Pregnant with expectation

THE jokes are pretty obvious, the plot developments can be seen coming over the hill from five miles away but, all in all, there are more serious crimes against comedy out there than Threesome.
The first original scripted comedy commissioned by Comedy Central UK, Threesome stars Stephen Wight, Emun Elliott and Amy Huberman, otherwise known as Drico’s significant other.
The premise is simple enough, or exceptionally complicated if you’ve ever found yourself in this situation and if you have, I’d be intrigued as to how it was let happen, but enough about that. Boyfriend and girlfriend Mitch and Alice share a flat with best gay mate, Richard. For some reason, they all decide to celebrate Alice’s 30th birthday with drug-addled shenanigans, which is where the series title comes in, but really it could have been foursome, as Alice is knocked-up with questions flying around as to who the baby-daddy is.
As Mitch and Alice decide abortion is the road to be taken, a quick chin-wag between the two boys concludes that the three of them could raise the baby and so off they hop to the clinic to tell Alice the good news. Mitch of course is supposed to be the father until it’s revealed that he is, in fact, sterile. This revelation it should be pointed out is courtesy of his sperm donations at a clinic. It would appear it’s ok to knock others up for money but not your girlfriend but, trivialities like common sense aside, the three decide to go ahead with the plan and raise the unfortunate child together.
The problem with the first two episodes is the central trio are almost trying too hard. When they are not trying to be funny, it’s actually quite good and hits the subtle comedy nail on the head. The issue is with the heavy handed clunkers that, as they are delivered, you can almost hear the pregnant pause (sorry) as they wait for an invisible audience to offer the expected ‘laugh here’ moment.
Despite this, however, the series has great potential. Scripted by Tom McRae, who has penned episodes of Doctor Who, No Angels and Miss Marple, he’s no stranger to tight writing.
Another asset is in the form of the usually excellent Pauline McLynn as Alice’s rather nightmarish mother, not being overly responsible by offering champagne rather than herbal tea to her pregnant daughter.
Also taking a trip into a dippy world this week on RTE Two, this time the swinging ’60s, is Pan Am.
From writer Jack Orman (ER) and director Thomas Schlamme (The West Wing), it focuses on the pilots and stewardesses working for the world-famous Pan American World Airways. This was a time when it was glamorous to be in the long haul airline industry, a place of fun, where the customer is always right, the food and drink completely free and the idea of paying to bring luggage with you was something out of a George Lucas script. Ryanair it was not.
The first episode, built around an inaugural flight from New York to London, introduced us to Maggie (Christina Ricci) who wears the blue uniform to see the world but studies Marx at home; newbie stewardess and runaway bride Laura (Margot Robbie), who unwittingly becomes the face of Pan Am when a magazine cover story grants her minor celebrity status and her ambitious older sister, Kate (Kelli Garner), who is drafted into the CIA because of her job and knack for languages. Much of the first episode centred around the sibling rivalry of these two, while French stewardess Colette (Karine Vanasse) learns a few lessons in love when it turns out her new amour is married with a kid.
While it’s mainly about the ladies, there are a few lanterned-jawed men in it too, including Dean who, just promoted to captain, is head over heels about stewardess Bridget, currently MIA in the world of espionage. The show does try to broaden the storyline with the Cold War subplots but, ultimately, it’s a rather nostalgic take on the good ol’ days of aviation.
Before its release in the US last month it was hailed as Mad Men with wings but, going on the first episode, Pan Am has a long way to go if it is to even attempt to overhaul Don Draper and his unmerry band of Mad Men’s smart dialogue and storylines.
One of the show’s executive producers however is Nancy Hult Ganis, a Pan Am flight attendant for several years in the ’60s and ’70s, so all the seemingly ridiculous ideas of stewardesses having to present themselves for pre-flight weigh-ins and grooming inspections is based in the reality of the time. Girdles were a fact of life and you could get grounded for uniform violations.
Ganis, however, could also be accused of looking back on her high-flying time with rose-tinted glasses. The whole thing has a dreamlike resonance and nostalgic gloss to it, but there’s no denying it has style and as the characters develop further, it might just be the thing for what is already looking to be a rather cold winter.