Round Two: Pan Am

Pan Am: Season 1, Episode 2 “We’ll Always Have Paris” (C+)

I can’t pinpoint what it is that didn’t go right about this second episode, but it was definitely far less interesting than the first. There’s still something excited about a flight to Paris, and having that backdrop enhanced the episode considerably, even if it wasn’t terribly engaging. Dean crushing on Collette now that Bridget is gone makes sense, and at least his pursuit of his lost fiancée seems to have hit a dead end, so he’ll be free to focus on other things. Laura and Kate’s mother being on the plane seemed like a rather quick move for the show in only its second hour, but I suppose it’s sensible to get it out of the way now so that Laura can fully move on from Greg and Kate can be content dealing with much larger problems. Having Bridget show up as her contact was a surprise, and it’s unclear what role she’ll have in the show now that she officially has to start her life over after having her cover blown. Maggie talking back to the weigher to say that she too should be weighed was an impressive show of resistance, and it’s too bad that she didn’t have the same luck on the plane when she was accosted by the drunk guy. Ted did manage to save her, but, understandably, she wasn’t happy sucking up to him to keep her job. Big sweeping statements about the era are only so effective when explicitly said, and I think that’s going to be one of this show’s greatest challenges.