Originally Posted by Turnbull
Originally Posted by mustachepete

I think it's a reasonable inference that he could open the drapes for him.

That's where my thoughts were taking me.
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But, note the subsequent conversation with Johnny: "Will he come alone?...Just go along, everything will be alright FREDO -- PENTANGELI says he's willing to make the deal. All we want to know is if he's on the level or if he's gonna bring his boys...." So Johnny, at least, seems to think that Fredo has ways of gaining insights into the Corleone family that could be helpful to Roth.

Pete, I believe that scene was pure directoral licence, designed to set up Fredo as the traitor. The scene immediately before it ends with Michael telling Pentangeli he wants Roth "relaxed...and then I'll know who the traitor in my family is." Logically,how would Fredo know that Michael had asked Pentangeli to meet with the Rosatos? And, how would Fredo know whether or not Pentangeli was gonna bring his boys?
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Again, though, Fredo's basic character in GF2 is something of a mystery. At the end of the first movie, he seems to be at least useful working in a big casino-hotel. Now the Corleones have four of them, and Fredo's running a brothel. It doesn't make sense. Is the only reason Fredo's doing that in the movie is so Tom can tell Geary it's Fredo's place?

I agree that Fredo's character in II is something of a complex mystery since he was such a nonentity in GF. Now, all of a sudden, he's nursing a big grudge against his brother and is conspiring with Michael's enemies in a deadly plot. It's a huge turnaround for him. And,sure, Fredo operating the brothel is a perfect setup for the trap they set for Geary. I'll go a step farther: Maybe running the brothel was part of Fredo's "Mickey Mouse nightclub" resentment--he served a rough and humiliating apprenticeship learning the casino business under Moe Greene, but Michael apparently isn't letting him anywhere near his casino empire,or including him in the Havana deal. A step even farther: Vito had contempt for Tattaglia because he was a pimp---what is Fredo now?






. Eh that’s a big stretch. Again there is no evidence to suggest he was consciously conspiring with Roth to take down Mike. Being resentful is evidence because like I’ve mentioned before we’ve all probably had those type of feeling at some point in our lives but we don’t act on them. There is still much more evidence pointing to the fact that Fredo stupidly and naively thought he was helping Mike and the Family while at the same time doing it on own. I don’t think it’s a big departure from Part 1. In Part 1 we see him trying to be capable for his family but he can’t seem to do it as we saw with Vito’s assassination attempt and he breaks down. Same situation here he thought he was helping but it backfired.