Warning! SPOILERS for Pam & Tommy.
Rand Gauthier, the man behind the illegal distribution of Pam & Tommy’s sex tape, failed to receive the profits of his venture, but did he really reach out to Tommy Lee amidst the scandal? In the Hulu series’ episode 1, Rand is fired without pay for doing Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee’s house renovations. As retribution, the carpenter steals the couple’s safe, which contains the infamous tape celebrating their whirlwind marriage. However, Rand’s plan of massively benefiting from the tape backfires on him, and so, as he is left with nothing but distress, he meets with the Mötley Crüe drummer — or so the show claims.
Pam & Tommy episode 7 takes a deeper gander at the impact of the tape’s scandal. Anderson’s career has been derailed, as she receives relentless ridicule and sexist remarks from the mainstream media. The comic book movie Barb Wire then becomes her attempt to step out of her Baywatch reputation and carve out a legitimate acting career. Yet, even that move is taken away from her, with Barb Wire becoming a critical and commercial disappointment. On the other hand, Rand, the mastermind behind the couple’s defamation, is also suffering from the consequences of his actions. Not only does his tape get ripped off by numerous vendors, but his partner Milton Ingley also leaves him alone to deal with the wrath of their investor. As a result, his desperation has forced him to reconnect with Lee.
Just like other biographical shows, Pam & Tommy has taken creative liberties for more dramatic storytelling. For instance, Jay Leno’s interview with Pamela Anderson is actually an amalgamation of two separate late-night guest showings. Meanwhile, the rest of the events in episode 7 are mostly faithful to reality. The result of the Penthouse lawsuit truly reflects what happened, while Rand’s encounter with Butchie Peraino is largely precise, even down to the scene where the former is forced to eat cherries soaked in vodka during interrogation. However, the covert meeting between Lee and Rand has left viewers wondering about its accuracy.
Did Tommy Lee & Rand Gauthier Meet After The Tape Leaked?
Pam & Tommy places Rand in a difficult predicament, as he needs to repay his business loan. With nobody to turn to, for a brief moment, he believes that Tommy Lee’s money and net worth will solve his problem. Unfortunately, the rock star realizes how much the scandal has ruined Anderson’s life, so instead of handing Rand the money, he burns it. This turn of events pushes the carpenter to work for Peraino’s mob instead.
While this plotline is interesting, despite Pam & Tommy’s depiction, there is no real-life evidence of Lee and Rand ever coming face-to-face after the sex tape’s leak. In fact, Rand has shared in the 2014 Rolling Stone article “Pam and Tommy: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Sex Tape” how he started working off his debt, and there is no mention of reconnecting with Lee. Rather than sticking to traditional beatings, however, he splashes ammonia on his victim’s face and breaks their collarbone using a metal mop handle.
Why Tommy Lee & Rand Gauthier's Meeting Is A Good True Story Change
Regardless of what truly transpired, the decision to include Lee and Rand’s meeting on Pam & Tommy is a good move. In the first few episodes of the series, Rand Gauthier, played by Seth Rogen, is characterized as a temperate man whose actions are rooted in the religions he is studying. His childhood has kick-started a lifetime of him getting screwed over — by his father, his wife Erica, his former employer Lee, his business partner Miltie, and his mob victims. Pam & Tommy capitalizes on Rand’s weakness and inferiority to make him more sympathetic and to justify his stealing the Lees’ sex tape.
By fabricating a scene in which Lee questions what Anderson has done to deserve the scandal, the show highlights how wrong Rand is. No matter what he has experienced, he absolutely has no right to take and broadcast somebody’s private moments without their consent, especially since he has disrupted people's careers and tainted their reputations. Worse, Rand never faced jail time for leaking Pam and Tommy's tape. This point is hammered home by Erica’s reaction to his confession. Hopefully, as he is kicked out of his wife’s home, the fictional Rand recognizes that igniting the chaos in Pam & Tommy has left him with nothing and no one in his life, making this true story change depict a greater sense of justice for Rand's character.