Pan Am Episode 5: One Coin in a Fountain



Title: One Coin in a Fountain
Season: 1
Episode #: 1.05
Episode: 5
First Air Date: October 23, 2011 (10pm)
DVD: Available September 2012
Instant Video: Season 1
HD Instant Video: Season 1
Writer: Lydia Woodward
Director: Andrew Bernstein
Guest Stars:
Goran Visnjic as Niko Lonza
Erin Cummings as Ginny
Scott Cohen as Everett Henson
David Harbour as Roger Anderson
Jon Fletcher as Murphy
Alexander Blaise as Philippe

Music:
Mr. Perculator, "I Got A Thing For You Baby"
Emmet and The Jades, "Hit The Road"
Earl Rose, "Leggy Linda"
Sammy Davis Jr., "Too Close For Comfort"


Fan Rating: 8.7/10 (Average of all fan submitted ratings)


Synopsis:

Kate discovers the man she and Maggie have been competing for is involved in her next mission; Dean puts his career at risk when an attractive passenger tempts him.

(Preview From ABC)
The Pan Am crew rolls the dice in more ways than one in glamorous Monte Carlo: Kate and Maggie square off for the attentions of a handsome passenger (guest star Goran Visnjic, "ER," "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo"), but things get more complicated when Kate learns the sexy stranger is involved in her next covert mission; and Dean gambles with his career when an attractive, wealthy woman (guest star Erin Cummings, "Detroit 1-8-7") on the flight tempts him -- and he later discovers who her flying companion is.


(Recap From ABC)
It’s a sweltering summer day in the Big Apple and Laura’s out on the street pleading her case to a pawn broker. It turns out she had to pawn her engagement ring for some money, with every intention of buying it back before it could be sold, but she was just a little too late. She has to put off her plans to meet with Greg, her former fiancé, until she can get that ring back.

A few days later, the crew is off to London, and getting friendly with passengers along the way. A vivacious woman named Ginny (guest star Erin Cummings) makes herself at home in the cockpit when she comes in looking for some Jujubes. She and Dean hit it off talking about Formula 1 cars and we can see the instant attraction. Even Ted, never one to give up a chasing a girl, defers to his Captain on this one and hands over his secret stash of Jujubes to help his pal.

Maggie is chatting up a handsome U.N. worker named Niko Lonza (guest star Goran Visnjic). All of the ladies notice him, but Maggie got there first. It gets a little more complicated when, in London, Kate’s British contact Mr. Anderson explains her next assignment. She’s got to get some fingerprints off of an Italian woman that Niko’s friend is dating. All she has to do is get Niko to like her, invite her along to a casino in Monte Carlo, and somehow get the fingerprints of an elusive Russian spy without tipping her off. No problem, right? Well, there’s at least one problem, and her name is Maggie.

Kate makes her move at a pub when Niko wants to shoot some pool. Maggie’s never played, but Kate’s a shark. The fastest way to this man’s heart seems to be an eight ball in the side pocket and we can see some sparks flying between these two as they rack up for game two. Maggie seems to take it in stride, pairing up with a nice young Irishman, but she still ends up reassigning Kate to Economy on the flight to Monte Carlo, and away from Niko. Turns out being purser has its privileges.

The lovely and exciting Ginny is also on the flight to Monte Carlo, but this time she’s not alone. Dean gets to meet her traveling companion—a Pan Am executive! She’s his mistress! Dean’s maybe a little worried about meeting up with Ginny in London, but not worried enough to resist a romantic afternoon picnic with her once they get to Monte Carlo. Let’s say the Captain’s not worried about flying in restricted airspace, but we think he may be in for a rough landing in the future...

There’s clearly some tension between Ted and Laura. Something happened between the two of them before they left for London, but we don’t know what. These two have been circling each other for weeks, did they finally try something romantic and it didn’t work out? We flash back to the night before the crew leaves for London and Laura is on her way to Harlem to track down the man who bought Greg’s ring. Ted insists on going with her and hears the whole story on the subway. When Laura and Ted ask the musician who bought the ring if she can buy it back, he wants to charge her way more than he paid and she can really afford. Ted pipes up and says “no way,” which ends up souring the whole deal and upsetting Laura even more. No wonder she’s mad at him!

Maggie’s plan to take Kate out of the picture with Niko worked like a charm and in Monte Carlo she’s got his undivided attention again. Kate’s got no moves left, except to make a deal. Maggie’s surprisingly pragmatic about it, haggling over First Class breakfast service in trade for backing off of Niko. After promising two-and-a-half weeks of preparing special egg orders, Kate’s got free reign to pursue the handsome Mr. Lonza, but she’s got to get his attention all over again. She does it by spending way too much money on a gorgeous dress and being there looking stunning when Niko walks by. The plan works and he invites her to the casino to meet his friend. The Italian woman/Russian spy comes along, too, but there’s one more hurdle—she’s wearing gloves! Kate improvises a little red wine spill and gets the fingerprints, and even ends up spending the night with Niko.

Laura despondently tosses 10 francs into a fountain and wishes for a do-over. She feels terrible that she can’t give Greg his ring back and really move on from her old life. But Ted, who’s been trying to talk to her ever since they left New York, pulls a jewelry box out of his pocket. It’s the ring! Ted managed to convince the musician to trade it in exchange for his prized Rolex watch. Laura’s grateful that she can finally close that chapter of her life and Ted actually managed to help this time. Maybe there’s a future for these two?

Back in New York Kate meets Richard, her handler, who congratulates her on a job well done. We have to admit, it’s nice to see her getting the hang of this spy stuff and completing an assignment without getting a lecture for a change. But when she meets Niko for a hot dog around the corner, we can’t help but feel like another lecture might be coming soon.