Review: Pan Am – Season 1, Episode 10 – “Secrets and Lies”
Rating:
Air date: Sunday, January 8 at 10/9c on ABC
Sunday marked the return of Pan Am after a four-week hiatus. For TV audiences, that is a timeframe equivalent to a decade and I couldn’t help but wonder if Pan Am would come back with the right focus or if the storyline would fizzle and become anti-climactic?
My verdict? Thumbs up! “Secrets and Lies” concentrates on the stories that interest Pan Am’s core audience: romance (and its complications) packaged in glamour and the nostalgia appeal.
Stress builds up for Kate Cameron (Kelli Gardner) as she seeks a way out of her spy duties.
Bridget Pierce (Annabelle Wallis), fresh out of spy duty, is determined to get back both her old Pan Am job and former fiancé Dean (Mike Vogel). Dean is not only unhappy to see her but has already moved on to a relationship with another stewardess, Colette Valois (Karine Vanasse). The other key storyline of the show also picks up without missing a beat when Kate (Kelli Garner) faces the fallout from killing a British man to save fellow spy Anderson (David Harbour) during her supposed last espionage mission.
Let’s focus on the less critical story arcs first. As usual, Maggie Ryan (Christina Ricci) experiences self-induced drama due to her impulsive behavior. She is hell bent on publicly exposing Congressman Chris Rawlings (guest star Chris Beeten) for his “nuclear-death mongering” ways and exposing how much of a jackass he is through an article she’s written. What is going on here, I think, is yes, Maggie objects to Rawlings’ political position but she’s really angry at herself for succumbing to a one-night stand with him. In spite of her street smarts, Maggie hasn’t learned that changing a man’s core political views will require much more than a few casual sexual encounters. But since she’s one to always get her way and have the last word in most situations, Maggie taps her journalist friend Mike Ruskin (Colin Donnell) to publish her article. In the process, Maggie also gets a big reality check. First, her writing is below journalistic standards. Then, she’s also unprepared to deal with Rawlings’ advances as he is determined that Maggie sees him as a man rather than a politician. Lastly, she ends up falling for Rawlings against her better judgment. Ultimately, their sexual compatibility proves to be stronger than their political differences but I predict Maggie will pay a hefty price for sleeping with Rawlings when she fully knows what the presses are rolling out.
Michael Mosley, who plays Ted Vanderway, gets more camera time beyond his usual comedic relief role.
Maggie’s roommate Laura (Margot Robbie) has really grown on me as she’s slowly been written away from being a mere stereotype (the helpless naïve blonde) to being a woman who is finding her place in the world. Her kindness and patience especially shines through her growing friendship with Ted Vanderway (Michael Mosley).
Vanderway is most honest as a character when he is with Laura and their conversations reflect that. It’s not hard to get the hints there is more to their relationship than just friendship but Vanderway’s daddy issues cloud his judgment. He intends on asking Amanda Mason (Ashley Green) to marry him even though his gut is clearly telling him something is off with her in the bedroom department. With these two related story arcs, I like how Mosely gets the opportunity to stretch his wings beyond his usual comedic relief role while Green is convincing in her portrayal of a privileged woman in search of a suitable husband.
While Laura deals with such leisurely concerns as photography and engagement rings, Kate faces a major life dilemma stemming from a botched mission as she tries to protect her lover Niko Lonza (Goran Visnjic). Due to the murder, British intelligence demands she take a polygraph test and Anderson makes it clear both of their necks are on the line. As he preps her for the questioning, Kate’s conscience won’t leave her alone and she cracks under pressure. For someone who’s continuously and energetically expressed her desire to stop spying, it seems unrealistic of her to walk away from the prep session.
As Kate struggles with her conscience, she and Bridget bond over spy duties and end up talking about what is like to live with the deception that comes along with all the “Secrets and Lies” their spying duties require. Kate offers Bridget sound advice by encouraging her to move on since Dean has already done so and I’m not surprised when the advice falls on deaf ears.
With Bridget’s return, Dean and Colette’s flourishing relationship comes to a screeching halt. I’ve always enjoyed the chemistry between Vogel and Vanasse as I find them credible as a couple. In their playfulness and complicity, their characters’ personalities seem truly complimentary to one other. Unfortunately, Colette believes Bridget’s poor health sob story and pushes Dean to talk to her so they all can find closure. Are her intentions really that noble? It’s my impression Colette is letting her insecurities and fears from growing up an orphan play a factor in her decision to break it off with Dean. It’s the classic – and somewhat expected – tale of pushing people away to not be abandoned first and my guess is this isn’t the first time Collette has done something like this.
Ashley Greene as Amanda Mason, Ted Vanderway's curent love interest.
I enjoyed “Secrets and Lies” but I have some constructive criticism regarding patterns I’ve picked up from watching the show. First, I wish the storylines were less predictable. For example, does anyone really think Kate will walk away after Anderson’s calculated compliment that she’s really good at spying? Second, it’s disappointing to see Dean get it on so easily with Bridget after having acted so clear-headed and firm during most of the episode. I understand Pan Am packs a lot in a one-hour show and it’s all about escapism (as opposed to the painful realities of real life problems). Not all story arcs, however, ought to be rushed toward an episodic cliffhanger. If the story arc is important enough, viewers will welcome the slowdown and Pan Am’s actors are talented enough to pull it off.
Lastly, must all of the characters do what they want even if it’s against their best interests? I feel this is overdone and it circles back to the issue of predictability in the storylines. Although some viewers may enjoy this in a show, it’s not always fun to know what’s going to happen from miles away. For a show that hasn’t been confirmed for a second season, the action ought to be mixed up every so often with something unexpected.
In terms of positives, the action in “Secrets and Lies” moves quickly and the episode is also a visually stunning one, particularly from a fashion and setting standpoint. The writing shows improvement and the script has more of a comedy infusion than previous episodes. I like how details that are mentioned early in the episode come into play in the end to enhance the mood and setting. I am a huge Beatles fan and I love all their references and songs.
From an overall standpoint, the Pan Am creative team deserves kudos for coming back strong after a four-week hiatus – it’s a challenging task to do and the episode was an enjoyable one.
Tune in to Pan Am Sundays at 10/9c on ABC. For more on the show, visit http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/pan-am.
Follow @PanAmABC on Twitter.
All photos © 2011 ABC. All Rights Reserved.
elleL
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