Pan Am – Damn the torpedoes, Maggie

You know that old axiom, “be careful what you wish for, as you might actually get it?” Each week, I have wondered when we get to learn more about Maggie. Despite Christina Ricci being Pan Am’s most recognizable name, she has taken the background role time and time again. Now that the curtain has been pulled back, I’m not sure the audience will like what they’ve seen.

Maybe I am not being entirely fair. I am actually a fan of Maggie’s backstory. She has lived the quintessential American dream … she came from nothing, aspired for everything and actually achieved it. Sure, she cut some corners along the way, but to me, her actions showed ingenuity. In that circumstance, I can overlook her fibs. She didn’t have the same advantages that some of her co-workers did, but she didn’t let her past keep her from her future. If I have any criticism of her choices, it’s that she didn’t make the rather obvious effort to actually learn Portuguese sooner than now. That is just an accident waiting to happen.

Now that she has “achieved her future,” how far will she go to keep it? I am not sure I would be able to get past her throwing Dean under the bus. In everything we saw about Maggie’s past, she never stepped on anyone to get a leg up; she can no longer claim that innocence. Outing Dean and Ginny’s relationship to Henson could have significant repercussions on our favorite Captain’s career. I doubt Ginny is any safer, but she made her own bed.

Also walking a very fine line these days is secret agent woman Kate. I won’t repeat my frustration about asking so much of someone with so little training (Kate herself did that for me), but her situation now is an entirely different kind of dangerous. Risking your life in the name of your country is one thing, but risking your heart? That is a game changer. Training can prepare you for a lot of things, but I doubt there’s a class at the Farm that covers this one (Well, there probably is, and it goes “Do not fall in love at work … ever”).

Oh, and Ted continues to kick ass. He will sneak up on you, but he really is a good guy. He is the 1960’s version of Alex Karev, if you will. He seems like a scumbag, but he has a heart of gold. I would like to see more of him, and more of Colette, who continues to hang out in the background.

Pan Am continues to hang on each week, despite faltering ratings. Fellow Clacker and resident ratings expert Brett and I were discussing how often the network executives that control the schedule are actually successful. He ran the numbers, and something like 80% of new shows that started last year didn’t make it to a second season. Going back a couple of years the numbers were the same. When I bear that in mind at a show like Pan Am, I wonder if the system needs a new yardstick. This is a good show despite the fact that it has lost quite a bit of its original audience. I hope it gets a chance to get some of that audience back.

Notes & Quotes

• I don’t think I’ve mentioned it much since the pilot, but I love the music in this show
• “[After getting Maggie’s attention] Wow, you almost stepped in it.” – Kate
  “Humph. Nothing new.” – Maggie
• “I’m surprised to see you flying with us again so soon.” – Dean
  “Seems I can’t get enough of your Pan Am service.” – Ginny
• Yes, Maggie, I would like to see the list you sent Santa
• “Here is a secret … my mind is full of you. I go to sleep this way, I wake up this way.” – Niko, to Kate … methinks he really loves her
• “Ted … I disagree with your politics, your attitude towards women and, well, you as a person in general. But, you show up. You come through. And, not everyone does that … so, thank you.” – Maggie

Clacked by Ivey West
on Oct 31, 2011 @ 00:16 EST5EDT