Review:  Pan Am – Season 1, Episode 6, “The Genuine Article”

Rating: ★★★★★

Air date: Friday, October 21 at 10pm ET/PT on Starz

People figure out ‘fakes’ sooner or later and in this week’s Pan Am, Maggie Ryan’s (Christina Ricci) conning ways catch up with her, while two of her co-workers are involved in risky love affairs.

Captain Dean Lowrey (Mike Vogel) heats it up with Ginny Saddler (Erin Cummings), the lover of senior Pan Am Vice President Everett Henson (Scott Cohen).  Kate Cameron’s (Kelli Garner) relationship with Yugoslavian CIA target Niko Lonza (Goran Visnjic) intensifies.

Christina Ricci, the biggest star name in the cast, finally gets to shine. It’s no surprise Maggie is in trouble for insubordination but seeing her admit how much she has to lose beyond her job is touching.

Maggie Ryan's (Christina Ricci) ability to make friends and the embellishment of her skills has helped her move ahead in life.

This week, the show’s recurrent flashbacks show Maggie actually telling the truth when she claims she has worked her entire life to be a Pan Am stewardess. Without getting too sentimental so we feel sorry for her, the scenes show us how Maggie has the guts and tenacity to take shortcuts to get what she wants. When a Life Magazine photographer shadows Laura Cameron (Margot Robbie), Maggie proactively seeks his help in the hopes of solving her “PR” work problem. She finally runs out of fairy dust in Rio and is shocked to be arrested along with Laura, but I am not. Maggie may be street smart in America but being in a Latin American country and facing a language barrier, she is dealing with a whole other level of game. It is pleasant to see the female obsessed Ted Vanderway (Michael Mosley) emerge as the stewardesses’ unlikely knight in shining armor, saving the day once again.

When Ginny boards the Rio de Janeiro flight, the proverbial “it takes one to know one” is more than a classic retort for Maggie, who is crystal clear that the woman isn’t really Mr. Henson’s secretary. Dean, on the other hand, is surprised to see his lover and wonders how she secures the hotel room next to his (and so do I!). Vogel is likeable and credible in his stature as a Pan Am pilot and leading man because he humanizes Dean by not shying away from showcasing the character’s flaws and weaknesses.

Mike Vogel is a likeable leading man as Captain Dean Lowrey.

CIA covert operative Kate Cameron is unexpectedly grounded in NY as headquarters can’t find her small pox vaccination records; plus, she’s informed a man named Richard has reported a busted pipe in her building. She gets that her handler, Richard Parks (Jeremy Davidson), is trying to get her attention and that makes her anxious – it appears she’s been purposely avoiding him. Her next job is to find out Niko’s political affiliation and whereabouts, a job she doesn’t appear comfortable with.

Garner feeds from her chemistry with Visnjic and her portrayal of Cameron becomes wittier and worldlier in her scenes with him. Their characters’ playful interaction reflects the growing affection for one another. Although Niko confesses his infatuation with her, it’s only when Kelli fears for his safety that she confesses her feelings for him. The astute Parks suspects Kate’s emotional ties and after she paints the Yugoslav as a non-communist and Martin Luther King supporter, he wants her to turn Niko into a CIA asset. Given that Kate fails to firmly push back on his request and Niko doesn’t suspect her patriotic moonlighting, I expect this storyline to add interesting dynamics to the show.

Kate Cameron’s (Kelli Garner) earns Niko Lonza's (Goran Visnjic) trust but his diplomatic post is endangered due to his position towards Yugoslavian statesman Tito.

Karine Vanasse’s character (Colette Valois) is once again heavily underwritten while Margot Robbie’s character (Laura) shows a growing sense of assertiveness. The progression seems realistic but Laura’s admonishment of Ryan as a fake seems too judgmental for someone who couldn’t face her parents or former fiancée for months after standing them up on her wedding day. However, Robbie plays Laura in a sympathetic and humble way in spite of the stereotypes which plague her character.

In lieu of my enjoyment of the storyline, stunning visuals and costuming, I find the lack of attention to details in Pan Am often distracting. When Ricci’s character accidentally overhears a secret, the wide-shot of the other actors involved in the background showcases them in a demeanor which is not in line with the intensity the sequence requires. The monosyllabic dialogue typically utilized by the actors playing ‘natives’ in the international locations the crew travels to is a lazy simplification. Viewers don’t need to have travelled to Rio to know the locals in tourist traps all around the world, and the US, yap away like crazy. Interestingly enough, the next Pan Am is titled “Romance Languages.”

Towards the end of “The Genuine Article,” Maggie will make a decision that she’ll regret. Kate struggles with her mission as Dean realizes Ginny is a woman for whom the words “no” or “stop” work as an aphrodisiac. The complexity in these dynamics may be what Pan Am needs for its storyline to solidly take flight once and for all.

Tune in to Pan Am Sundays at 10pm ET/PT on ABC. For more on the show, visit http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/pan-am.

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