TV Review: PAN AM 1.10, "Secrets and Lies"

ABC kept it off their air for several weeks during the holiday season, but now it’s back. Has it improved any in the time it was gone?

rating: 2

When I told some friends of mine that I would be reviewing tonight€™s episode of Pan Am, their response was, €œThat€™s still on?€ Yes, it is, surprisingly. ABC kept it off their air for several weeks during the holiday season, but now it€™s back. Has it improved any in the time it was gone? Sadly, no. We begin right where the previous episode left off: Kate (Kelli Garner), has shot and killed a man in her capacity as a spy. Very quickly her handler tells her about some protocols and chases her out of the country. She returns to the USA, and runs into Bridgett (Annabelle Wallis). Yes, we finally get to see quite a bit of her in this episode. Anyhow, Kate€™s handler then tracks her down, tells her that he told MI-6 that he€™s the one who pulled the trigger, and that she needs to return to the UK for a polygraph exam; a polygraph exam during which she now has to lie. Our second plot (because we apparently need several), centers on the growing relationship between Colette (Karine Vanasse), and Captain Dean (Mike Vogel). Things with them are going quite well, and everyone seems to be having a grand ole time. Well, until Bridgett, who just can€™t leave well enough alone, shows up, thus throwing a nice wrench into things. Meantime, Ted (Michael Mosley), has begun actually dating the woman we saw him meeting with in the previous episode. He€™s happy to be involved with her, and plans to have his father meet her at dinner, but he€™s disappointed that he€™s not getting any, so he talks with Laura (Margot Robbie), about how best to get what he wants. She€™s a little less than happy about being consulted this way. Finally we have Maggie (Christina Ricci). She€™s back in America after her little run-in with a conservative senator in London. The two seems to have some chemistry, so he seeks her out in the US and before you know it, they seem to be a couple. This is complicated for Maggie, as she plans to be a political writer, and it€™s somewhat awkward writing about him under these circumstances. So there we are. One episode, four plots, three of which are love stories. Yeah. That€™s where we are. I will say that I really liked the chemistry between Vogel and Vanasse. They worked very well together and I liked the way the characters interacted. It felt like a real, natural relationship and that was good to see. It was also kind of amusing, though not very likely, that Ted would go to Laura for advice on how to get down another woman€™s pants. I suppose it€™s possible his character is that clueless, but I dunno. Frankly I don€™t think I€™ve ever met anyone that dumb in the real world. Though possibly I just need to get out more. On the other hand, virtually everything else in this story fell-flat and felt forced. I didn€™t buy any of the relationships we were seeing, and the whole spy plotline really has just become something of an albatross for the series, though I did like that Kate is experiencing guilt feelings over killing someone and I liked that Bridgett was someone should could almost talk with about her problems. Overall this episode was just fairly dull and boring. I had a really tough time paying attention. Nothing about it was gripping, and even the best part (Dean and Colette), was weighed down by the return of Bridgett. There€™s only three more episodes of this season, and I suspect that will be it for the show as a whole. At this point I think that€™s three episodes too many.
Contributor

Chris Swanson is a freelance writer and blogger based in Phoenix, Arizona, where winter happens to other people. His blog is at wilybadger.wordpress.com