by Kate Rohr

“Pan Am,” a TV series about Pan American flight attendants during the 1960’s, premiered on

ABC this fall. This show rides on the success of the AMC’s critically acclaimed “Mad Men,” a show about advertising men and their lives in the 1960’s. However, “Pan Am” does not try to imitate “Mad Men,” instead focusing almost completely on its female characters.

“Pan Am” portrays the Pan Am stewardesses as empowered women who go against the social norms and expectations. Their independence is emphasized throughout the show, as they’re seen standing up for themselves and each other continually. But this empowerment is too overt and gives the viewer nothing to figure out on their own.

The series begins the theme of empowerment by first showing the sexism that existed in the sixties through the physical requirements of Pan Am stewardesses. Their weight is regularly checked, and their appearance must be perfect, which requires the constant use of a girdle (basically Spanx, but less comfortable). Though this detail is interesting and helps shape a major theme of the show, it’s repeated five times in the first ten minutes of the pilot. One or two subtle references would have been enough – this was just overbearing.

This forced repetition of detail is common throughout the first three episodes, making the theme of female empowerment and societal sexism so dumbed down it’s a little condescending. A character has to literally say that the Pan Am flight attendants “are a new breed of woman,” a point that should be shown to the viewer, not blatantly stated. The creators of “Pan Am” clearly don’t trust their viewers to understand subtle meanings and spend too much time overemphasizing them.

Besides the overemphasized themes, “Pan Am” also needs a little more artistry and creativity. At times the dialogue is immensely cheesy (“You’d better buckle up – adventure calls!”) and uninsightful, and there’s a plot line involving spies for the CIA that seems a little far-fetched. And again, the creators of “Pan Am” need to trust their viewers to understand foreshadowing without ridiculously ominous music .

But “Pan Am” is not all bad. Between the music, clothing and cars, it very effectively creates nostalgia for the 1960’s and leaves me aching for a time machine. The characters are probably the strongest draw for viewers, as they’re well developed and easy to relate to, even if there’s only been three episodes. The acting is good, and definitely improving with each episode. There’s also a Kansas City, MO reference in the second episode! (quickly followed by, “Where is Missouri?”) Overall “Pan Am” pulls it together nicely, and certainly keeps me interested from week to week. Hopefully the creators can work out some of its early kinks, because “Pan Am” has great potential, and I’ll certainly be staying tuned!