It’s hard to imagine a world where air travel was a mesmerizing, enjoyable experience. As a 31 year old guy, my fondest memories of airlines were probably my earliest thoughts as well. Free peanuts, Sports Illustrated magazines wrapped in a plastic sheet cover, soft pillows, dark blue blankets, and the fizzle of high altitude soda. 30 some years doesn’t give you the full timeline of air travel around the world, but it’s easy to point out the less-than-glamorous life that is flying coach in our world during that span.
Indeed there was a time when such endeavors were tolerable, even enjoyable respits as you glided from point A to point B and back again. The 50′s and 60′s were full of a wonderous new age age of aero travel that was a glorious pursuit of the senses. Fancy drinks, on-board-smoking, dressed to the nines crew of stewardess, a friendly captain, and spacious lounging. But somwhere along the way, we’d forgotten about this glorious age. Then comes the ABC period drama, Pan Am, which was intended to remind us of days gone by.
But in the end, the show would be its own worst enemy. Sandwiched on a Sunday evening following the near end and terribly slumping Desperate Housewives. It was intended to be a showcase of the great Pan Am airlines that brought the cadillac comforts to the wild blue yonder. I watched the show for this reason alone. I wanted to see how my grandparents travelled in style. I loved the wimsy of those soft blue Pan Am stewardess caps. But the show turned out to be nothing of the sorts. It was all air travel with none of the pizazz. And although the show hasn’t been completely cancelled, it’s inevitable departure is quickly approaching. So what really grounded Pan Am?
Not Enough Ricci
Christina Ricci, who’s had a pretty decent career, was cast as the key player in the Pan Am wheel of excitement. However, we watched her character slowly be demoted to maybe the fourth storyline in a semi-large cast of characters. Buried so deep in the lineup, Ricci was never given the scenes nor storyline she needed to carry the show. And I’m convinced she should have. Even in the most recent episodes, she gets more screen time, but ends up being everything that Maggie Ryan was not built to be – a pandering, lowly follower, stooping at the feet of an ill-advised politician. That has yucky written all over it. There were times that she disappeared completely. The writers didn’t seem daring enough to give her the reigns as the energetic protestor she could have been. I cry fowl when good actresses are given the backseat before they’ve even been allowed to drive. Bad form.
The Spy Game
I found myself absolutely bored to death watching the spy angle form on this show. Kate, the quiet girl who apparently needed to fill an excitement void in her life, becomes a clumsy “spy under cover”. Pathetic were the storylines, and even more pathetic were her supporting members in that endeavor. She kills someone, gets away with it, and we are expected to believe she goes back to the hum drum’s of life, including more spy games and cocktail serving. Even an attempt to puff the Kate character even a little via a relationship, was so hollow that the writers weren’t sure how to stick with it. In all, it’s the biggest arc that ruined the show. (More to come on that topic).
What Year Again
Mad Men is a great show. However, its subtle nuances are rarely repackaged in any other 60′s era television series with much success at all. That’s what makes the show great. Pan Am tried to grasp hold of the generational television trend, but failed in every instance. Sure it looked nostalgic from time to time with costuming, music, and news-of-the-day, but the overall lack of attention to these details crippled its on-screen tone. By contrast, Mad Men is a slice of work-piece drama with time period information swirling in the background. It’s not distracting, but rather a piece to the story. Pan Am did it backwards. Spurts of 60-ish vibes, but at times overly silly. The first trip into Russia, landing on unsteady Haitian soil on a dilapidated runway, rushing down the stree to see Kennedy – it was all so ridiculous. I like time period pieces, regardless of the era, that learn to subtly react to the timeline of history, not those that goofily embrace it.
The Blonde
There is enough bad acting on this show to go around, but the blonde bombshell, played by Australian soap star Margot Robbie, was about as weak an actress as you’ll find outside of a televised Lifetime movie. She may very well be a great actress, but even her seemingly strong moments were handicapped by terrible story writing. From the runaway wedding scene to the photo debacle, she looked a little gobsmacked at every turn.
What It Should Have Been
The great mystery to Pan Am is simple. The show should have been a silly romp through life as a stewardess on a Pan Am plane circa the golden years of air travel. It was somewhat packaged as this. But it became something that was an overcomplicated mess of a show. I’m disappointed because with the Pan Am name comes a pretty glitzy frame of mind. You see, flying on planes when Pan Am was at its high point, was about the fun of it all. These flying hotels were inter-continental dream boats that were styled by the culture around them. But in most dramatic pieces hitting the tube these days, there is pressure to have more “meat” in the story than actually is needed. Viewers are smart. They understand the story you’re trying to put on them. We don’t need hunks of prime rib when sometimes a petite filet will do.
Occasionally you want a break from the heaviest of shows. Perhaps you turn to daytime drama or reality television. Whatever the case may be, Pan Am should have been a great example of escapism television full of whimsy and fun. Unfortunately, we got the opposite.
