Season 1 of Hulu’s biographical drama miniseries Pam & Tommy came to an end last week. The controversial series boasted just 8-episodes, released between February 2 and March 9, 2022. Pam & Tommy chronicles the turbulent relationship between actress Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee—specifically, the series explores the theft and distribution of the couple’s honeymoon sex tape.
The sensitive nature of the real-life story Pam & Tommy depicts has attracted controversy as it moved ahead despite the misgivings of Anderson herself. She refused to be involved in the show and has spoken out against it. Sources close to her allege that she disapproved of the series and was pained by the show’s retelling of a very traumatic experience from her own life. She’s even planning to release a documentary about her life with Netflix, with the announcement very much feeling like a rebuttal to Pam & Tommy.
Pam & Tommy follows Anderson (Lily James) and Lee (Sebastian Stan) in 1995, when they wed after knowing each for 4 days. The two move into Lee’s Southern California residence and hire an electrician, Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen), to renovate the bedroom suite. However, Gauthier is dismissed without pay for shoddy work, and the disgruntled worker seeks revenge by stealing a homemade sex tape from the couple. The film is then illegally sold and widely distributed. The sex tape negatively impacts Anderson emotionally and in terms of her career. When she attempts to take legal action, her past photoshoots for Playboy are used against her and her acting career becomes buried under the sex tape fallout.
Both Lee and Anderson experience declines in their careers because of the tape. Meanwhile, the sex tape, combined with Lee’s temper and violence, greatly strains their marriage. Gauthier, as well, faces his own consequences for his actions. His wife, Erica Gauthier (Taylor Shilling), is disgusted by his actions, and Gauthier gains thousands in debt and a whole slew of enemies after his sex tape business fails.
How does Pam & Tommy end?
The real-life nature of Pam & Tommy‘s story makes it difficult to bring to a tidy conclusion, because there is obviously so much more about Anderson and Lee’s lives than the series could cover. However, it does attempt to tie up most loose ends.
By this point in the series, Anderson and Lee’s sex tape has made it to the internet and is spreading like wild fire. The only real option they have comes from a man named Seth Warshavsky (Fred Hechinger), the founder of Internet Entertainment Group. Warshavsky proposes they sell the rights of the sex tape to him so he can webcast it at a price. While it will still be on the internet, the paywall will discourage many from viewing it.
Despite Anderson being open to the idea, Lee flies into a rage and refuses to sign it over. At this point, Anderson is also pregnant, struggling to find work, and tired of Lee’s violence and fits. Her breaking point comes when she catches Lee bragging about the sex tape behind her back. She confronts him and succeeds in getting him to agree to sign over the rights to the tape. Their last scene together shows the birth of their son and hints at their imminent divorce.
Gauthier, meanwhile, attempts to redeem himself. He vaguely apologizes to Anderson and Lee, but it is obviously very little compared to the scale of his horrible actions. He does sell the original tape one final time, to Warshavsky, for $10,000. In one last effort to right his wrongs, he gives the money to Erica so she can finalize her divorce from him.
What does Pam & Tommy‘s ending mean?
Pam & Tommy’s ending strives to show that there really was no ending for Anderson and Lee’s ordeal. Signing the rights of their sex tape away is a way for them to somewhat put the tape behind them. However, it’s still in the hands of another company that will profit from it and garner views from it. The two never really get justice for the infringement of their privacy and, in the end, have to accept something that only vaguely resembles a solution.
In a strange departure from reality that just looks even worse in light of Anderson’s feelings about the show, the ending also attempts to bring some humanity to Gauthier. However, his apology was fictionalized, and there’s no real-life indication that Gauthier ever regretted his actions. The series seems to be trying to tell viewers that some form of redemption is possible for even the worst people, but grafting that message onto a true story like this one is probably exactly the kind of thing Anderson takes issue with.
The major point of the final episode, however, is to close with the dissolution of Anderson and Lee’s relationship. In real life, Anderson and Lee divorced in 1998, after the birth of their second son. Lee was also arrested and spent time in prison for spousal abuse. The two attempted once to rekindle their relationship, but it fell through again.
Anderson states in the final episode, “It’s over,” and that basically sums it up. It signifies putting the tape behind them, the end of their relationship, and the two moving on in life the best that they can with lingering trauma. Pam & Tommy’s ending isn’t completely satisfying, which parallels the real-life fact that there wasn’t a clear ending or gaining of justice in the whole ordeal. The finality of the episode suggests that there won’t be a season 2 of Pam & Tommy, and at this point, it seems best to leave it that way.
(featured image: Hulu)
Published: Mar 14, 2022 11:11 am