Pam & Tommy Episode 5 is the fifth instalment of an American biographical drama miniseries chronicling the marriage between actress Pamela Anderson and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, respectively played by Lily James and Sebastian Stan, during the period their unauthorized sex tape was made public. Seriously, when someone says “Pam and Tommy”, the only thing that comes to mind is SEXTAPE!
Entitled “Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie in Duluth”, Pam & Tommy Episode 5 finds our titular couple believing that the SEXTAPE would only be confined to an underground audience, never to get into mainstream circles and ultimately fizzle out. Besides the SEXTAPE, the couple individually have bigger fish to fry – for Pam, the upcoming released of her debut feature, Barbwire and for Tommy, the recording of Mötley Crüe’s next album, as the band’s popularity wanes in the wake of Seattle grunge.
The couple’s individual concerns obviously put on additional stress on their relationship with so much at stake in their individual careers, all of which would be seriously derailed if the SEXTAPE ever entered into mainstream consciousness. Thus, the main problem with Pam & Tommy Episode 5 is that it comes across like a straightforward narrative of historical fact – which, while interesting in itself – comes across a tad mundane compare to the insanity of the previous episodes.
Perhaps this is the appropriate time to express our deepest admiration for the work of Lily James and Sebastian Stan in playing these somewhat cartoony characters. It would have been easy to simply caricature the couple but kudos to James and Stan for imbuing subtle nuances into these roles. While it has always been difficult to sympathise with Pam and Tommy, James and Stan deliver engaging performances which remind us that ultimately the couple are human beings still.
Pam & Tommy Episode 5 might not be a roller-coaster but in its best moments, it reminds us of the top quality of American Crime Story, and that is really saying something. Recommended.
READ OUR REVIEWS OF PAM & TOMMY.
Now streaming on Disney+.
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