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Pam and Tommy - more than a tape

 


Pamela Anderson's sex tape - we all heard of it. At least people from my generation. This show is about how and why the video suddenly becomes so infamously famous. The show didn't disappoint.

The first episode was a bit slow. It was clearly to give us some context. In some way, to help us understand the thief's (Rand Gauthier) motivations. In a certain way, this episode gives us his perspective. Tommy Lee appears as this arrogant idiot. He is disrespectful, and a horrible human being, while Pamela is like an extra. You barely see her during this episode. This was what Rand saw.

Their story


After giving us his perspective and, in a way, his version of the story, we travel in time. We go to the moment Pam and Tommy meet each other, following their romance. We follow their story, and here is when your perspective can change. 

They really loved each other. While watching those first scenes, you start to feel bad for what is about to happen.

More than a tape


The show's central theme is the tape, but that's not all the show is about. In fact, I was positively surprised by the way they approached the story. It is not about the sex tape; it is about two people and their challenges.

It is about Pamela trying to be taken seriously and building an actual acting career. It is about Tommy feeling that he is being forgotten, and his career is coming close to an end. Finally, it is about the pressures that slowly mine a relationship.

Sorry, you’re a woman


When you are already involved, that's when the tape becomes the protagonist of the story. The result of the scandal is way different for her and him. The public reactions, the troubles they're in. The guy is almost praised, the bad boy, the big man, but her… she is the whore. It was back then, and it would be now. 

Then suddenly, in the life of these two people, the tape seems to be the most important thing. It has more visibility than anything else they could make, their work, abilities, and efforts. Nothing else matters but the tape. 

Pamela, particularly, is humiliated in different situations. They were robbed and sold, and she is still the one being shamed. 

Sometimes, the show seems to be asking the viewer: how would you feel?

Is the Internet the bad guy?


These are the beginnings of the Internet as we know it today. This was probably the first intimate sex tape to get exposed worldwide without consent. 

When the show is over, we can't help but ask ourselves, "Would it still be like this nowadays? Did the world change? At least a bit?" Personally, I think it wouldn't be very different. Perhaps the only difference is that it would be more quickly forgotten. There is always a new scandal at a click's distance.

So is the Internet this terrible thing that ruins people's lives? No. People ruin people's lives, and they use this fantastic tool for it. 

Too much pressure


The show has some silly things, like Tommy talking to his penis. We didn't need to see that. But it gets better at every episode. 

It was a sad ending to their relationship. We already knew how things were, but it is still sad to watch. It was too much pressure on a relationship that had no time to mature. 

I enjoyed the show, and it deserves you to give it a try.


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