The first three episodes of Pam & Tommy hit Hulu last Wednesday. I was absolutely psyched for this show because I love Sebastian Stan, and I also love historically-defining moments in pop culture. Pam & Tommy delivered both of those to me on a gold platter. The show follows a two-sided retelling of the events that lead to the leak of the infamous Pam & Tommy sex tape, the first commercially successful sex tape from a celebrity couple. The tape itself is a massive point of contention for the show. Pamela Anderson didn’t even want the show to get made however, I believe there is some good in its creation.
The show details the story of the sex tape, but it also touches on the negative aspects of the relationship between Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee, as well as how the media made a spectacle of Pam. Though we only have three episodes so far, I am deeply invested in this story. Lily James is almost unrecognizable as Pamela Anderson, and Sebastian Stan encapsulates Tommy Lee perfectly. The anger and overall unhinged air surrounding Tommy Lee is perfectly acted out by Stan.
The first episode recounts the beginning of both sides of the story. Rand Gauthier, portrayed by Seth Rogen, is a carpenter who was hired on for an expansion to Lee’s Malibu mansion. As the episode progresses, we watch as Gauthier is fired from the project and tries to retrieve his tools after the fact. He is then kicked out of the house by Lee threatening to shoot him in the face if he removes anything from the property. This spurs Gauthier to the idea of stealing Lee’s coveted safe from the mansion. We also get some more insight into the titular relationship in this episode. The episode ends with Gauthier successfully stealing the safe and eventually finding the sex tape.
The second episode more closely examines Anderson and Lee – how they met to how they ended up getting married after only a few days. The couple moved in together and, and truly seemed like they were in love. Their entire relationship was based on just sexual attraction, and this episode really explores that. They don’t really get to know each other until after they’re already married. All of this really shows the cracks in the relationship.
Episode three is all about the circulation of the actual tape. This was probably my favorite episode because it goes through Gautier’s thought process. It follows him as he tries to get the project financed by different porn distributers and gets shut down by each until he finally makes a deal with a mob boss to finance the creation and distribution of the sex tape online. This episode also mixes in a little more about the Anderson and Lee relationship. We find out about Pam Anderson’s problems while filming Baywatch, the show that basically thrust her into the spotlight.
The new episode of Pam & Tommy drops on Wednesday at 12 AM, and I will certainly be up to watch it because, all in all, it is a very entertaining look inside one of the biggest Hollywood scandals of the 90s.