Pam and Tommy Premiere Early Review

*The following is a spoiler-free review of the first three episodes of Pam and Tommy, premiering February 2nd on Disney+ Star and Hulu.

The love story of the blonde bombshell of Baywatch fame Pamela Anderson and Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was arguably one of the quintessential sagas of the 1990s as celebrity and the reality TV age were still in their infancy. The release of their infamous sex tape was a wild story in and of itself in the midst of the digital age. Suffice it to say that there was a lot more going on behind that story and Pam and Tommy is an original limited series that touches all those themes through the story of the titular couple and as mentioned, it is a wild one to say the least as far as these first three episodes are concerned. While it won’t be for everyone, one can’t help but feel feelings of nostalgia with the series being a near-perfect time capsule of the 1990s from its look to its soundtrack.

The first three episodes of Pam and Tommy set up the characters and the stage for what we know will happen later on. Maybe jumping around too much in time while setting up its three main players and how they relate to one another. First, there’s Pamela Anderson (Lily James) and Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) of course but then there was Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen), a disgruntled contractor with an ax to grind. When it came to the latter, that frustration seemed to be justified. Marginalized throughout his life, Lee was yet another person to keep him down, this time a big celebrity, and it was easy to connect with that. However, he was not going to take it anymore therefore plotted his revenge. Little did he know, Rand stumbled onto the infamous sex tape though that was only the beginning of his journey.

Though Rand had the tape, he still had to figure out what to do with it which would be easier said than done. Celebrity sex tapes were still a relatively new thing and the means in which he acquired it made it harder for him to leverage it to hurt Tommy Lee and for his own personal gain. Despite what appeared to be plenty of interest, the legal ramifications were too much to ignore. This was until Rand had his aha moment. The internet may have still been in its infancy but it afforded him the means to distribute the tape with relative anonymity. That being said, he didn’t necessarily have the means to do so alone. That beginning of that process was compelling to watch as the first three episodes were just the early stages of that. At the end of the day, he and his confidence were on an upward trajectory and the effect it had on him was fun to watch.

Meanwhile, Pam and Tommy met at the height of the former’s fame. Their connection was undeniable despite the many warnings from Pam’s friends. As soon as they saw each other, there was just something about Tommy that drew Pam to him despite her vow to not date bad boys, for which he clearly was, as part of an attempt to take back control of her life. From there, he essentially pulled her down with him as the two partied away but in the end, there was just something different about Pam. Tommy saw more in her, she was someone that he could see himself spending his future with. Therefore, he was willing to wait until marriage so he could truly express his love for her and that they did, which proved to be quite the understatement. Nevertheless, he still supported her over the course of her rise as he personally found himself at a crossroads, still grasping at his former glory as the popularity of Motley Crue waned as the music industry evolved in the 1990s as fans moved away from big hair rock bands.

The best part of Pam and Tommy thus far was its performances but maybe not the one that many would think. For a series called Pam and Tommy, it maybe did not feature as much of them as some many things at least through the first three episodes but James and Stan were good as the titular couple. Much was made about stills featuring James as Pamela Anderson and the makeup work that made that transformation possible. However, it was her performance that rounded out that package, showing range and adding layers under actual layers. Stan, on the other hand, as Tommy Lee brought a lot of energy which he could have reined in at times. Ultimately, the chemistry between each of them was there. Out of the main three characters, the best performance arguably came from Seth Rogen as Rand Gauthier. The everyman versus celebrity side of the story was better than that of Pam and Tommy because of Rogen’s charm and relatability, providing a grounding presence that made him easy to root for despite his questionable actions.

If these first three episodes are of any indication, it’s only going to get wilder from here.

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.