I love it when a television show nails it so completely that I want to rewind the episode and watch it again immediately just to bask in the glow of it a while longer before I call all my friends and threaten to disown them if they don’t watch it too. Pan Am was everything I had hoped The Playboy Club would be and more. It was glitzy, smart, funny, sexy, well-written and a joy to watch. I know I can blow things out of proportion sometimes but I am seriously not kidding when I tell you that this show is fantastic. What love story there was kept its place with the rest of the story instead of smothering it with a pillow like on most shows these days. Contrary to what demographics may tell you not everyone wants to see their tv characters romancing each other up all the time and the “will they or won’t they” tension just gets old. Pan Am played it right with some clearly defined relationship drama that was neatly stowed in the overhead bin for the majority of the flight. Sure, it will get pulled out again later but for now I am content leaving it up there with the complimentary pillows. If you didn’t watch, and by God what were you doing instead if you didn’t, here is the 411. It’s a bit spoilery, but I don’t give away the whole goose or anything.
Pan Am departs from New York City in 1963 where airports are freakishly clean and the most coveted job on earth for a young woman is to be a Pan Am stewardess. Not flight attendant mind you, but stewardesses and these girls own it completely. Held to an almost pageant like standard of beauty the women are inspected, weighed and belittled by the severe looking headmistress. The job is so wonderful that timid beauty Laura Cameron (Margot Robbie) bolts from her wedding and signs up to join her sister Kate (Kelli Garner) on the maiden flight of the brand new jet clipper Majestic. She’s been on the job a week and already made the cover of Life Magazine on a fluke. At the helm is Ken Doll lookalike Captain Dean Lowrey (Mike Vogel) and First Officer Ted Vanderway (Michael Mosley). Ted is a bit of a Playboy and hits on the new stewardess the moment the plane is in the air. Dean on the other hand is pining over Bridget, a purser who mysteriously didn’t show up for work. Her absence leads to Maggie Ryan (Christina Ricci) getting a call and being airlifted in to fill the spot at the last minute. Also on board is French beauty Colette Valois (Karine Vanasse). More about her in a bit.
Before the flight leaves the gate we learn that there is more going on here than just a jet-age romance and excuse to wear cool clothes. Turns out Kate is working with the CIA and is quite adept at the art of deception and slight of hand. The tight blue costume helps a bit too we find out. We also find out that the crew of the Majestic do more than just serve drinks to travelling businessmen. They recently airlifted refugees out of Cuba after the Bay of Pigs, a mission that probably got Captain Dean his promotion and managed to lose him his girl at the same time. Oh and remember that love story I mentioned earlier? The one stowed neatly in the overhead compartment? It gets pulled out again in a big way when we learn that Dean’s girl Bridget has vanished from London without a word and Dean is not too happy about it. I suspect he’ll get over it though. Pretty boys usually do. Also suffering a romantic blow is Colette who learns more than she wanted to about her transatlantic boyfriend on this flight, and gets put in her place like an unstowed tray table.
The one girl we didn’t learn a lot about was Maggie, but we have whole season for that. In the meantime I’m content to watch the long tracking shots of the fabulously glamorous stewardesses walking across the terminal in slow motion, every eye in the place on them. And for good reason. These girls are the bees knees and they know it. Pan Am arrives at your gate on Sundays at 10pm, right after Desperate Housewives on ABC, and YOU SHOULD WATCH! No really, you should.
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