Monte Carlo. It is only fitting that just when “Pan Am” has become risky in the ratings, the show takes us straight to the heart of the gambling pulse of Europe. Viewership worries aside, this week’s episode, “One Coin in a Fountain” saw more than one character gambling on not only their lives, but also their hearts. This week’s recap will be in the form of different lessons taken away from the episode. Think of it as a guidebook to living a "Pan Am" type of life, stewardess uniforms not included. 

Lesson of the week #1: Always carry jujubes. It will pay off for you. It certainly paid off for Dean (Mike Vogel), who scored himself nothing less than a dangerous liaison with the alluring Ginny (Erin Cummings). Almost as dangerous is her intentionally ambiguous relationship with the Senior Vice President of Pan Am Airlines. Secretary? Mistress? Both? With her swift retrieval of Dean’s hotel keys from the Vice President’s car (the scene of their latest rendezvous), Ginny is just too good at this. It is doubtable Dean is her first indiscretion. Either way Dean and his jujube generosity are leading him into some dangerous territory, and from the looks of next week’s promo, potential unemployment. 

Lesson of the week #2: Make friends with nice watches. Indeed it seems like Ted’s Rolex was his only redeeming factor this week. After insisting on accompanying Laura (Margot Robbie) in  gaining back her pawned engagement ring (and therefore officially cutting ties with her ex-fiancée, something Ted (Michael Mosley) could have been only too happy about), he single-handedly thwarted her only chance to buy it back from a creepy, crazy man by calling the man out on his scamming ways. Laura left sans engagement ring, and Ted left sans Laura and definitely sans her affection. After trying and failing repeatedly, Ted finally succeeded in Monte Carlo to give Laura her ring (in a manner that seemed oddly like a proposal), for which he had traded his Rolex. While both Laura and Ted can be irritating alone, together they hit just the right note. Perfect relationship material. 

Lesson of the week #3: If in doubt, Couture it out. Kate (Kelli Garner) stepped up her C.I.A. game this week, but maybe that is because instead of delivering cameras in unknown Indonesian cities, or evading the German secret police, Kate’s assignment this week was to cuddle up to Yugoslavian diplomat Niko (Goran Visnjic) . Not such a bad assignment, considering she is not even getting paid for her patriotic services. Once on his arm, all she needed to do was get the fingerprints of an undercover Russian spy at a casino to which Niko was supposed to take her. All that stood in Kate’s way was Maggie (Christina Ricci), who already had her flirtatious sights set on the delectable diplomat. Armed with a date, which Maggie happily (and deceptively) traded for breakfast chores, and a beautiful green couture gown, Kate was off to capture those fingerprints… and Niko’s heart. Always the overachiever, Kate took her “work” home with her to New York, but something tells me the C.I.A. has something up its sleeve for this little affair.

Lesson of the week #4: A little bit of French goes a long way. Colette (Karine Vanasse), unfortunately, was underplayed yet again this week. But what did not go unnoticed were the references to her and Dean’s relationship in the midst of his affair with Ginny. The juxtapositions implied that, in the long-term, Dean and Colette would be a pretty solid bet. She is a hopeless romantic, he is a sweet guy with a habit of picking all the wrong women… as far as TV relationships go, it’s just waiting to happen. In the mean time, let’s just hope she gets more screen-time next week. 

As for Maggie, it is not certain if there is a lesson quite yet. Between her trickery with Kate (trading 2½ weeks of breakfast duty for a date she didn’t even have in the first place) and her seeming betrayal of Dean in next week’s promo, maybe the lesson is not to trust her? She is the one character for whom no back-story has been provided, and is certainly the most mysterious "Pan Am" employee to date. Perhaps next week her true colors will be revealed. 

Yes, this week’s episode of “Pan Am” was very educational. There are many different lessons that could be taken away from it. Judging by the storylines set up in this episode, it would be a fair bet that more than one “Pan Am” character will be learning their lesson the hard way in weeks to come. 

Next week's episode "The Genuine Article" is looking to be one of the most interesting yet, as personal relationships are put to the test, and some mat not make the cut. Check out the promo below.