'Pam and Tommy' Episode 4 Recap: “The Master Beta”

Pamela’s. Hardcore. Sex Video.

Pam and Tommy, Hulu

The website is live and orders are steadily coming in. It would seem that the Field of Dreams quote, “If you build it, they will come,” certainly applies to www.PamelasTape.com. Now Pam and Tommy’s intimate adventures can be had by anyone for the low price of $59.95.

Rand and Miltie have built this operation using the money they were advanced and it’s convoluted, to say the least. As I mentioned in the last episode recap, the internet isn’t ready to support streaming video, so Rand and Miltie have a mail-order operation going. A guy in Canada takes the checks and forwards the shipping addresses to Rand, while he completes the orders. Miltie has the money being funneled to Amsterdam so he can hide the revenue that they’re receiving from the illegal sales.

Pam and Tommy, Hulu

While visiting Erica at the porn set, Rand runs into Seth Warshavsky (Fred Hechinger). Warshavsky is peddling the idea of internet pornography to some of the performers on set, but Rand steps in with his own experience in the field. Rand explains that video on the internet just isn’t feasible and nothing is going to beat a VHS tape. Obviously, the audience has the foresight in this issue, but Rand thinks he has the best game in town.

Pam & Tommy are still buzzing about their positive pregnancy test. They’ve been in the OBGYN office and gotten their first ultrasound. The excitement from both of them is infectious, it’s obvious that Tommy is all the way in on being a father. The ultrasound photo falls off the fridge and Tommy decides that he has to put it somewhere secure. He goes to put it into his safe, only to discover that it has been stolen! Obviously, he doesn’t go into it very often because some time has passed since it was initially stolen. He reports the missing items to the police, but Pam is more concerned with the sex tape they recorded. Just knowing that the tape is out in the world makes her feel violated, but Tommy doesn’t feel the same concern.

In order to find the tape ASAP, the Lees hire a P.I. in Anthony Pellicano (Don Harvey). One of the first questions that Pellicano asks Tommy Lee is if anyone would want to get revenge on him for something. Tommy has a whole laundry list of suspects, but the most likely happens to be Rand. I mean how much more probable cause do you need than not paying someone and then keeping his tools at gunpoint? Pellicano gives Rand a visit, roughing him up, and telling him he better produce the tape soon.

The only problem is that Rand has already sent out hundreds of these tapes around the world. Even if he wanted to get the master tape back to the Lees, that wouldn’t stop the spread of the sex tape. It’s actually gotten so prolific that there are other people trying to sell the tape for half the price! There is no stopping this train.

Pam and Tommy, Hulu

And that’s when Pam learns how far her sex tape has traveled. On the set of Baywatch, the crew is watching her have sex with her husband while she’s preparing for the shoot. Needless to say, she’s furious. The Lees don’t have the internet at home, so they have to covertly sneak into a local library and navigate to the webpage for the sex tape. The words slowly show up on the screen:

Pamela’s. Hardcore. Sex Video.

They both don’t know what the website is, but Pam desperately wants to shut it down. Just when things couldn’t get any worse for Pam, she starts to feel pain in her abdomen. A visit to the hospital confirms their worst fears; they have lost the baby. Dealing with the sex tape scandal and the loss of a child brings Pam to the absolute edge. When a paparazzi is trying to film her during this difficult time, she absolutely lashes out and attacks. This is all too much, too fast. And Tommy will never understand the scandal that will haunt Pam’s career forever. He’ll be seen as a hero among men, whereas she’ll be seen as a whore by the world. An episode that started with such promise for Pam, came crashing down.