TV: Pan Am (episode 9)

This week was the airing of the ninth episode of ABC's Pan Am. The episode is entitled "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" and the crew has a flight to London while Dean and Colette play hookie. Let's take a look at the details.


Kate tries to tell her CIA government contact that she wants out, but he tells her he has one more mission for her to complete before she can leave.

Dean decides to take Colette out for a flying lesson, in the crop duster owned by his parents. Needless to say Colette is not thrilled to have that sprung upon her. She is even more concerned when his parents mistake her for Bridgette. It doesn't help that Dean's father Bill is a pain the butt. But the new couple makes up and makes hay in the hay no less.

On the London flight, Maggie's roommate Sam makes a scene as he is going to London to protest nuclear weapons testing. Congressman Christopher Wallon who is also going to the conference catches Maggie's eye. Ted gets annoyed at Captain Denis Norton, an old WWII pilot with grabby hands and condescending ideas. When Norton targets Laura, Ted intervenes.

In London, Kate learns there is more to her final mission that she expected. An unexpected fire at the hotel leads to the mission falling apart. In order to save her partner, Maggie takes a fateful action.

Ted asks Laura for a favor: to pose as his ex-girlfriend when he has to meet a girl he used to know for dinner. However, Ted seems to be reluctant to go through the plan after he sees the girl. As Laura is ready to break them up, she runs into Norton and learns that Ted implied that he and Laura were an item.

Maggie has her hands full dealing with Sam who challenges her to use her position to make a difference. She decides to try to talk to the congressman about her position against nuclear arms. She ends up having a drinks in his hotel room as he tries to manuever her into bed. And we get not one but two scenes of Christina Ricci in her undergarments. That should certainly help with the ratings.

The story is spread out pretty evenly across the six cast members, giving each actor some room to work their characters. There are a number of cliffhanging plots left as well: what will happen with Dean and Colette now? Will Ted and Laura become a couple? Will the congressman pursue Maggie? What will happen to Kate after her action?

This bodes well for the remaining five episodes left to air for the first season.