Pam And Tommy Are Not Doing Well In The Episode 5 Promo

Rand’s revenge has come for the titular couple in Pam & Tommy Episode 4, as their infamous tape was uploaded to the web and started to go viral. (Of course, “viral” is relative, as the tape’s journey is far slower than such a thing would be nowadays, due to the lack of broadband access in 1995.) But even as the twosome tried to squelch the footage, viewers know the internet is forever, and once something’s up, it never really comes down. It’s a reality they have to face in the Pam & Tommy Episode 5 promo.

Warning: Spoilers for Pam & Tommy Episode 4 follow. There’s something adorably quaint about the Feb. 9 episode, even as the central couple failed to comprehend the magnitude of what occurred. The desperate search for a computer, let alone an internet connection, in the current world of constant data and wifi, really drove home how little your average person understood the World Wide Web at that time. (It also drove home how much Tommy and Pam were deeply ordinary people, despite their celebrity status.)

But the worst part was that these sorts of tapes were still viewed as career-enders in this era, especially for women. And as Episode 5 promises to explore, Pam’s career is the far more vulnerable than her husband’s.

Episode 5 is titled “Uncle Jim and Aunt Susie in Duluth,” likely a reference to just how far a reach this tape will have. The synopsis explains why: “The tape falls into the hands of Penthouse publisher Bob Guccione.”

Nowadays, when it comes to pornography, the internet provides. However, in the mid-1990s, there were two major magazines that made porn known to the mainstream, Playboy and Penthouse. Guccione launched Penthouse with the explicit idea that it would be rougher, harder, and more in your face than Hugh Hefner’s bunny-laden empire. Had the tape gone to Hefner, Anderson might have been able to work with it, put on some rabbit ears along with the famous red bathing suit, and smile, smile, smile. But Guccione is another matter entirely, and her career isn’t going to fare well.

Pam & Tommy continues with new episodes every Wednesday on Hulu.