The impossible task of recreating well-known faces as characters was beyond accomplished by every department involved with the making of “Pam and Tommy”, Hulu’s newest smash hit series. It episodically reveals the world famous sex tape that chronicled intimate moments between Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and her husband, Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan). It was one of the internet’s first pieces of porn and prompted the protective acts of privacy necessary to ensure this wouldn’t happen again.
Rand (Seth Rogan) was a contractor working on the renovations in Motley Cru’s star-drummer, Tommy Lee’s mansion. After serial arguments with Lee, Rand’s explosive tantrum causes him to quit and get fired, simultaneously..? Rand decides his best course of action is to be Lee’s karma by abusing his client privileges and breaking into the Lee mansion. He ultimately and steals a safe stuffed safely in Pamela’s private closet. He intended to take the money and assets within the safe, however, upon opening it, he finds a home video tape of Pam and Tommy in their most intimate moments together. As his form of punishment for Lee, Rand conjures up a plan to sell and distribute the tape on the, newly-founded, internet in an effort to make his desired fortune.
The series follows all parties involved as they each suffer from a different repercussion caused by the release of the scandalous home video. The main takeaway is how horrible we, as a society, have treated women, as a whole, and with whom we don’t agree. It was the breeding ground for the latest iteration labeled ‘cancel culture’, when the larger part of society decides a public figure has acted unfavorably, therefore, everyone should shun them. So, too, did the people of the 1990’s to Pamela Anderson, while allowing Tommy Lee to continue his success and letting Rand live without public persecution. It’s so unfair that we have treated women this way and hopefully, audiences of this show will be reminded to exercise grace when dealing with other people, especially of the female kind.
I appreciate the cinematic value they’ve built into the over-the-top moments that mimic the style of 90’s film. It adds a layer of meta-artfulness and also adding a layer of irony that’s not for the faint of heart. Coupled by the expected amount of nudity and free-flowing speech, it’s no wonder this series is already a smash hit. Lily James is unrecognizable as Pam with the help of top tier make up artists and the reincarnation of iconic looks from her past. James’ talent is beyond her years, showing the rest of the cast how to be human even during an impeccable impression of a well-known figure. What’s most impressive is how little people are talking about the other cast members which include titans, Seth Rogan (in a mullet wig) and Sebastian Stan (Gossip Girl, Black Swan), and rightfully praising this up-and-comer’s award-worthy performance.
I’m interested, almost slightly worried, about the possibility of future seasons and most especially how they plan to end the current one, without a guaranteed sophomore season. My hope is they tie up all the endings and, perhaps, start the next set of episodes in the next phase of Pam’s life as a mother and philanthropist. It would be refreshing to watch the demise and then the rebirth of an icon, human, and humanitarian.
You can watch the first seven episodes on Hulu now and watch the season unfold every Tuesday.