Here I am, continuing my binge of true crime-based miniseries, only to review them and tell you where the participants are now. This piece joins The Dropout (2022) Review and Where Are They Now as well as Dahmer: A Review of Netflix’s Latest + Where Are They Now both of which are absolute crackers. So if you like true crime, give those articles a shot. But what about Pam? What is The Thing About Pam? Is it any good? And where are they now? Let’s find out!
The Thing About Pam
As per the synopsis on IMDb:
Based on the 2011 murder of Betsy Faria that resulted in her husband, Russ’ conviction, but he insisted he did not kill her. This brutal crime set off a chain of events that would expose a diabolical scheme deeply involving Pam Hupp.
The aforementioned diabolical Pam Hupp is played by Renée Zellweger in what amounts to one of my favorite characters of hers in the past decade. She is just so hateable, so on-point with her annoying habits. And directorially, Pam’s character always gets a sense of fantasy about it that is just tremendous.
Much of the series is heartbreaking on an emotional level, as you see Pam get away with more and more heinous things. Glenn Fleshler plays a caring, if somewhat oblivious, Russ Faria that will pull at every one of your heartstrings.
The show is only 6 episodes long, which to me falls in that perfect 6-to-10-episodes golden length for a miniseries. It never overstays its welcome, there are no filler episodes (not even filler scenes). All the fat’s been trimmed, and this results in a laser-focused show that is a thrill a minute for the duration.
What I Didn’t Like
To be honest? Not that much. The whole “Pam’s life is a fantasy” directorial trick was a bit off-putting at first, but it ended up being a highlight of the show for both myself and my wife (with whom I always watch these sicko shows).
It’s also hard to watch at times as Pam keeps getting away with murder (literally), but thankfully, we all know that’s not what happened in the end.
Verdict (Pun Intended)
I loved The Thing About Pam, and I think you will, too. If you’re looking for a somewhat kooky true crime show that’s a bit different but still scratches the right itches for armchair detectives, Zellweger and co. have put together something quite special for you.
Where are they now?
Pam Hupp
The titular Pamela Hupp is serving a life sentence at Missouro’s Chillicothe Correctional Center. However, it’s not for the murder of Betsy Faria (though she has been charged with the murder of Betsy as of 2021 and is awaiting trial for that case). She is serving a life sentence for the 2016 murder of Louis Gumpenberger, a mentally and physically disabled man she allegedly shot in self-defense in her home. However, she was found guilty of tricking Gumpenberger into her home and shooting him, execution style. Hupp was also investigated in relation to the death of her mother, Shirley Neumann, but the investigation was inconclusive.
Russ Faria
Originally found (falsely) guilty of killing his wife Betsy, Russ Faria was released in 2015 when a judge overturned the original verdict. In 2020, Russ received $2 million in a civil law suit settlement against the officers who mishandled the investigation that led to his conviction. He works in a motorcycle shop in Minnesota and heps the Midwest Innocence Project, too. The Midwest Innocence Project is a non-profit that provides support for wrongfully convicted individuals.
Leah Askey
Prosecutor Leah Askey was the lead District Attorney who originally convicted Russ Faria. Despite maintaining her innocence in terms of mishandling the case, Askey (now Leah Wommack Chaney) lost her seat as county prosecutor because of the Betsy Faria case. She now practices law at a private firm called the Chaney Law Grouyp.
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