Maggie and Laura are stuck in a Brazillian jail. Credit: ABC
In this episode, we finally get at why Maggie is the way it is, and I think the show will start taking off (no pun intended) now that we’ve gotten her story started.
In this episode, we’re traveling to Rio de Janeiro, and Maggie has made it a point to say that she speaks Portuguese, so she has to be on the flight. Why is it important for people to know that she can speak Portuguese? It’s because she’s about to lose her job and she’s trying to find any reason to make sure she stays on her flight, and consequently, her job.
It’s in this episode that we learn that Maggie isn’t really named Maggie. She’s not even named Roxanne Roxby, the name she went by when she took classes other people were dropping at the college she was working in. She doesn’t even know Portuguese! The only thing she truly is a person who wants to move up the ladder and stay there, whether or not she has to tell lies or throw someone under the bus, as she does at the end of this episode. Basically, instead of me giving her the nickname “Maggie the Cat,” she should be called “Maggie the Chameleon.”
I found that Maggie’s story was one that desperately needed to be told, probably earlier. I think I can see why they waited so long to tell it, though. However, this was probably the only bright spot in the episode.
Maggie the Chameleon. Credit: ABC
The second-best storyline involved Kate and her new boyfriend, Niko. However, she’s supposed to spy on him to see what his political views are. Once she finds out that he’s against the Tito regime in Yugoslavia and admires Martin Luther King, she’s then asked to “turn him”–make him into a spy for America. She doesn’t want to do that, however; that’s not part of her job description (that she’s not even getting paid for!).
The Dean/Ginny story would be an awesome storyline if they included Colette, who obviously has feelings for him but is the silent sufferer-type. And the funny thing is that Colette’s actress, Karine Vanasse, is still the best actress on the show even when she doesn’t say much. But I don’t appreciate Colette being relegated to “Sanjeev” status, which brings us to–
Sanjeev alert:
screencap: me
I know the previous sentence is a serious insult to The ‘Jeev, but I’ve got to be true, and you know it’s true that he’s in the “token” status right now, and probably forever. I think The ‘Jeev had some lines in this show. One line, at the least, I guess. I remember one line, but it was too stupid and idiotic that I’m not even going to repeat it here. The man didn’t even get a close up, and we were at least treated to that in past epsiodes. I’m depressed. I figured Sanjeev might be relegated to the background permanently, but I can’t help but feel sad about that. The one brown person on this show has to be a non-entity? Come on, writers! At least quit giving him stupid lines! This is not how we’re going to treat the black stewardess once 1965 rolls around, are we?
Speaking of which, does anyone find it ironic that Sanjeev has this prestigious job while black women couldn’t be hired as stewardesses until 1965? Sanjeev’s just as brown as a black person. I venture to say that some folks didn’t know how to react to Indian people in America because there wasn’t a built-in stereotype against them back in those days. Yes, there were stereotypes, sure, but they weren’t not allowed in places, I wouldn’t guess. Like, Jim Crow laws probably didn’t apply to them because they specifically addressed white/black relations. Indians are darker people, like black people, but they aren’t black, so the 1960s black rules didn’t apply to them, I don’t think. Of course, I could be wrong (if anyone knows anything about this, please let me know). But anyway, this irony in itself should show the stupidity behind racism and prejudice.
Overall, I’m glad to see Christina Ricci prove what a great actress she is. Sure, Karine Vanasse is currently the best actress on the show, but if Ricci is given the chance to constantly flex her acting muscle (because she is a great actress as well), the show will be much better for it.
I’m thinking of putting together a post on what could make Pan Am better as a show. Hopefully, I can write that up soon, so stay tuned for that.
As always, if you want to know what Tom and Lorenzo said about this week’s episode, click here. Also, check out this awesome podcast, SQPN’s Secrets of Pan Am, hosted by Father Roderick and co-hosted by Pilot Jeff (a real airline pilot) and Flight Attendant Marsha (a real flight attendant).
EDIT–I kinda just glossed over Niko and his actor, Goran Visnjic. I’ve heard (I believe on the Secrets of Pan Am podcast) that his character in E.R., Dr. Luca Kovac, was Yugoslavian, and there are various Yugoslavian/eastern European characters in various television shows and films. There are some actors and actresses who seem to go by a strict code as to what roles they pick and who they are representing when they choose those roles (like Jennifer Beals), and he seems to be one of them.
EDIT #2–I’ve made an error about what Sanjeev’s job is. He’s the Flight Engineer, not another co-pilot. I also learned this on the Secrets podcast.
I had to cheer when I found out Maggie came from the Pacific Northwest as I’m in Oregon! There are some who would judge Maggie harshly but I know quite a few women like her. It’s funny how some are so up in arms about how she lied her way into Pan Am, but they conveniently forget about a real life fraudster and con arts named Frank Abengale. He was 19 when he impersonated a Pan Am pilot and got away with it for quite awhile. If you ask me, what he did was a lot worse and potentially more dangerous but yet he’s seen as a ‘hero’ of sorts.
Yeah, you’re right!
In the second episode, Maggie was accosted by a drunk male passenger and I was disappointed that this spirited firecracker of a character didn’t turn him in for attempted rape! I didn’t understand…
Then, we learn a little bit more about Maggie and it occurs to me that Maggie may have capitalized on her ability to BS people in order to secure her dream job. So, that may have provided some motivation to protect her job by NOT reporting him. An investigation could backfire and reveal Maggie’s fraud on being hired with a forged college degree…
I hope that “sexual harassment” doesn’t go away as a plot device because it was far more prevalent in that era than most imagine and could take various forms. I actually had a “Maggie moment” during my service in the US Navy and protected myself by ducking under my attacker’s arm. He was much taller than me. I didn’t report him, either. Why not? He was married, had kids and outranked me by three pay-grades. I didn’t think anyone would believe me and I didn’t want to go through the public humiliation of accusing someone of inappropriate sexual behavior when I would be labeled as a “troublemaker”. Never thought about the “other women” who would also need to find a way to defend themselves against this guys unwanted advances.
Anyway, my point is that each of these characters (women characters) have an equal chance to be treated to inappropriate sexual behavior and I hope that we are allowed to see how they stand up for themselves within their characters because it is the resilience, brilliance and courage of women like them (who seek out adventure and had a desire to see the world) that broke down career barriers and made zero tolerance for sexual harassment a reality.
It wasn’t a perfect world. Keep it real with “unexpected” twists on the truth of that “imperfection”!
Also, I just want to point out that there is no evidence that Maggie implicated Dean in Ginny’s “extracurricular” activities. Maggie merely asked if Everett would want to know something about someone “close to him”. That is Ginny. Maggie may not have given up Dean’s name, only that Ginny is unfaithful to Everett. Indeed, Everett is married so, he might not want the identity of Ginny’s lover. He has something to protect as well…
Good points all around. I do agree especially with the inappropriateness of the era and the lack of it being shown more in this show ala “Mad Men.” Like, I get the show isn’t trying to be “Mad Men,” and is probably more like a Doris Day film, but since the show is also decided to address social issues of the time, harassment in the workplace needs to be addressed a whole lot more.
And that’s true, that Maggie may not have given Dean’s name to the exec. I wished they had explicitly shown us what she said instead of leaving us to wonder if she ratted out both Dean and Ginny or just Ginny. But you’re right in the assumption that she just ratted Ginny out.