Pan Am: Can’t Get Enough of Your Pan Am Service ...

Pan Am
Episode 106
"The Genuine Article"

The backdrop settings for this Maggie-centric episode (Aviva, I understand if you stop reading now) consist of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech, delivered August 28, 1963 (though we were only a week or two at most from the Monte Carlo trip which happened in July show time and May in real life … ok!) on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and the rise of second wave feminism, launched by the publication of The Feminine Mystique earlier in the year.  Dr. King’s speech is widely known in America and is a backbone, centerpiece of the racial equality movement of the 1960s. The larger context of freedom for mankind is the them to grasp onto for our purposes.  The rise of feminism (Ted is reading The Feminine Mystique to better his fake understanding of women) in the 1960s is about women standing up for their own sort of equality, in all spheres of life … for stepping out of the man’s shadow.  The Feminine Mystique deals with the growing restlessness of women who were still being forced into their assigned roles by societal norms (you also see this restlessness in Mad Men through the characters of Peggy and Joan).  Maggie and even Laura embody this ideal for this episode. On a nerdier historical front, its important to know that there was a guy named Josip Broz (who went by Tito or Marshal Tito) ruling the then country of Yugoslavia, basically as a (fairly popular) dictator and avowed communist. History has revealed that Tito ruled the country built on a house of cards and typical dictatorial suppression of competing ideas; a house which completely crumbled into chaos after his death in 1980. During his time, which coincided with the bulk of the Cold War, Tito made a name for himself by having a non-alignment policy with neither the USSR nor the United States, using and repelling each as it served his needs.  

And now that you're asleep, the episode ...

Pan Am: It Could Be Worse, You Could Have Jujube'd His Wife

Pan Am

Episode 105

“One Coin in a Fountain”

Tonight’s episode was kind of fun and drama free.  It takes place against the backdrop of the yearly Monaco Grand Prix, which Wikipedia describes as one of the most “important and prestigious” races run in the world. Held since 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix was also called the European Grand Prix in 1963 (due to a rotating title across the European racing circuit at the time). The 1963 Monaco Grand Prix was won by 6 time champion Graham Hill of British Racing Motors. Bruce McLaren (the 1962 winner driving for Cooper-Climax which is Dean’s stated favorite to win) came in third.  The race was held on May 26, 1963 which makes it consistent with last week’s Mercury 9 launch timeline but not with the fact that we are now in early July in the show’s stated chronology. Did nothing happen of note in the summer of 1963, internationally, which the show can shuttle the ladies to? 

Whatever, let's get on with the show!

Pan Am: Our Motto is "Go Native!"

Pan Am
Episode 104
"Eastern Exposure"

This week's episode of Pan Am reinforced the show's "Kate storyline formula" of a one episode arc mission and continuing exasperation with Laura, but was a nice deviation from the majority of the action taking place on the plane itself.  Also nice, was the shift in focus from what we thought were going to be the 5 main characters (the 4 Stewardesses and Dean) to a nice Ted-centric episode wherein we establish his backstory, his motivations and firm him up as more than just a recurring character. Let's not focus on the space mission continuity error and enjoy the ride.  Let's go native shall we!

Pan Am: You Have No Idea What it Takes to Keep a Cold War Cold.

Pan Am
Episode 103
"Ich Bin Ein Berliner"

So, this week Pan Am took its first real foray into incorporating its fictional storyline into the backdrop of a very real and very famous historical moment, President Kennedy's speech at the Berlin Wall in the Summer of 1963.  The real treat in watching period piece television shows is the use of real events to bolster the escapism created by the nostalgic journey back in time. What good is putting a show into 1963 if its only going to cover the corn stalks growing in the bread basket of America?  Since its an important backdrop for the entire episode, lets preface the recap of the episode with an overview of the Kennedy Berlin Wall Speech and its place in history ... after the jump.

Pan Am: Christina Ricci is NOT Included in the Price of Your Ticket

Pan Am
Episode 102
"We'll Always Have Paris"

The second episode of Pan Am was a solid follow-up to the premiere. By keeping the core cast to a relatively small size, each character is getting a decent amount of time for development.  It also looks like the show is settling into a  little storytelling rhythm, foundations laid in the pre-flight scenes; the playing out of the action on board (aided by some useful flashbacks); and a varying size of wrap-up, based in whatever city we're flying to. So far, the device works.  Lets get into tonight's action. Buckle up, let's go.

Pan Am: Come Fly the Friendly (and Espionage Ridden) Skies

Pan Am

Episode 101

"Pilot"

The opening scenes of Pan Am make it very clear that we are in the 1960s and that Jackie Onassis has influenced the style sense of every American woman (the title card that tells us its 1963 helps).  Say whatever you want about this show, its effing beautiful.  The set directors and cinematographers deserve Emmys based on the Pilot episode alone.  Moving on.  The premise of the show is pretty straightforward. We will be following the professional (and personal, duh?) lives of 4 stewardesses employed by the eponymous Pan American Airways Incorporated in the golden age of intercontinental jet travel; when flying was fun and luxurious and no one though putting bombs in their underwear for Christmas funsies.  The historical accuracy of the show is not necessarily something to get hung up on since its a good story they are telling in any case, but I will brush up on my Pan Am lore and its place in history as the show progresses. Their mission today will take them on the inaugural flight of Pan Am's latest Clipper Jet, the Clipper Majestic, from NYC to London.  There is also a newly promoted Captain, a fratboy-esque first officer and a mysteriously missing stewardess named Bridget.  Let's figure out we are ... after the jump.

This show isn't so big on last names so I will forgo them unless the show indicates we should care.

Collete (played by Karine Vanasse):  An experienced stewardess who inadvertently sleeps with married men during layovers in romantic European cities like Rome.  She is entirely professional even when confronted by one such married man's family and directly confronted by the wife said married man at the conclusion of the flight.  Stay French Colette!

Kate (played by Kelli Garner): An experienced stewardess; the kick ass older sister to new stewardess Laura (she helped Laura escape her wedding in an awesome red convertible, while causing property damage in the process); AND the newest spy/courier for the CIA and MI-6 intelligence services. While having to deal with being on the same flight team as her baby sister (who has been christened the face of pan Am much to older sis's chagrin), she also has to carry out her first espionage mission; switching out the passport of a German passenger so that he is detained at customs ... she successfully completes her mission though it takes the entire intercontinental flight to do so.  Turns out, it was a test. The German passenger was in fact her new MI-6 (the British CIA for those that don't ready spy novels) handler.  We'll be seeing more of him.

Laura (played by Margot Robbie):  The newest Pan Am stewardess, she's only been flying 3 weeks.  Upon graduating from stewardess school, her picture was snapped by a photog for LIFE magazine and she was pictured on the cover of the magazine's latest issue about the ushering in of the "Jet Age".  She is clearly self-conscious and embarrassed by the attention this garners her but she is a natural beauty and fits right in with what the Pan Am stewardess should be.  She's going to be the Peggy from Mad Men and the show seems set up to really follow her as a central character. She's also the younger sister to flight teammate Kate and a runaway bride he was being shoehorned into a stereotypical 50's era wedding scenario by her close-minded mother.

Maggie (played by Christina Ricci):  An experienced stewardess who clearly has a rebel streak but also is clearly valued for her skills. She is sitting at home in the Village with her hippie dippy boyfriend (though those labels are so 1950s man ...) when she gets the call that Pan Am needs her to cover mysteriously missing Bridget's Purser spot on the Clipper Majestic. She hightails it (in a great old-fashioned NYC cab) to the Pan Am building in Midtown where she is helicoptered to the runway and boards just in time.  Maggie, I'd like to point out, was in the Bay of Pigs extraction flashback so she's clearly been around the block.  By the way, a Purser is the head stewardess on a flight and is like the boss of the flight cabin.

Dean  (played by Mike Vogel):  The newly promoted Pan Am captain and not secret paramour of the mysteriously missing Bridget.  Dean is piloting his first flight on Clipper Majestic run.  His maybe best friend is the frat-boy like Ted (played by Michael Mosley), a guy who clearly digs the new woman that the Pan Am stewardess represents and would like to sleep with as many of them as possible.  Dean is no stranger to danger, having been the first officer on an evacuee flight of Cuban exiles during the Bay of Pigs affair.  When Dean finds out that Bridget has resigned from Pan Am, he thinks its because she's decide to accept his proposal of marriage ... he's wrong.

Bridget (played by Annabelle Wallis):  Bridget is the not so secret lover of pilot Dean. She was also due to be the Purser on the Clipper Majestic flight but has seemingly disappeared.  We find out that she has in fact quit Pan Am.  Through flashbacks and some exposition (that you could have figured out from the flashbacks if yo knew where to look), we establish that Bridget was the previous "spy/courier" for the US and British governments and that she was the one that recommended Kate as her replacement.  We see her at the end of the episode spying on Dean in a bar and then we see her jumping in a car and speeding off.  We haven't see the last of Bridget but I have to imagine her clandestine role increased exponentially.

Pan Am is going to be a hit for ABC and it should be. Its fresh, engaging and has a great story to tell.  The flashback device was a little clunky in the Pilot; I think mainly due to its use for over the head exposition. That being said, I can see it being a great aid in the storytelling device, just as the "whoosh" flashbacks were in LOST -- they really help in understanding a character's motivations.  So buckle in, adventure calls. See you all next week!

What We'll Be Blogging ...

The Standing Blogger and the TV Watcher have had a restful Summer and are ready to come out swinging for the new Fall season.  Check out after the jump for the list of shows we're planning on covering for you this season.