Pam & Tommy – Episode 3 “Jane Fonda” Recap & Review

Jane Fonda

Episode 3 of Pam & Tommy picks up where we left off from on episode 1. Rand and Miltie decide to go big with the tape, with the former consumed by his revenge.

We’re up to November 1995 and both Miltie and Rand show up at the offices of Vivid Entertainment. The pair dance their way around the tape being stolen, until they’re quickly shot down and forced out the door. Numerous other studios follow suit.

None of these guys want the sh*tstorm that’s going to be kicked up by releasing this tape, leaving the pair high and dry, sitting on a goldmine but nothing to help dig up the dirt.

We then jump back five years earlier to meet Erica, a woman whom Rand met while doing some plumbing work and later ended up marrying…and divorcing. She has big aspirations to be an actress and branch out beyond her adult work she’s currently involved in. And what starts as a simple job, soon turns into much more.

However, these flashbacks also help get Rand thinking. When he realizes the internet is starting to get big, he believes going around the conventional studio system could be in their benefit. Specifically, uploading the video for all to see.

Meanwhile, Pamela continues to work but is shot down over her suggestions of progressing beyond running into the water in slow-mo shots. She wants more for her role, to really show off her acting prowess. The Director and producers are pretty patronizing, telling her the scenes work better wordless.

For Tommy however, he too starts to feel the effects of the changing wave of music. With the news claiming Motley Crew are at rock bottom, and with Kurt Cobain, Nirvana and the rise of grunge starting to dominate the rock music scene, he’s starting to feel the pressure.

At home that night, Tommy convinces Pam to give the producers an ultimatum – let her do the scene or she’ll walk.

While this is going on, Miltie and Rand eventually visit Butchie (or Mr. Peraino as he prefers!) with their proposition. He’s a shady mobster and initially doesn’t see any financial incentive until Rand suggests distributing it over the internet so he’s untraceable. They manage to get a cool 50k for their efforts, but it comes with some steep terms. Eventually they shake on the deal and the ball begins to roll.

With Miltie heading across to various cities to use the funds to help finance their endeavour, Rand visits Erica with flower and a ring box…with the plumbing piece she needs. He even takes her out for dinner too.

As the website gets up and running, the tapes about to be mass-duplicated and Rand about to make a lot of money, he fills out his divorce papers.

As the episode closes , Pam prepares for the next chapter of her life, finding out that she’s pregnant. As she and Tommy celebrate this big news, Rand and the gang prepare for the oncoming storm about to hit.

The Episode Review

The third episode allows us to see a little more about Rand’s life, including his failed marriage and the turbulent ties with Erica. Not only that, we also see the cracks start to form in both Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s careers.

These moments are great, allowing us to really drink in the time period and it’s helped by a solid soundtrack as well. There are a lot of 90’s tracks in this that help keep things ticking over nicely, and I’d imagine the upcoming episodes are going to start ramping up the drama too.

Either way though, Pam and Tommy is just starting to turn a corner now and after a rather subdued few episodes, looks set to kick things off in a big way.