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NBC's The Thing About Pam just aired its third episode, moving the story of Russ Faria's (played by Glenn Flesher) trial forward with the help of a special witness, Pamela Hupp (Renée Zellweger). As delicious as that may sound on paper, this episode suffers from quite a lot of downsides, the most important being the lack of story.
Titled She's a Star Witness, this episode aired on March 22, 2022. Despite the great premise and the brilliant real-life story that inspired the show, the third episode failed to make a bigger impact than the first two.
While there are certainly some good parts in this episode, as a great trial sequence, it still suffers from a lack of perfection and finesse.
Read on for a detailed review of The Thing About Pam's latest episode.
The Thing About Pam review: Not enough material to cover the hour
The episode begins with great intrigue after the previous episode's cliffhanger ending when Joel Schwartz (Josh Duhamel) planned to use the new bit of evidence in favor of Russ Faria.
Despite the favorable beginning with a well-orchestrated dream sequence and a subsequent look into the Faria trial's next phase, things drop quickly for the Jenny Klein show.
Most of it is due to the overstretched plot with no real drive towards the story. Not that it fails to depict the events well, but it is just a ten-minute event stretched over the entire first half.
The second half of the show certainly makes things more interesting with Russ's trial (or mistrial) beginning, and Leah Askey (Judy Greer) coming down on Russ with all her public prosecutor might. The jury seemed to align with her from the very start, and Pam's witness box speech only makes them more radicalized.
The thing that does not work here is that the jury seems convinced from the very start that Russ is guilty and that Pam is not a suspect. Understandably, the judge does not want the defense lawyer to point fingers at a witness, but it is difficult to see how everyone around never has a shred of doubt on Pam.
A lot of it is attributed to the fact that nothing about Pam's personal life is shown in detail. Without establishing how everyone is so sure of Pam being a good, helpful mother and friend, the audience will find it hard to relate to the jury.
Of course, the episode ends with Russ getting convicted, leaving the re-trial for the upcoming episodes of The Thing About Pam.
Technical aspects of The Thing About Pam
Most of the third episode of the Dateline-inspired series is well made. The script is the only problem. It is thin and does not have much to offer in terms of story or clever writing.
The dialogues are good, but that is it. The same cannot be said about the acting. There are scenes where Zellweger is exceptional, especially in the courtroom sequences.
Other actors also do well, and it is backed by great narration. The camera work in the beginning sequence is well made and the colors and contrast also suit the mood. One aspect worth mentioning is the great sound design in the entire courtroom sequence.
The Thing About Pam has things to offer but is still lacking behind in its quest to create a compelling true-crime drama.
