@GForce59 said:

It's been so long since I saw this the first time, and I've seen it so many times since, I forgot what we the audience was supposed to think when Devasher debriefed Mitch and what Mitch thought. Did Mitch think the FBI took the pictures and the firm was truly trying to protect him? (If so, how did they get the pictures?) Or was the intent truly to let Mitch know the firm had him by the balls and was blackmailing him? Remember, at that point we didn't know the girl was a set up.

The latter. Showing that the firm had leverage as well as the FBI, so Mitch better not get ideas. I think it was done in that strange passive aggressive way to be gentle with Mitch and give him the benefit of the doubt that he hadn't betrayed them. If they'd just outright threatened him it would have alienated him from the firm.

What was weird is that Mitch didn't tell his wife that he'd been set up (which he must surely have suspected given the photographs). He didn't even try to defend himself.

@Fergoose said:

@GForce59 said:

It's been so long since I saw this the first time, and I've seen it so many times since, I forgot what we the audience was supposed to think when Devasher debriefed Mitch and what Mitch thought. Did Mitch think the FBI took the pictures and the firm was truly trying to protect him? (If so, how did they get the pictures?) Or was the intent truly to let Mitch know the firm had him by the balls and was blackmailing him? Remember, at that point we didn't know the girl was a set up.

The latter. Showing that the firm had leverage as well as the FBI, so Mitch better not get ideas. I think it was done in that strange passive aggressive way to be gentle with Mitch and give him the benefit of the doubt that he hadn't betrayed them. If they'd just outright threatened him it would have alienated him from the firm.

What was weird is that Mitch didn't tell his wife that he'd been set up (which he must surely have suspected given the photographs). He didn't even try to defend himself.

I guess we have to assume Mitch realized it was a set up since they had the photos, but yeah…why not tell Abby? Maybe his mind was swimming so much it didn’t even occur to him. I don’t know. But when Avery told Abby, it was a huge step to she and Mitch mending the fence. (I guess at some point Abby must have told Mitch what Avery said, but maybe that was during the conversation she said they will have “someday.”)