Pam & Tommy takes a more serious turn in episode four. The couple have finally found out about the stolen sex tape, but months have passed and it is out for public consumption. “The Master Beta” deals with how this has affected everyone’s life. The opening moments of the limited series touched on how the world would view Pamela Anderson (Lily James) after the tape went the 1996 version of viral. There have been hints of it throughout the show, but this is the first episode to directly state that Anderson would be treated differently than husband Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) for the simple fact that she is a woman.
This is just a small part of Pam & Tommy as most of the episode is spent with Rand (Seth Rogen) trying to keep away from various goons Tommy has sent after him. Rand is also beginning to realize just how much of an impact selling the tape online has made. This may be the most interesting part of “The Beta Test.” Even in its primitive stages, the internet is a powerful force. There may be too many wink and nudge jokes regarding how slow the net was back in its infancy, but viewers will definitely get a sense of how much of a game changer the internet was.
One of the themes of the series has been how much Anderson and Lee loved each other. In the earlier episodes they come across as two kids who love having fun with each other. It was silly and passionate. By the time 1996 comes around, they are clearly madly in love. The passion is still there, but things are not as fun for the pair. On a show short on emotion, Stan and James are overflowing with it.
New episodes of Pam & Tommy premiere every Wednesday on Hulu.
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