I was born in 1995 so this whole era of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee went completely over my head as I was too young for it. I still remember dial-up Internet and the times when everything changed but to watch it back now as an adult and see everything that happened during this time was fascinating.

Pam and Tommy follows the story of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s fateful relationship and marriage where they were both at the height of their careers. Of course Mötley Crüe was starting to fade out into the new works of Nirvana and Third Eye Blind, however Pamela was still the sex symbol coming from Baywatch and Playboy and looking to branch herself out as a more serious actor.

However things take a turn when a disgruntled employee of the couple steals their safe and finds the ill-fated sex tape that became the biggest news that surrounded Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee at the time. This man decided to sell the tape over the Internet, which was still a new thing at the time, to people who wanted to see this uncut film that should’ve never seen the light of day.

Throughout the show we see how the sex tape affects Pam and Tommy’s relationship and their careers and we also see how new the Internet was back then and how much of an impact this tape had on people becoming more aware of the Internet and its possibilities. It’s crazy to think about how much the Internet has changed from its inception to now with social media and unfiltered news and everything else, and how even in its original days it was still being used for something so seedy.

And I think it really shows you the back side of everything that was going on regarding this time. Pam seemed to have lost a child over the tape and the stress it caused her as well as losing many job roles, including some that I had heard of but didn’t realise she was even in the running for, because of the scrutiny around having herself on show in such an intimate way. It’s fascinating how even in the show they painted the disgruntled employee as someone that we should sympathise with because he was just getting payback when really he was being the worst character out of them all.

You have to wonder if the sex tape had never been a thing what would’ve happened with Pam and Tommy? Would they have been able to have a great life with their children and be happy or would they have still ended up the same way that they did? It’s shocking even now in the 21st century that we still have to deal with people’s private videos and pictures being leaked and how easily accessible they are and how no one seems to bat an eyelid and think that these people are still humans and have to deal with the sadness and anger and worry that comes with private moments that were never meant to be seen being seen by millions around the world.

If you have an interest in Pam and Tommy or like me, you know who they are but didn’t understand the velocity of what actually happened to them in the 90s, then this is a fantastic series to watch. It’s really interesting how it breaks everything down, and while some moments are a bit weirder than others – I’m talking about the penis talking episode – you really get that feeling of their relationship and how much you just want them to be happy and to work through things and be this amazing couple that they were at the start of the relationship but knowing that it’s going to end in flames.

And I think it’s also hard to watch Pamela Anderson, who was such a bubbly happy girl who just had big dreams and aspirations for herself, become a shell of herself because of something that someone did that she ended up getting blamed for. It is so disheartening and horrific to see and you can only hope that people will see the other side of people’s private images being leaked and realise that it is wrong, but you know in your heart of hearts people are still going to go on Google and search it, and even now I bet there’s been a spike in people trying to watch the Pam and Tommy sex tape just because of this series.

What do you think of Pam and Tommy?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding