"One Coin in a Fountain" focused on Kate, Dean and the coupling of Ted and Laura. The espionage story had an edge this week as Kate was led into a high fashion, high stakes assignment, one that gave her an opportunity to show her girlish side, as well as bring out her sexy seductress.

I was surprised we learned nothing new on Laura's new living arrangement with Maggie, with these two being so incredibly different. Let's discuss the good and the not-so-good below.

My favorite part of Pan Am
I can't tell if the goal of Ted and Laura and their many interactions is romantic in nature or if they're going to be great friends. I guess it's also a possibility that if they keep bumping heads, they could become great annoyances to each other. But I don't think that's where things are heading.

I like both characters more when they're together. They bring out that fun banter in each other that always leads to great things with couples.

After their time together last week, I find myself rooting for them. When I discovered Ted wasn't a total cad, via his history in the Navy and his NASA aspirations, the man grew on me. In turn, Laura's desire to cleanly cut the strings with her ex-fiance gave her back her dignity. That it was a task they ultimately achieved together sealed my interest in them.

Little Annoyances
Do any stewardesses other than Laura need to stand on the scale, or did the show do one shot of the scale... and is now stuck using it weekly?

This was the first time I noticed some really bad set backgrounds. The view of the coast behind Dean and the red convertible were especially suspect. If you can't do it well, don't aim so high.

There is no way that Dean would continue a flirtation that could cause him his position as the youngest captain of the fleet, but giving his card to Ginny lead me to believe just that. Losing Bridget seems to have thrown him off his game.

The good points of of "Coins in a Fountain"
I'm not usually a fan of the flashback mode of storytelling, but for some reason it works on Pan Am. Leaning how Laura pawned her ring came to pass after a turbulent moment on the jet, and then segued into Ted and Laura on a bumpy subway car. It was a seamless effect.

Like so many other differences between flying in the Jet Age and flying today, the fact any passenger could cruise on into the pilot's cabin still throws me. I can remember when stewardesses used to give out wings to kids on board flights, but never did I get the child's view into the cockpit. Guess I never will now.

Playing Nico, Goran Visnjic fit the show's atmosphere perfectly and made for an interesting foil between Kate and Maggie. I wouldn't have guessed Kate to be a pool shark, but the skill sure came in handy. She's also getting very good at her job. She's confident and secure in her assignments. Nice move getting the fingerprints she needed by spilling red wine on the mark.

Colette was barely a blip on the radar, and Maggie was a bit of a pain this week. Her selfish side rubs me the wrong way and I didn't miss her lack of screen time. So far, the shows have highlighted the characters at a fairly decent pace. Tune in next week - promo HERE - to see who will be in play on the subsequent episode of Pan Am.

Carissa Pavlica is the managing editor and a staff writer and critic for TV Fanatic. She's a member of the Critic's Choice Association, enjoys mentoring writers, conversing with cats, and passionately discussing the nuances of television and film with anyone who will listen. Follow her on X and email her here at TV Fanatic.