As “The Master Beta”, episode four of Pam & Tommy, opens, there is immediate anxiety that builds as you slowly watch the internet browser creep in its loading. There is a nostalgia for the speed and pattern of its generating, one many of us have known too often. It does not take long though for the episode to replace the anxiety, instead of replacing it with the understanding that this will not Pam and Tommy’s scandal, rather it will become Pamela Anderson’s. We are forced to look at the objectification of two men as they monetize her name, image, and violation, “Pamela’s Hardcore Sextape” glaring from the top of the browser. As her face fills the plastic frame of the VHS video cover, stuffed into envelopes and mailed around the country, Pam & Tommy forces viewers to understand the one-sided and misogynistic nature of celebrity scandal, and the control one has over another’s narrative – all in the first few minutes. Through the eyes of a porn producer and a man’s revenge, Pamela Anderson became collateral damage. And Pam & Tommy is not going to be candid about it, in this moment committing itself to give her side of the story.
Releasing a Scandal
Moving from the opening, “The Master Beta” continues its parallel stories, Miltie (Nick Offerman) and Rand (Seth Rogen) surrounded by increasingly darkening surroundings, their lighting deep and ominous, the cinematography around each giving an almost villainous aura to their actions – dark deeds done in dark corners. Even while they are being chased by a biker gang and a violent PI, embracing an action-based narrative, Pam & Tommy leans into the subtle messaging, never allowing viewers to forget Miltie and Rand’s role in everything that is and will transpire.
In contrast, Pam (Lily James) and Tommy (Sebastian Stan) find themselves basked in bright light, their pregnancy giving a glow to everything around them. Viewers are even given a look into the softer side of Tommy, an accidental dropping of their baby’s ultrasound picture leading him to put it in a safe place. There is a sweetness knowing he is heading to put it in the safe, yet a foreboding nature as we know what he is going to find when he gets there.
As Tommy realizes he has been robbed and relays the items stolen to the cops, the materialistic items inside become of little importance as viewers come to the understanding the baby photo is not the only sentimental item the safe contained, Tommy mentioning a white wedding bikini as one of the missing items. For a moment, the tape they have not remembered gains additional weight, driving the empathy for their growing situation, the tape is one of the sentimental items Tommy treasures. This softer side of Tommy comes in and out of the episode, stripping away the rocker persona all too recognized, and giving him a moment of pure humanity.
As Pam remembers the tape was in the safe, the episode begins to accelerate quickly, Pam and Tommy desperately trying to get it back before it falls into the wrong hands, hiring a PI to look into who could have taken it. And for a moment it seems they have averted a disaster. But their relief is short-lived, Pamela discovering the tape has not only been released but is readily available for purchase and reproduction. In a moment where it seems things couldn’t get worse, for Pam and Tommy their pain has only just begun.
There is Always a Different Truth Behind the Lens
There is a sadness instilled as we watch the happiness of Pam and Tommy unfold, uncontrollable forces around them building to scandal. The sadness drove by that word alone, scandal. In their privacy, Pam and Tommy found comfort in capturing their moments together, in a matter they saw fit. They were the ones violated, and while the world seems to be wholesome and pure at the moment, they are left to cope with the aftermath of those who would see them as less than human. And while the first three episodes give an explanation to the actions of Rand, “The Master Beta” drives the emotional brutality of his and Miltie’s actions. Coupled with the loss of their child, and the further violations of reporters physically invading their already compromised emotional space, we see Pam and Tommy snap, the innocence of Pamela Anderson lost in a moment out of context. Her story would now be told through the lens of a camera and the frontier of the internet.
And this is the unexpected beauty of Pam & Tommy, returning not to a story that would bring back viewers, but one that would give a voice to one who lost hers to the interpretations of others. And while artistic interpretations are sure to come into play, it is the empathy and compassion it strives to achieve for its characters and from its audience. As “The Master Beta” proves, there is more going on than meets the eye.
Conclusion
Pam & Tommy‘s “The Master Beta” contains a gut-wrenching ending, the perceived actions of Pamela and Tommy justified in the pain and agony of the moment. It cuts deep, leaving viewers weighted be immense sadness, compassion, and empathy, and for a deeper understanding of what the cameras don’t capture. There is also an increased awareness it leaves on viewers, the dehumanized aspect placed on celebrities, where even in their darkest moments, their pain is a showcase to the world.
How do you think they are handling Pamela Anderson’s story? Let us know in the comments below!
Pam & Tommy premieres with new episodes on Hulu every Wednesday!
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