“I’m Greek… I’m Pam”
How does a leaky toilet, an obsolete replacement part known as the “flow cup valve” (a two-dollar part), and the WORLD WIDE WEB, cause so much chaos within three people’s lives?
Pam & Tommy looks at what happens when the drummer from Mötley Crüe, and a Playboy Playmate turned rising star meet, and the 90s rollercoaster romance that ensues. All while taking an approach that romanticizes a doomed, and tragic relationship. The show has captured the pairs loving moments that I hope are true to life representations.
In true streaming fashion, Pam & Tommy released on February 2, 2022 with the series’ first three episodes. If you are looking to relive the 90s through music, fashion, lingo and catchphrases, Pam & Tommy brings back all of the nostalgic feelings and aesthetics from the 90s. From hearing “Be my Lover” and “Total Eclipse of the Heart” while attending a foam party, to hearing old lingo like “lurch,” “cool beans,” and “pretty please with a cherry on top” you cannot help but be hit right in your 90s feelings.
The show has extreme amounts of nudity, as well as scenes that, even with having knowledge beforehand, were a lot to take in, while also providing a comedic approach to some of the more outrageous scenes.
Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) and Pamela Anderson (Lily James) met at a nightclub in 1994 on New Years’ Eve, and not even two months later, on February 19th, 1995, the two were married on the beach in Cancun surrounded by friends. Thus began their whirlwind romance. The series takes an in-depth look into the lives of both Lee and Anderson as well as a disgruntled former contractor Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogan) who came across the “infamous” sex tape, which he later sold and leaked online which turned a profit of $77 million dollars in the span of one calendar year.
Seeing Seth Rogan take on a non-comedic role, all while rocking a mullet, provides a refreshing take from his “typical” stoner and comic relief roles. James and Stan have taken their respective roles seriously and as such the prosthetics, makeup, and more have allowed both actors to completely transform into Lee and Anderson. Lily is unrecognizable in her role and mastered Pam's mannerisms from the laugh and smile, to her body movements. It is almost eerily frightening how much she resembles Pamela.
Back in 2019, The Dirt, a Netflix original movie aired with Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) portraying Lee during the rise to fame and success of Mötley Crüe living the stereotypical “sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll” lifestyle. I truly believed MGK was a great person to emulate Lee’s personality as he possessed the height and Rockstar background. However, when the promos for Pam & Tommy began to circulate, Stan’s personification of Lee was beyond perfection, and producers could not have found a more qualified person to take on this role.
MGK represented Tommy in the wake of discovery and living the rock star lifestyle at eighteen, while Sebastian Stan is portraying the 1990’s version of Lee who is coming off of a divorce from Heather Locklear, spiralling depression going beyond Mötley Crüe breaking up, and a new wave of music in the form of grunge taking over the radio. The storyline is showcasing a soft and gentle side to Lee while also highlighting the internal anger, rage, and instability.
When we are first introduced to Sebastian’s version of Lee, it is safe to say he is a living embodiment of Tommy. From the hair and tattoos, to the brown “crazy” eyes and facial expressions, Stan has done an incredible job taking on the role of portraying Lee in the first three episodes.
Although the audience does not fully know the direction the series is going to take, my hope is the show focuses heavily on Pam and how her career was derailed from this invasion of privacy. Looking at the end of the Jane Fonda episode where Pam says she looks up to and is inspired by Fonda who was a sexy icon but also a total badass activist and all of the backlash she faced, the episode foreshadows what is going to happen to Pam in the same way Fonda received backlash. I would also love for the show to highlight more in-depth the severity of how Pam and Tommy were both treated as a result of the video being leaked and the relationship between sexism in relation to how much worse it was for Pam.
It is important to note that both Anderson and Lee had no part in the series but Lee stated in a US Weekly interview back in September of 2021 that “I know Sebastian, he’s playing me, and from what he’s told me, it’s a really beautiful story.” Lee also stated that “I think a lot of people would think it’s [about] one thing, but it’s really about privacy and how things got crazy then, there’s different laws now.”
Based on what Lee said in his interview, the show started to touch base on issues that celebrities are currently facing with paparazzi and their invasion of privacy, which is an interesting approach to highlight and focus on, as the tape being leaked without their knowledge or consent was beyond a heinous act. Tommy stated in the show, “We should be suing them for invasion of privacy,” after a paparazzi was taking their photos while Lee and Anderson were in the backyard of their Malibu home.
It is safe to say I will be watching this show again and again, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a good throwback while being captivated by the untold storyline, and expectational performance's by James, Stan, Rogan and the rest of the cast. After all, don’t we all just want someone to sing “Getting to Know You” from the King and I with someone special while in our underwear, eating french fries.
Episode 4—The Master Beta airs at midnight tonight on both Hulu and Disney + where the remaining episodes will stream every Wednesday.
*This will be an ongoing review as the remaining episodes air*
Kyla O'Rielly
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