The death of Appolonia was written into the novel by Puzo and it would've been ridiculous to alter that for the movie.

While her murder is a tragic and life-altering event for Michael, it made for a fantastic twist from a storytelling point of view. Beautiful young bride that he is trying to protect ends up dead, the victim of a car bomb that was meant solely for him. And by one of his trusted bodyguards, no less.

Just as with Sonny's death...there would have been far less of an impact without it in the story.

Kay was a very good wife & mother, apparently patient and tolerant of Michael's 'Business' until bullets were fired into her bedroom. (Though we can see at the Communion Party that she has begun to be disillusioned by the whole thing.) When she dared to ask him if he was responsible for Carlo's death...I think it was only because of Carlo being family and Connie so horribly upset. Michael finally allowed it & told her what he knew she wanted to hear.

While Appolonia would've probably been more of a 'look-the-other-way' type of mob wife in the mold of Mama Corleone...that too would've made the story far less interesting. As our pal Don Cardi BRILLIANTLY stated in my presence at the NJ Convention a few weeks ago...we are NOT SUPPOSED to like Kay. She is the monkey-wrench, the kink in the armor, the one who protests, who asks all the questions that are not supposed to be asked but that the audience needs someone to ask for them.

There was NO mistake in the death of Appolonia.

AppleOnYa