‘Pam & Tommy’ – ‘Seattle’ – Review
The penultimate episode of Pam & Tommy has now arrived and over the last seven episodes of this dramatic, wild and completely true story of celebrity, excess and the internet we have seen how a very personal item was turned into the ultimate voyeuristic experience, and now in Episode 8, ‘Seattle’ the final chapter of Pam & Tommy will be played out.
With both their careers in freefall, Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) are facing the backlash of losing their Penthouse lawsuit and are dealing with all of the emotional baggage that goes with it. They’re also unprepared for a bold new innovation on the internet and its presence is about to cause serious strife within their marriage. Then there’s Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen), now working as a collector for shady mob boss Butchie (Andrew Dice Clay), who has hit rock bottom and is desperate for a chance to make amends to the couple and to set things right.
Facing the humiliation and pain of photos from their infamous tape published in Penthouse due to the First Amendment, Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) are not in a very good place. Both of their careers are in chaos with Pamela being turned down for two major Hollywood projects and Motley Crue’s latest album is not fairing well in the Seattle-drenched grunge sound that is filling the airwaves. What began as an all-consuming love has now been eclipsed by nothing but constant bickering and fraught discomfort for the couple and it’s only about to get worse as we move forward in the final episode of Pam & Tommy.
Also not faring particularly well is the man who started this whirlwind of chaos in the first place, former carpenter turned wannabe adult entertainment entrepreneur Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen) and he’s hit rock bottom. Working as a collector for mob boss Butchie (Andrew Dice Clay) in order to pay off his remaining debt, Rand is experiencing an emergency of the soul and is now nothing more than a snivelling, distraught wretch. Seeking solace and understanding in a visit to a Hollywood boulevard psychic, Rand comes face to face with his past decisions and gains clarity on how in wanting to put Tommy Lee in his place, it’s Pamela Anderson whom he’s undeniably harmed. It’s a colossal face punch for Rand to come to terms with and the realisation on Rogen’s face is a big part of the selling of the moment within the episode.
In Episode Eight of Pam & Tommy, ‘Seattle’, director Gwyneth Horder-Payton focuses in on not only the dynamics and change that appear between our titled celebrity couple but also the dramatic and world-changing technology that the internet is making. Whereat first this new technology was just the host for physical copies of the infamous tape, now in a shocking and harrowing moment, the tape is being streamed for a worldwide audience of millions and it’s a brutal realisation for Pamela and Tommy. The man behind it is hotshot internet start-up entrepreneur Seth Warshavsky (Fred Hechinger), remember him, the smug, self-assured entrepreneur who looking for a traffic pop has started to stream the tape for free and by doing so is causing all kinds of trouble for not only Pamela and Tommy but Rand as well.
This moment is where we get to the tension of ‘Seattle’ as Pamela and Tommy immediately file a lawsuit against Seth and his company, but find out that again it’s not that simple. With a judge ruling against them AGAIN, it seemingly feels like they cannot escape this vicious circle that they’ve found themselves trapped in and it’s then things take an interesting turn. Faced with a proposition that could end their troubles with the tape, a possible road out of this mess is placed in front of them but again, it’s not that simple. Director Gwyneth Horder-Payton simmers in the emotional wreckage of the events of Pam & Tommy and we see this glam couple truly tested in a moment of built-up stress and anxiety that has been coming for a long time.
The crux of ‘Seattle’s’ emotional weight comes when Pamela and Tommy feeling stressed and burnt out by the never-ending parade of humiliation in front of them decide that a road trip is in order to fix their woes. How wrong they could be. Arriving in Las Vegas they are quickly swamped and it’s an insufferable experience right from the start. The only hope they get is when they encounter a young family in an elevator who are oblivious to who they both are and in this moment they see a picture of happiness of what they might be able to have. But this prospect is short-lived, and after a series of back and forth’s the two of them end up back in Malibu and engage in a fiery argument. It’s a scene of raw rage, pain and distress as Pamela shuns Tommy and Tommy explodes on Pamela and it is a disturbing scene to watch. We see two people essentially destroyed by a document of their passionate love for one another, a love that was twisted by a voyeuristic society with a need to watch. It’s an emotionally sensitive scene and its power is a credit to James and Stan’s performances.
But ‘Seattle’ is not just an episode of pain and despair, it is also an episode of reconciliation as Rand continues in his efforts to make his peace to Pamela, Tommy and Erika. This journey for karmic forgiveness leads him to an almost meta-psychical meeting with an Anderson look-alike complete in a red bathing suit, outside of the famed Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard, and this allows him to express his sincerest apologies and ask his forgiveness of Pamela in a spiritual way. It’s one of the episode’s most interesting scenes and you feel the emotion in Rand’s apology to Anderson in this scene. Rand also comes full circle in his relationship with Erica and even though it breaks his heart, he does the right thing for her and sets them both free.
Their love now tainted, Pamela and Tommy also go their separate ways in the episode’s penultimate scene which is set to the beautiful and moving lyrics of The Bee Gee’s ‘How Can You Mend A Broken Heart’. In this moment we see Lily James as Pamela Anderson finally able to move away from the trauma and sorrow of the events she’s had to endure and she’s able to find a new sense of joy and hope to mend her heart. That love comes in the form of her infant son Brandon and the new love she feels for him as a mother, a role she always wanted to play. It’s a beautiful moment to see James’ Pamela as a new mum and showering love and affection on her son. It’s also a moment where we see her finally healed and gives Pam & Tommy the happy ending we might not have expected, but an ending that mends all wrongs for Pamela.
Pam & Tommy is one of the best television miniseries I can claim to have ever seen. Its narrative was perfect on every level and its performances, production, costuming, hair and make-up and music all came together completely to craft one of the best television series you’ll see all year. It’s been a fascinating narrative from beginning to end and audiences will keep this series close to them for many years to come.
Pam & Tommy is currently streaming on Disney+.
Image: Walt Disney Pictures
