Dhruv Trivedi
‘Pam & Tommy’ episode 6, confusingly titled ‘Pamela in Wonderland,’ finds the titular actress at her first distressing deposition. Following legal action by her and Tommy to try and stem the spread of their private tape, Pamela is put through excruciatingly personal questions under the guise of a deposition.
We also see a very different version of the celebrity through flashbacks — a rare glimpse of what the iconic Pamela Anderson might have been like before she became a celebrity. Episode 6 changes the pace of the show quite a bit and gives a sweep of Pamela’s days before stardom. There are a lot of interesting details hidden in this chapter, so let’s take a closer look. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Pam & Tommy Episode 6 Recap
The episode opens with Pamela at a deposition, with her lawyer Richard Alden by her side. The man seated across from her begins with an atrocious question, which includes the word “genitals.” A shocked Pamela is pacified by her lawyer, who says that the personal questions are a part of the deposition but will not be brought up during court hearings. However, the questions continue to remain highly pointed — and bordering on offensive — and insinuate that Pamela “leaked” her tape purposely for financial gain.
Meanwhile, through flashbacks, we see Pamela’s journey from a small town in Canada to her first taste of celebrity glamour. It is 1989, and she goes to a football game with her (then) boyfriend. The stadium cam catches a young and bashful Pamela, who is then approached by a man from Labatt’s marketing department. Things begin to move quickly from there, and after featuring on a poster, the young future-starlet gets a call from Playboy magazine inviting her to Los Angeles for a test shoot. She also meets the publication’s famous patriarch, Hugh Hefner, who offers her some celebrity advice, leaving young Pamela speechless.
As the deposition continues in the present, we are treated to another set of flashbacks, this time of Pamela and Tommy’s time together soon after their wedding. Madly in love, the couple goes on a camping trip, where they shoot the fateful video. Soon after their return, Tommy begins planning another vacation to Fiji. He also pointedly takes out the private tape from the video camera and puts it in his safe.
Pam & Tommy Episode 6 Ending: Why is Pamela Blamed for Leaking the Tape?
Back in the present, the atrocious line of questioning against Pamela continues in the deposition. She is made to answer increasingly offensive questions, and it is repeatedly insinuated that she purposely leaked the private recording. When the deposition ends for the day, her interrogator suggests they continue the next day. Furious, Pamela tells Alden that she is done answering questions and that the lawyer should find an alternative if he wants to keep his job. The episode finally closes with the traumatized celebrity walking out of the empty deposition room.
Despite Pamela and Tommy being the plaintiffs, the kind of treatment meted out to the former during her deposition makes it appear as if she’s on trial. Her motives and innocence in the matter of the leaked tape are repeatedly questioned. Worst of all, the lawyer interrogating Pamela insinuates that her history of working with Playboy magazine as an adult model makes it likely that she purposely spread the tape as a way to make extra money.
The reasoning used by her interrogator hinges on the claim that Pamela, unsatisfied with the money she’s getting for Playboy photoshoots, leaked her tape so that she could also be featured in the rival Penthouse magazine. This is denied by the actress, who is appalled by the suggestion that she would leak her personal tape on purpose. Unfortunately, she is nonetheless forced to sit and watch the tape during the deposition, occasionally asked questions about its contents. Of course, the ones actually responsible for leaking the tape, Rand and Uncle Miltie, remain conspicuously absent from the episode.
What Happens if Pamela Refuses More Depositions?
By the end of episode 6, Pamela is traumatized and furious. She turns on her lawyer and tells him she’s not answering any more personal questions and that he must find an alternative. Though we don’t know yet if Alden is able to fulfill her request, things don’t look very good for the actress.
On one hand, going ahead with legal action would entail many more such distressing interrogations where Pamela would have to repeatedly answer personal questions posed by strangers. On the other, if she refuses to be questioned, she and Tommy will likely 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 as if legal action is the last hope to contain the tape, and if Pam refuses to be questioned, it might lead to an even more unmitigated spread of the recording.
Where is Tommy? Why Is He Not Being Questioned?
Despite Tommy’s reassuring “We’re in this together” to Pamela when they first get the deposition summons, the husband is nowhere to be seen. Pamela is questioned alone about their private honeymoon and is even made to answer questions about Tommy’s personal life with other women. Meanwhile, it seems Tommy isn’t even called to the depositions.
It appears that more than anything, Pamela is being targeted for being a sex symbol. The fact that she is so brutally questioned despite being the victim clearly shows that the objective of the deposition is not to get her side of the story but to pry into her personal life further. This also takes us back to Pamela’s initial fears when news of the tape’s leak first reaches her and Tommy. The latter remains relatively unaffected by the whole scandal while Pamela is placed in the eye of the storm, seemingly alone and surrounded by men who do not understand the position she is in.
Read More: How Did Pam and Tommy Meet? Why Did They Break up?
