Maybe I'm missing something, but Pan Am is a gorgeous show, excellent art design, talented actors and actresses, yet there rarely seems to be much of a plot. All the movement comes from behind, nothing leads the story forward. There is no mystery established that keeps the viewer hooked, waiting on pins and needles for the next episode.
Don't get me wrong, the show is anything but sub-par. Again, the attention to detail, the color and look of the wardrobe, sets, makeup, and environments seems to recreate the 1960s. Not that I would know personally. It just fits in my perception of what things must have been like. Also, there was a line in episode two where a man remarks about paying $300 for a ticket to Paris. If only.

The premise of the show seems to be that there is a crew of Pan Am stewardesses and pilots and they are just going about their past with flashbacks to explain smaller details of the story. It's kind of LOST without the mystery. Everything is explained. I find that frustrating. I have nothing to discuss with my peers and I honestly have no idea where the show is headed--there has not been an arcing storyline established beyond *SPOILER* Kate Cameron (Kelli Garner, Lars and the Real Girl) being recruited by the CIA in the first episode. So far that has not gotten her in any real peril or intrigue yet.
Yet, as I mentioned, the cast performs well. The central characters of the show are Kate Cameron and her younger sister, Laura, played by relative newcomer Margot Robbie (Neighbors). The love-hate sister relationship comes off well, and there is definite chemistry for viewers to eat up. Maggie Ryan (Christina Ricci, Black Snake Moan) is a maverick-ess who loves her job but hates the institution's bureaucracy and chauvinism. In contrast, Colette Vanois (Karine Vanasse, Set Me Free) is the exotic French stewardess that loves her job and manages to get into trouble with men. Her character's counterpart is Ted Vanderway (Michael Mosley, The Proposal). Ted is a smooth-talking, ladies' man copilot. The whole crew is led by the earnest, chivalrous Captain Dean Lowry (Mike Vogel, Cloverfield), searching for his beloved fiancee Bridgette (Annabelle Wallis, X-Men: First Class). As an ensemble, there is great interplay between the roles and the dialogue is for the most part very well-written.
I find this show falling short of the groundbreaking drama it could be, and I am saddened. I predict that unless this show really pulls out the stops in their storylines that it will not make it past its first, maybe second season, if it's lucky. It comes off as an airline copycat of Mad Men that needs to figure out why it deserves to be compelling.
Channel: ABC
Genre: Period Drama
Rating: TV-14
Recommendation: RECOMMEND SEEING
**Cine-Phil's two cents: "PAN AM: Did anyone else see the pilot episode of Pan Am on Sunday nights? What a terrific beginning to what appears to be a very promising new show. THe attention to period detail is right up there with Mad Men but overall this show looks to be many times better than that one. For starters, I actually like the characters and that goes a long way with me. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on this one."
**Cine-Phil's two cents the following week (Episode Two): Pan Am: Sunday night's episode was surprisingly dull. I found myself saying the dreaded "So what..." when it ended. A lot of plot strains that don't connect and not single one of them were very compelling. Is this show going to be a lot of style with little substance? I hope not. There are too many projects that have fallen prey to that sad little distinction of late."