‘Pan Am’: The Short-Lived Series That Revisited the Friendly Skies

When the Mad Men finale aired this past Sunday, viewers not only said goodbye to a landmark television series, but closed a unique window into a remarkable decade. Yet, while the tales of Don Draper and company may be over, the richness and complexity of the 1960s consistently creates a backdrop to a multitude of different interpretations and storylines that won’t be exhausted anytime soon. There are still so many other viewpoints to be shared.

Pan Am gives us one of those alternate views. Premiering in 2011, while Mad Men was on hiatus, the show shifted the focus from chain-smoking, heavy-drinking, middle-aged men to a distinctly female-dominated workplace. At a time when many women were stuck in dead-end secretarial jobs at offices like Sterling Cooper, airline stewardesses were carving out a brand new industry for themselves, flying around the world and doing things that most people could only dream of. Throughout its single season, Pam Am brought these pioneers to the forefront and gave us a glimpse, however brief, into their jet-setting lives.

The show takes place in 1963, right on the cusp of many of the tumultuous changes that would come to define the ’60s. But whereas many series these days feel the need to emphasize dirty details, like explicit sex scenes, foul language, and all sorts of debauchery, Pan Am is rather refreshing with its bright settings and upbeat characters. And if you’re looking for a healthy dose of ’60s glamour, you’ll certainly find it here. It’s hard not to be enchanted by the far-flung destinations and gorgeous outfits, ranging from pristine uniforms to elegant cocktail dresses. The final scene of the pilot alone is completely swoon-worthy, and honestly isn’t all that far from the truth.

Being a stewardess back in the day really was the next best thing to being a movie star. The Pan Am uniform was an internationally recognized status symbol, and people actually would stop and stare when these classy ladies walked by. Wherever they flew, Pan Am stewardesses were provided with luxury accommodations, and plenty of men vied to impress them, some even going so far as to purchase lavish gifts.

The show’s obsession with the more glamorous side of the stewardess life, however, seems to have contributed to its ultimate downfall. Though audiences initially loved the nostalgic embellishments, a lot of critics and viewers gave the show a bad rap for being too focused on style and sacrificing reality for melodrama.

One of the most commonly cited marks against Pan Am is its espionage subplot, wherein Kate Cameron (Kelli Garner) is recruited by the CIA as a courier and is eventually promoted to an agent for her nascent skills. Although it seems unlikely that there were many stewardesses in this situation, I would argue that it’s not totally out of the realm of possibility. After all, it was the Cold War, and seemingly improbable government operations are being declassified all the time. But whether Kate’s covert duties are true to history or not, they’re still a nice addition, as they give us a chance to see her doing dangerous, crucial work at a time when women often weren’t taken seriously in positions of importance.

Moreover, Pan Am does take time out to address the serious contemporary issues of sexism and racism. In line with real Pan Am policy, the stewardesses are held to rigorous beauty standards. They’re frequently submitted to weight and appearance checks, and in one instance, Maggie Ryan (Christina Ricci) is suspended for not wearing her girdle. Later on in the season, Laura Cameron (Margot Robbie) is forced to confront her racial prejudices when she fears spending the night with a black man in the next room, despite that fact that she likes him and knows he’s not the type of person who would harm her. Although these touches may not be as in-your-face as they could have been, they seem to work well with the overall tone of the show and help balance out a tendency to romanticize the era.

What really makes Pan Am shine,however, is its characters and their interactions. Each one is well-acted, engaging, and highly likable, compelling you to keep watching to see what will happen next. For example, Maggie Ryan is the purser, i.e., the head stewardess of the crew, and she certainly fits that role as the most strong-willed and outspoken of the group. In reality, she might not have made it long as a Pan Am employee, as she’s bit too willing to test her superiors and bend the rules. But she’s certainly fun to have around, and her shrewdness, self-confidence, and refusal to take anybody’s guff make her very easy to root for.

The dynamic between the Cameron sisters is also a great inclusion. With all the romances going on, it’s nice to see a different kind of relationship between two siblings, who resent each other, yet also seem to somewhat envy aspects of each others’ lives and personalities. Laura wants to be bolder and more independent like her older sister, while Kate is jealous of Laura’s celebrity as the face of Pan Am. By placing their conflict in the context of a high-pressure workplace, combined with Kate’s need to keep her CIA work secret, what would normally be a typical case of sibling rivalry takes on a whole new dimension.

My favorite character is definitely French native, Colette Valois (Karine Vanasse). She’s responsible for one of the most gripping moments in the show, which occurs when the cast travels to West Berlin during President Kennedy’s visit. At a party celebrating the occasion, Colette sings the infamous first verse of the German national anthem in a room full of West Germans, revealing a glimpse into her difficult childhood as an orphan of war, growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris. Normally, Colette is one of the sweetest and most even-tempered crew members, but she reveals a complex aspect of her character when she admits she still hates the Germans and cannot make herself forgive them for the past. Like her co-stars, she is the kind of character you always want to keep learning more about.

In episodes like this one, it’s clear the writers were doing their best to keep things interesting. And though they succeeded in many cases, their attempt to do too much was part of what hurt the show in the end. The basic concept, following the lives of Pan Am stewardesses during the height of the Jet Age, was a great place to start, yet they didn’t seem to know exactly where to go from there. As each episode experimented with different genres, Pan Am suffered an identity crisis, unsure of how it wanted to present these women’s stories. Sometimes the show was about dramatic, thrilling espionage, but at other times, it seemed like a sentimental period romance, all peppered with moments of pointed comedy, mostly provided by Christina Ricci’s character. While there is plenty of potential here, unfortunately, Pan Am simply didn’t have enough time to figure out the path it should have taken from the beginning. And as a result, it was cancelled far too soon.

Then again, its more famous predecessor may also be partly to blame for Pan Am‘s demise. Though Mad Men undoubtedly inspired the show and helped it along by making the ’60s cool again, it was also the standard to be measured by. And when coming up against Man Men‘s gritty realism, the newcomer just didn’t seem to hit hard enough.

Still, Pan Am did have one great strength that set it apart. It was a show that dared to be, first and foremost, about women. While some of the plot points are admittedly a bit overwrought, the characters certainly aren’t. They ring true as real people with real feelings and real careers, finding their way in a world that is beginning to transform along with them. Even in today’s mainstream media, a show that’s genuinely interested in representing women’s lives and experiences as its focus is regretfully rare. Hopefully, Pan Am will one day receive a well-deserved reboot with more confident direction, and I’ll bet there will still be an audience for it. Because if one thing is certain, we’re not likely to lose our fascination with ’60s culture anytime soon, as shows like Pan Am will surely continue to intrigue and enchant us for years to come.

What did you think of Pan Am? Do you think it might fare better now that Mad Men is off the air? Let us know in the comments below!

Gretchen Unico

Gretchen Unico is a 20th century pop culture fanatic with a background in radio, currently working at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. Her favorite decades are the '60s and '70s, but she digs all history and just about every type of music. Whenever possible, she enjoys curating her vintage wardrobe, going to retro dance parties, and collecting records. Her stretch goal is to become the Cass Elliot of Cleveland.