Episode 6 of “Pam & Tommy,” confusingly titled “Pamela in Wonderland,” finds the titular actress during her nerve-wracking first deposition. Following a lawsuit filed by her and Tommy in an attempt to stem the spread of their private tape, Pamela is subjected to excruciatingly personal questions under the guise of a deposition.
We also see a very different version of fame through flashbacks – a rare glimpse into what the iconic Pamela Anderson might have looked like before becoming a celebrity. Episode 6 changes the pacing of the series a bit and provides insight into Pamela’s days before fame. There are a lot of interesting details hidden in this chapter, so let’s take a closer look. FRONT SPOILERS.
Pam and Tommy episode 6 recap
The episode opens with Pamela giving a deposition, with her attorney Richard Alden by her side. The man sitting across from her begins with an excruciating question, which includes the word “genitals.” A shocked Pamela is soothed by her attorney, who says personal matters are part of the deposition but will not be raised in court hearings. However, the questions continue to remain very pointed – and bordering on the offensive – and insinuate that Pamela purposely “leaked” her tape for financial gain.
Meanwhile, through flashbacks, we see Pamela’s journey from small town Canada to her first taste of celebrity glamour. It’s 1989 and she’s going to a football game with her (then) boyfriend. The stadium camera catches a young and shy Pamela, who is then approached by a man from Labatt’s marketing department. Things start to move quickly from there, and after appearing on a poster, the young future starlet receives a call from Playboy magazine inviting her to Los Angeles for a test shoot. She also meets famed publishing patriarch Hugh Hefner, who offers her celebrity advice, leaving young Pamela speechless.
As the deposition continues into the present, we are treated to another set of flashbacks, this time of time Pamela and Tommy spent together shortly after their wedding. Crazy in love, the couple go on a camping trip, where they shoot the fateful video. Shortly after they return, Tommy begins planning another vacation to Fiji. He also ostensibly pulls out the private tape from the video camera and puts it in his safe.
End of episode 6 of Pam & Tommy: Why is Pamela accused of leaking the tape?
Back in the present, the harrowing series of interrogations against Pamela continues in the deposition. She is forced to answer increasingly offensive questions, and it is repeatedly insinuated that she deliberately leaked the private recording. When the deposition ends for the day, his interrogator suggests continuing the next day. Furious, Pamela tells Alden that she’s done answering questions and that the lawyer should find an alternative if he wants to keep his job. The episode finally ends with the traumatized celebrity walking out of the empty deposition room.
Although Pamela and Tommy are the plaintiffs, the type of treatment given to the former during her deposition gives the impression that she is on trial. His motives and innocence in the leaked tape case are repeatedly questioned. Worse still, the lawyer interviewing Pamela insinuates that her history of working with Playboy magazine as an adult model makes it likely she deliberately released the tape as a way to earn extra money.
The reasoning used by her interrogator hinges on the claim that Pamela, unhappy with the money she receives for Playboy photoshoots, leaked her tape so that it could also be featured in rival magazine Penthouse. This is denied by the actress, who is appalled by the suggestion that she purposely leaks her personal tape. Unfortunately, she is nonetheless forced to sit and watch the tape during the deposition, occasionally being asked questions about its contents. Of course, those actually responsible for the tape’s escape, Rand and Uncle Miltie, remain conspicuously absent from the episode.
What if Pamela refuses more depositions?
At the end of episode 6, Pamela is traumatized and furious. She turns against her lawyer and tells him that she no longer answers personal questions and that he must find an alternative. While we don’t yet know if Alden is able to fulfill her request, things don’t look very good for the actress.
For one thing, moving forward with legal action would lead to many more harrowing interrogations where Pamela would have to repeatedly answer personal questions posed by strangers. On the other hand, if she refuses to be questioned, she and Tommy will probably have to drop their case. This would likely result in Penthouse magazine (and potentially other publications and websites) popularizing the private tape even further. It almost seems like legal action is the last hope of containing the tape, and if Pam refuses to be interviewed, it could lead to an even more total release of the recording.
Where’s Tommy? Why is he not questioned?
Despite Tommy’s reassuring “We’re in this together” to Pamela when they first receive the subpoena, the husband is nowhere to be found. Pamela is interrogated alone about their private honeymoon and is even forced to answer questions about Tommy’s personal life with other women. Meanwhile, it looks like Tommy isn’t even called for depositions.
It seems that more than anything, Pamela is being targeted for being a sex symbol. The fact that she is so brutally interrogated as a victim makes it clear that the purpose of the deposition is not to get her side of the story, but to dig deeper into her personal life. It also brings us back to Pamela’s initial fears when news of the leaked tape first reaches her and Tommy. The latter remains relatively untouched by all the scandal while Pamela is placed in the eye of the storm, seemingly alone and surrounded by men who do not understand the position in which she finds herself.
Read more: How did Pam and Tommy meet? Why did they break up?
