Even with his new sense of freedom, and his new love, Michael is still determined to break into the mob. Upon his release, Michael "swore to himself he would never let anyone make him feel small and helpless as Carter (Josh Wingate) did to him and there's a part of him that wants to have the power now after feeling completely powerless," Duell revealed. Michael feels as if something was stolen from him in prison, so he wants to use the mob to fill that void. Despite understanding Michael's reasons for wanting to be in the mob, Duell described the obsession as "silly," because Michael is willing to throw his life away, despite all the support and opportunities he has. Fortunately, Abby is able to distract him from those desires and convinces him to work at ELQ with her instead.