TV Review: PAN AM 1.9, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang"
Pan Am returns to the air after a short break...
rating: 2.5
Pan Am returns to the air after a short break. It returns on the 20th anniversary of the last Pan Am flight (Flight 436, Barbados to Miami, in case youre curious). Given the rumors that have been swirling around about the shows impending cancellation, Ill try not to take this as an omen. Our story opens with Kate (Kelli Garner), trying to leave her secondary job with the CIA. Her handler makes some subtle threats and then asks her to go on one last simple mission. She agrees (after more threats, because what you really want in an agent is someone whos scared of you, because those people make the most rational choices). Of course by the time she gets to London, it turns out that the mission has expanded quite a bit, and she finds herself having to do more. Meantime, Dean (Mike Vogel), has decided to take Collette (Karine Vanasse), out on flying lessons. He doesnt tell her up front that these lessons will be on a crop duster owned by his family and stored at his parents house. She becomes nervous at the idea of meeting them, something which winds up being somewhat prophetic, as his parents, especially his father, isnt too happy to see him with yet another woman after thinking Dean was involved with Bridgett. Back on the airplane, Captain Deans absence has required the airline to provide a replacement captain; one whos older, more experienced, and makes me want to apologize to everyone on the half of all men everywhere. Hes of course a sexist, obnoxious control freak who begins harassing Laura (Margot Robbie), pretty much the moment he lays eyes on her. After she accidentally spills coffee on him, her bacon gets saved by Ted (Michael Mosley), who has plans of his own with Laura. And finally on our cavalcade of plots, we have Maggie (Christina Ricci), whose 1960s proto-hipster boyfriend is flying to London to protest nuclear weapons (gee, remember when we were all scared of something that could actually kill all of humanity instead of just worrying about terrorists?). He talks her into putting him in first class, and then proceeds to act like an ass to a Congressman who is sitting near him. She knocks him back to coach and then starts spending an awful lot of quality time with the Congressman. A lot happened in this episode, as you can see. Ill go over my impressions of the plots in order. First, the spy plot really continues to drag down the series. I understand their desire to have some sort of Cold War tie in, but there is a right way and a wrong way, and I havent seen anything to indicate that the spy plotline is going in the right way. It continues to be a distraction, and makes almost everyone involved look foolish, though I will give them credit for occasionally using it as a way to show Kate being smart and clever. The Dean/Collette plotline really did seem to come out of nowhere. Yes, we knew they had a thing for each other, but it seemed to go from low simmer to full boil without any middle stage. Plus it really felt like all the mentions of Bridgett were just there to remind us that she exists (and from what I can see, looks to be returning in the next episode). Laura and Teds storyline had some nice potential, but the payoff was a bit iffy, and it all felt kind of forced. As for Maggies storywell, that one wasnt bad, actually. She remains one of the more interesting characters on the show, and Im always pleased when they give her something to do. The outcome of her story was a bit predictable, but otherwise it was ok. I will give the series some credit: its better now than it was when it first started. For one thing, there wasnt even one single flashback in this entire episode! So well done there. They seem to just be doing a better job in general of putting the show together. On the other hand, a lot of problems remain, including a lack of focus caused by having four plotlines in one 42 minute episode. Two is the most one should attempt, maybe three with a long-established series that has deep and interesting characters. A show like this? Not so much. As I mentioned at the top, there are rumors flying that the series is going to be cancelled. Looking at the ratings drop-off, Im willing to bet those rumors are likely going to be true. The fact that this is the last new episode until January 8th doesnt help matters. I wouldnt be surprised to see the show pulled from the schedule after January. After the previous episode, Id hoped theyd continue with good, solid storytelling. They havent. I have a feeling thats going to wind up being their epitath.