plays it off as protecting Emma and David, there’s more to it than that.

Compared to how much we’ve learned about other characters, the show is slow-rolling through much of the mystery surrounding the Hills. While it’s intriguing and all the characters compelling, I don’t feel as invested in this storyline as in others.

I want more concrete info to draw me into the Hill’s political drama, partly because the reveals will surprise us and partly because the Hills are so fun to watch.

They bring the same sarcasm and affectionate teasing as the Nicoletti family, but in different ways.

I’m curious to see the payoff and if it is as interesting as the other secret reveals have proven. What’s the history of Joe and Claire Fox? And are Joe and Charlie more alike than we think?

Charlie is smooth and charming, even when the episode’s mark, Robert Renway, mistakes him for his cover, Ernesto.

It feels a little too easy, which sums up most of the con storyline as it plays out this week. Nevertheless, it’s fun to watch, and I’d bet good money on the poker scenes being some of the most fun to shoot.

Milo Ventimiglia is a bit of a loose cannon in the best way, as Charlie puts on a show.

The dynamic between Leo, Fran, and Charlie is hilarious and endearing during the game. Charlie ribs Leo with barbs that feel personal, and the fun, familiar teasing is something this show does remarkably well. The Nicolettis feel like a genuinely close family.

There’s a sobering moment, however, when Leo mistakenly calls Fran’s cover waitress Julie by her real name.

The slower pace of the memory loss arc feels like a more intentional choice than the pace of the Hill storyline.

There’s denial at play, at least for Leo, and the uncertainty of if/when the memory loss will become an issue in their lives or cons feels realistic. This is something that the Nicoletti family will struggle with, regardless of how long the Maguires are around.

The Nicolettis don’t seem to struggle with walking off a yacht with $10 million.

It’s funny in its simplicity, and while this isn’t the real takeaway, Renway didn’t think twice about money disappearing with three new crew members and a wildcard poker player onboard, did he? The Nicolettis are that good, and watching them run cons is a highlight.

The cinematography and scenes overlapping with the exposition are creative. They give us just enough info before dropping more surprises as we watch it unfold. Because this show loves to surprise us, and what feels too easy a con turns out to be anything but.

The brutal and brash Connor Maguire is in town, and Barry Sloane steals every scene he is in.

In a show with two pairs of siblings who love and look out for each other, the absolute chaos that newfound, reluctant siblings Connor and Daphne create for one another is hilarious and stressful to watch.

There’s much to delve into with both characters and their rocky relationships with their father.

Still, there are some big feelings there, which cause both Daphne and Connor to show their cards a little too freely. It comes back to bite the Nicolettis.

Charlie tells his family he thinks he was made, but how could a random fed recognize him in a ski mask, even if the look they shared were intense?

Emma appearing at his door moments later feels almost as shocking as finding out she is CIA.

The scene where the door opens to reveal her is so charged I had to pause and question where exactly I thought this episode was ending. Because you do not expect it to start with that secret reveal — it is so shocking and turns any of our assumptions about the remainder of the season upside down.

The moment is open-ended enough that the show could use it to its advantage if they wanted to play with the idea of Emma knowing before Charlie’s real secret is revealed.

Emma reassures him that she’s all in, and although he is too, you can see it weighs on him because Emma’s secret is out. She’s open and radiant, and Catherine Haena Kim brings so much joy and liveliness to her. So it’s easy to see Emma is in deep with Charlie.

And Charlie is in deep so many different ways; who knows if he can handle one more secret — regardless of how good a con man he is.

I am curious to see how the added weight of keeping a secret from his family and worrying about them even more will impact his relationship with Emma.

One thing is for sure — this show will keep us guessing as it reveals more secrets.

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What did you think of this episode of The Company You Keep? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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