The Thing About Pam takeaway: Lies, greed, misery

The Thing About Pam concluded its six-episode run with an exciting finale in which viewers finally saw the murderer, Pamela Hupp (Renée Zellweger) prosecuted for her crime. Titled She's a Killer, this episode aired on April 12, 2022. Pamela's story ended with her serving a life sentence in prison.

There is no doubt that she had a twisted personality and one could even go to the extent of calling her deranged. However, there are lessons to learn from her case. She managed to fool the police for years before she got caught. Given her initial spree of lies and evasion, she could have very well escaped this fate of imprisonment. So what went wrong?

Well, Pamela messed up when she tried to push too far and have everything at once.

---

The Thing About Pam takeaway: You cannot have it all

One of the first things that stands out in this series is Pam's desire to have it all. She wanted money, fame, and respect, without having to earn them. As the star witness in Betsy Faria's (Kate Mixon) murder case, she managed to get all three which left her satisfied. However, the slow-emerging allegations, the fight for Betsy's insurance money, and Russ's retrial eventually robbed her of these things, leaving her deprived.

After Pam got back the insurance money she wanted, she could not bring herself to stop there. She pushed her luck further to win back everyone's affection by framing Russ Faria (Glenn Flesher) for the murder, so she could regain her innocent image. This plan did not work out well, and she ended up committing another murder.

If she had just settled for the money, she could have avoided all the subsequent trouble and led a wealthy life. If she never had greed for Betsy's money to begin with, she would still be a respected member of the community loved by all. But, she tried to reach for everything and ended up with nothing.

---

Every criminal makes mistakes

After foreshadowing her fate at the beginning of the episode, The Thing About Pam delivered poetic justice to Pamela Hupp as she was caught due to a rookie mistake. She made huge claims about how every criminal makes a stupid mistake, and then committed multiple mistakes during her second murder, leading to her ultimate downfall.

Her story teaches us that the truth eventually resurfaces no matter what. An expert sociopathic killer can also slip up. In a short but subtle sequence, where Pam tried to kill herself, the show also made a point about how there is no escaping from punishment.

The Thing About Pam ended things on a high note. The show was an enjoyable watch, despite the slow pacing. All the episodes of the show are now streaming on Peacock.