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Michael let Tom go?
#905791
01/29/17 02:55 PM
01/29/17 02:55 PM
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Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512 AZ
Turnbull
OP
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OP
Joined: Oct 2001
Posts: 19,512
AZ
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In the boathouse, near the end of II, Michael cruelly tests Tom’s loyalty. First he asks Tom if he was going to move his family to Vegas to accept the vice presidency of “the house and hotels there.” Then he asks if Tom was going to “come along in these things I have to do”; otherwise Tom “could move his wife, his family and his mistress to Vegas.”
What if Tom, pissed off, said, “Yeah, Mike, I’ve accepted the offer of the vice presidency of the house and hotels, and I’m moving to Vegas.” Would Michael have let him go?
Ntra la porta tua lu sangu � sparsu, E nun me mporta si ce muoru accisu... E s'iddu muoru e vaju mparadisu Si nun ce truovo a ttia, mancu ce trasu.
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Re: Michael let Tom go?
[Re: Turnbull]
#905793
01/29/17 03:14 PM
01/29/17 03:14 PM
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,019 Texas
olivant
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Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 15,019
Texas
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Great topic TB.
I will go to my grave believing, as I've posted several times, that Michael blamed Tom for the Corleones near demise: Sonny's murder, Vito's near-murder, his exile to Sicily, his involvement overall in the family business which he had previously eschewed, and, in a perverse way, his having to murder his brother.
Michael took so many opportunities to hurt Tom: "Why do you hurt me, Michael?" in that scene. Previously, "You know my lawyer, Tom Hagen." followed by "He only handles specific areas of the family business."
So, in answer to your question: yes, he would have.
Last edited by olivant; 01/29/17 03:14 PM.
"Generosity. That was my first mistake." "Experience must be our only guide; reason may mislead us." "Instagram is Twitter for people who can't read."
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Re: Michael let Tom go?
[Re: Turnbull]
#905879
01/31/17 11:58 AM
01/31/17 11:58 AM
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 341 North America
Mr. Blonde
Capo
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Capo
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 341
North America
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Very thought provoking.
The timing is significant in that this occurred while Michael was planning on killing Fredo. Tom's "betrayal" would have been much less significant than Fredo's, but also bear in mind that Fredo was a blood brother, which Michael always seemed to distinguish. We never saw the camaraderie and closeness between Michael and Tom that we did with Michael and Fredo and Sonny. Which would make it easier to off Tom in Michael's mind. How easy would it have been to add Tom to the Roth/Pentangeli/Fredo list of hits?
Having said that, I can't quite convince myself that he would have offed Tom. Taking a new job, while not the norm, wasn't an act of betrayal anywhere near that of Fredo's or Pentangeli's. More importantly, despite the desire to kill his enemies and the hardening of his soul, Michael remained pragmatic. He was going to have his blood brother killed (albeit for reasons one could understand, if not necessarily agree with). He was going to convince his capo to commit suicide. He was going to send arguably his #2 man on a suicide mission so that Roth would die. This alone pushed the bounds of trust. Adding to this the killing of his adopted brother for such a reason would crush morale, loyalty, and cripple the family irreparably from the inside out.
So what I think would happen is this - Michael would besmirch Tom's reputation as best he could, then apply significant pressure to Tom's would-be employer to not hire him. In short, make him an offer he couldn't refuse. Rinse and repeat as necessary. Eventually, Tom would either have to return hat-in-hand back to Michael or live in the manner Fredo did post-boathouse. Isolated and watched.
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