The Nicoletti family is hard at work paying back Daphne Finch and the Irish mob in ABC‘s The Company You Keep. But Milo Ventimiglia’s Charlie is also trying to pursue his romantic connection with (secret) CIA agent Emma Hill after they met in the premiere. And the new couple took their relationship to the next level while the Nicolettis pulled off another con in The Company You Keep Episode 3, “Against All Odds.”
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers from The Company You Keep Season 1 Episode 3, “Against All Odds.”]
Ollie outs Charlie and Emma’s relationship in ‘The Company You Keep’ Episode 3
The Company You Keep Episode 3 starts with Charlie gushing over his new relationship with one of his friends while playing some one-on-one basketball. He describes Emma as “(really) smart, beautiful, funny, and complicated (but in the best way).” And amongst all the praises, we see flashes of Charlie and Emma’s relationship. They are very much in the honeymoon phase, but they also talk about real stuff, like Charlie’s dad’s dementia.
After spending the night together at Charlie’s apartment, Emma leaves through the back to not run into any of the Nicolettis. Unfortunately, Ollie sits on the steps outside and hilariously asks Emma if she’s kissing her uncle. Emma zips her lips, and Ollie promises to keep her secret after their adorable bonding moment. But, of course, Ollie confronts her uncle in front of her mother the first chance she gets.
Birdie is immediately skeptical of Charlie and Emma’s relationship, and once Leo and Fran arrive, Ollie spills the beans to them. And Charlie’s parents agree that he might be moving on too fast. Charlie quickly changes the subject after they ask when they can meet Emma, and he, Leo, and Ollie go to the racetrack to meet Jones Malone, a childhood friend of Charlie’s, who, according to Fran, has “big Gemini energy.”
Jones, also a con man, has a job he wants Charlie to get in on. Long story short, Jones is selling a horse he doesn’t own to a rich man for $1 million — essentially what happened during The Company You Keep Episode 1. If all goes well, Charlie gets 20 percent of the payout. The target is Martha Pope, a venture capitalist who has donated millions to renewable energy. Oh, and she’s Jones’ “fiancée.”
Jones introduces Charlie as a “legendary horse trainer” to Martha. But after researching “saint” Martha, the Nicolettis decide to work with her to take down Jones in The Company You Keep Episode 3. Oh, how the plot thickens.
Emma makes a good first impression with the Nicolettis
The Nicolettis pose as the horse’s owners when Jones brings Martha to the stables in The Company You Keep Episode 3. After some convincing, Martha agrees to buy the horse — Wicked Swift. She and Birdie have drinks, and Birdie spills the beans on Jones. And Martha, in the name of revenge, agrees to help the Nicolettis con her fiancé.
After scheming with Birdie, Martha renegotiates the deal so that it now banks on the horse’s racing odds. If they get better, she pays more; if they get worse, she pays less. But Martha’s alleged cap is $2 million.
Meanwhile, over on the Hill’s side of the show, David figures out that Emma is seeing someone. She doesn’t reveal any information to her brother, but Emma does fill out a relationship form at work. Speaking of work, Emma approaches Agent Micah Singh of the FBI for help in her case on Daphne Finch and the Maguires. He tells her that word on the street is that Daphne is mysteriously selling drugs to Maguire’s rivals for a discount.
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Daphne later calls Patrick Maguire’s son Connor, aka her half-brother, and he threatens to “come over” if the “money isn’t right.” So Daphne pays Charlie a visit at the bar and threatens to sick Connor on him if he doesn’t keep up with his payments. But Charlie calls her on her bluff, and she temporarily panics before leaving.
Afterward, Emma arrives for the Nicolettis’ derby crab feast at the bar and meets the family. While most welcome Emma with open arms, Birdie routinely gives her the cold shoulder. However, after some pushing, Emma convinces Birdie to play darts while Birdie interrogates her. And by the end of it, Charlie’s sister warms up to his new girlfriend in The Company You Keep Episode 3.
Charlie gets kidnapped in ‘The Company You Keep’ Episode 3
The following day, the Nicolettis and Jones arrive at the derby in The Company You Keep Episode 3. They bump the odds of Wicked Swift to 4:1, which increases Martha’s payout to $2.5 million. However, since her cap is $2 million, Charlie convinces Jones to put in his own money to make up the difference.
After the money is transferred at the racetrack, Jones books it, and Wicked Swift comes in sixth place.
At the Hill’s house, David’s campaign manager informs him that their political party is pulling their support from his senatorial campaign. David doesn’t alert his family members of the disturbing news. But he does message Claire Fox, who called him the night before and offered her services. However, it’s unclear who Claire is. We’re sure more will come on that front in future episodes.
Later that night, Ollie reveals that she slipped the tracker Birdie made her carry into Daphne’s purse. And Birdie and Charlie figure out Daphne is meeting with rival cartels. They decide to anonymously share this information with Connor, along with the fact that she’s his sister.
At the CIA, Emma and Mason discover that despite selling off drugs for a bargain, Daphne is funneling copious amounts of money into the mob’s bank account in Ireland. So Daphne is gaining favor with rivals and has found a new revenue stream.
At the end of The Company You Keep Episode 3, Jones calls Charlie. He’s flabbergasted at the lack of money in his account, and Charlie fakes anger toward his childhood friend and hangs up on him. And as Charlie leaves the bar to talk to Emma, a group of men kidnaps him.
The Company You Keep Episode 4, “All In,” premieres Sunday, March 19, at 10 p.m. ET on ABC.
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