TV: Pan Am (episode 7)

This week was the airing of the seventh episode of ABC's Pan Am. Looking at the ratings numbers from last night, the show seems to be holding strong at 5.24 million viewers. This leveling seems to support the network's cautious awarding of five more episodes to the run. That will likely get them up to thirteen, but do they have enough fuel to warrant the back nine? We'll have to wait and see.

Episode seven is entitled "Truth or Dare" which starts out with an entertaining game of that title between the four ladies. Sadly, it doesn't stay there that long. Let's take a look at the details.


If it wasn't for the Kate/Niko plotline coming to a head, I would have seriously questioned if this episode was one shown out of order. Where was the fallout from Maggie spilling information about Dean and Ginny in order to keep her job? What happened to Laura being mad at Maggie? Things really seemed disjointed here. In fact, other than Maggie throwing a party and disappearing with some guy we barely see her except for a bit on the flight. Odd.

And, for those who ask me about Colette, she does appear in this episode. She displays a nifty talent with cherry stems, she helps serve drinks to the enlisted men on the special flight, and she gets some time alone with Dean in the cockpit - flying the plane. I am not really happy that his character has been given such a supporting role of late.

Instead, the episode focuses on those daring sisters of the skies. Yawn. I'm not a big fan of these two.

As I mentioned earlier, Kate's involvement with Niko comes to ahead. It looks like the CIA wants him to be a spy for them against his own country, and they don't take no for an answer. Kate feels bad when four men drag Niko away from her apartment, but what can she do? Nothing. The story line never really captured my interest so I am glad that it is done. The actors never really ignited the screen; the chemistry just seemed off. It would have been nice if Kate had lost her spying gig too but I doubt that will ever happen.

Meanwhile, we find out from the Truth or Dare game that Laura took some nude shots a few weeks back when that Life magazine photographer was working with her. You'd think that would be the big story line for her, but no that's not it. Why, show, why? Saving it for later I would guess. Instead, she gets involved with a sailor named Joe, who happens to be an African-American. Yup, time for the racial divide of the 1960's to appear. It didn't take the writers too long to go to this inevitable topic. Still, they handle it pretty well. Joe takes a liking to Laura as she was friendly to him. There is an almost kiss on the flight, then he manages to have an excuse to stay the night after the party - all in hopes to spend more time with Laura. But she's cautious. She locks her bedroom door at night, but later feels bad about it. The next day, the bigot landlord threatens to throw her out of the apartment if she doesn't ask Joe to leave. Instead, she convinces Joe to go out to see NY for the day only to get him beat up at the train station. In the end, she apologizes for all she did wrong to him but he tells her he is happy for those things she did right. They end up in some heavy making out, and perhaps more? We don't see the entire scene play out.

Honestly, I was hoping for another good episode like last week. This show really needs to come up with some plots that get viewers talking if it hopes to improve the ratings. I really wonder if at this point they can pull it off. I'm planning to stick around a bit longer, especially if thirteen is all they get to (we're over halfway there now).