'Pam and Tommy' Episode 5 Recap: “Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie in Duluth”
The Lee’s are still reeling from their loss, while the tape is reaching a national audience.
Pamela is able to put on a show for her magazine interview with Glamour. It’s a big opportunity for her and a change from her time as the centerfold in Playboy; she’s actually the main subject of a woman’s magazine. Nothing seems to be going well for Tommy and he isn’t able to handle the loss of their child. Pamela is better at hiding her pain and losing herself in her work with Playboy, Baywatch, and her upcoming feature film; Tommy’s best days are behind him. He looks at the wall of his dwindling album sales and goes out for an adventure at the Viper Room. While using the restroom, Tommy is confronted by some guys who recognize him, but they give him a backhanded compliment. They tell Tommy that his best work was almost a decade ago until this sex tape was released, and this triggers Tommy to lash out.
Tommy’s very public actions have an effect on Pamela’s career. Or at least that’s what Pam’s manager, Gail tells her. There’s just one more thing that Pam needs to let Gail know before they end this conversation and that’s the existence of the tape. A quick search on the web reveals that no media institutions of note have caught wind of footage, but there are many additional websites distributing the material.
This is Pam’s breaking point. Not only is she terrified of how many people have a copy of this very personal tape, but she’s frustrated with how little Tommy seems to care about the situation. She even begins to blame him for letting this happen, because his career is on the downfall and this would bring him back into the spotlight again. It’s not impossible for Pam to have made this leap in judgment.
After their argument, Tommy is set to record new material with his band only discover that they’ll be recording in Studio B. Their album sales don’t really position them as an important member of Elektra Records, and their usual studio space has been given to Third Eye Blind.
This does not sit well with Tommy.
Maybe, just maybe they would’ve been able to get past this if Bob Guccione (Maxwell Caulfield) didn’t find the tape. Guccione is the owner of the adult magazine, Penthouse, and he would love nothing more to stick it to Playboy and Hugh Hefner and publish photos of the sex tape in his magazine. When Tommy and Pamela learn about this, their lawyers encourage them to sue. By doing this, not only did the Lee’s confirm the footage as legitimate, but they’ve brought national attention to the underground sex tape. Once the lawsuit is made public, The L.A. Times and Jay Leno are ready to announce it to the world. Now, Pamela has been asked to attend a disposition, by herself, to discuss the lawsuit.
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