As we discussed last week, the premise of The Catch is deceptively simple. Let’s review: Alice meets Christopher. Alice and Christopher start dating. Alice falls in love with Christopher. Alice and Christopher get engaged. Christopher vanishes and Alice realizes that she’s been conned into loving a man who never existed.
But the twist is this: Benjamin — who used the alias of Christopher for the year he spent with Alice — actually is in love with Alice. Unlike Alice’s love for the imaginary Christopher, Benjamin actually had the opportunity to know and love the very real woman who Alice is. It’s no wonder he’s become attached to her.
This is all very romantic and heartwarming, but the reality is far more complicated — and potentially dangerous.
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Given that we’re only two episodes into The Catch, there’s a lot we’ve yet to learn about Benjamin’s history with fellow thieves Margot and Reggie. It is very clear that they are a tight-knit crew; the three have worked together for years, and Benjamin refers to them as “family.” The romantic dynamic between Benjamin and Margot is also obvious, but it’s unclear precisely what their history is and how their relationship status would be defined. They kiss affectionately, but not intimately. They are bound together professionally, but probably not maritally. If Benjamin left his line of work, his relationship with Margot would likely evaporate.
And it does seem to me that he’s considering leaving the fold. Why else would he strategize a way to keep himself in Los Angeles, close to Alice, the woman he scorned? Sure, he seems to enjoy the thrill of stealing expensive jewelry and chatting up princesses, but he’s also keeping an eye on Alice, whether that means sneaking into her apartment to hang an original Maria Kreyn painting on her wall or watching her while she meets with FBI Special Agent Jules Dao. Er, the more we look at the evidence, this all feels a lot less romantic and a lot more stalker-like, doesn’t it?
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But it is romance, Benjamin proclaims! After Reggie catches him creeping on Alice and Jules, Benjamin assures his friend that he’s doing it out of love. He never meant for this to happen, but he can’t change how he feels! He’s so in love that he refuses to leave Los Angeles even though that is what his boss/lover has demanded of him! He’s so unashamed of his love that he’ll tell Margot himself!
Not so fast, Reggie cautions — Benjamin tells Margot the truth, Alice’s life will be in serious danger. Leaving their line of work isn’t like quitting any old job, and Margot’s jealousy and feelings of betrayal could lead her to hurt or kill Alice.
Does this mean that Alice’s life is in immediate danger? Given that she’s the focal point of the series, that seems highly risky and unlikely. But it does mean Benjamin will be taking serious precautions to make sure that his love is as safe as possible.
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Still, Margot will eventually find out Benjamin’s secret, and then what? Alice isn’t going to die anytime soon, but could she be seriously injured? Could the stalking we’ve seen already be upped to an even more serious degree? Will her trust in other people be shattered even more severely than it already has been?
Or is Reggie trying to play Benjamin in order to keep him focused on his work and away from his ex? It’s possible that Margot isn’t as violent as we’re led to believe — everything he says to Benjamin could be one big distraction. Fans on Twitter certainly seem to suspect that Reggie’s claims are a tad hyperbolic.
Is Margo that ruthless? She have people killed? #TheCatch
— Tara (@box5angel) April 1, 2016
https://twitter.com/LadySolitaire83/status/715727315016089601
It’s probably safe to assume, then, that Alice is safe… for now. But how long will that keep up? We’ll definitely have a better understanding of her risk in the coming weeks, so stay tuned.
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