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"Welcome to the insanity that is my mother." |
Pamela "Pam" Puckett is Sam and Melanie Puckett's mother. In the first three seasons, she was never seen on-screen, but has been referred to numerous times.
In iParty with Victorious, it was said that Sam's father "once told [her] he was coming back," implying that he left Pam when Sam and Melanie were little. And also in iLost My Mind, when a guard asks Sam where her father is, she yells, "You tell me!", implying that he has not made contact with his family since he left.
She can be aggressive, cruel and immature, but tries hard to be a good mother towards Sam and Melanie even though she doesn't seem to know how.
Pam appeared in iSam's Mom and she was played by the famous Glee actress Jane Lynch.[1]
She appeared again (although her face wasn't seen, so she was possibly portrayed by a different actress) in iShock America.
Personality
Really nothing positive (only negative) is ever said about her on the show. (There's an exception in iSam's Mom - sort of, when she and Sam are making up and say they love each other).
She is shown to be quite irresponsible at times, such as when she drove a car right after having had laser eye surgery and ended up destroying the locker #239 with her car when she drove it into one of the school's walls due to her bad eyesight at that time. She also has poor planning skills (which led to Sam and Melanie being born on a bus), doesn't feed Sam, and rarely gets up before noon.
Although Pam has never been arrested (according to Carly's and Freddie's blogs at iCarly.com), she apparently frequently has trouble with the police, probably mainly because of her driving. This is shown in iMeet Fred when her license and car have been taken by the police and in iCook when Sam says she usually gets her mom out of bed by screaming, "There's a cop at the door, and he's got a warrant!"
Furthermore, Pam dated an electrician named Douglas according to Sam.
She is also shown to date new men every week and (according to one of Sam's blogs) isn't very picky in choosing her boyfriends. In iSam's Mom, she immediately started hitting on the therapist.
Meet Sam's mom, Pam! She's just like Sam except she's older, louder, and she's got way more misdemeanor charges.
In iGot a Hot Room, it is stated that she really likes Italian guys.
It was mentioned in iMeet The First Lady that she was engaged 18 times.
According to one of Sam's blogs, her mother maintains poor hygiene and in iFind Lewbert's Lost Love, Sam mentions her mom doesn't shave her armpits.
Her more crazy quirks include her wearing her new bikinis around the house to "break them in" or beating up her old television with a baseball bat when she buys a new one (an activity Sam apparently takes part in). Sam also says her mom screams at the pet cat to get a job, but it's questionable if she really screams at the cat or if Sam just doesn't want to realize her mother is actually screaming at her.
Despite all those crazy and very negative traits, she has a nice side, too; she frequently gives Carly and Sam a rides home from school and Sam says that her mother likes her hanging out with Carly because she thinks it will "keep Sam out of jail", showing a basic level of concern for her daughter's future. In iStage an Intervention, she even shows an attempt at parenting when she tries to ground Sam and make her clean her room.
In iSam's Mom, the viewers finally get to see Pam for themselves. In the episode, Sam and Pam fight, and Sam moves in with Carly. Because Sam is a horrible roommate, Carly tries to get the two to make up.
A caption in the gallery to iSam's Mom on iCarly.com says, "Meet Sam's mom, Pam! She's just like Sam except older, louder, and she's got WAY more misdemeanor charges."
In iParty with Victorious, it is stated that she once took "special vitamins" that made her really happy and cheery.
In iLost My Mind, Spencer impersonates her to get Sam out of the mental hospital.
Pam admits to favouring Sam's twin Melanie, which upsets Sam in iSam's Mom. Also, whenever Melanie comes home for some time, Pam apparently spends time with her.
Pam and Sam fighting
Tattoos
Pam has several tattoos on her body, like a tattoo of a foot on her foot. (A reference to "Drake & Josh" where one of the members of Drake's band has a tattoo of a foot on his chest.) She also has unknown characters on her arms, back, and legs.
Relationship with Sam
Sam's mother occasionally shows some motherly concern towards Sam, but most of the time, she doesn't seem to care about her a lot; she didn't know about iCarly for three whole years and didn't notice when Sam went to Japan.[2]
Sam doesn't seem to care much about Pam either. They sometimes seem to get along pretty well, but Sam didn't think it was necessary to take care of her mother when she was in bed with pneumonia.
In Sam's blog preceding iSam's Mom, Sam wrote how upset she was about all the crazy things her mom did recently.[3] This rant was continued at the beginning of the episode.
Jane Lynch said in a behind the scenes video of iSams Mom: "She isn't the greatest mother in the world, but [...] she does love Sam; she just has no idea how to parent."
In iStart a Fanwar, Sam says that her mom tries to be a better parent since they started going to therapy in iSam's Mom, but isn't very successful in her attempts.
In one of Freddie's blogs, it is revealed she had claimed that her daughter was dating Freddie in order to get a discount at a Pear Store, showing she likes to take advantage of her famous child. Unfortunately, she upset a few Creddie fans, who started a riot.
Sam ultimately shows how much she cares about her mother in iLost My Head in Vegas where Pam gets thrown in jail in Las Vegas and required $2500 to be bailed out. Sam is extremely worried about Pam staying in jail the entire weekend and goes all the way to Vegas to help her mom out.
Quotes about Sam's mother
Sam: No way I can be around my mom right now!
Carly: You guys fighting?
Sam: No, she's wearing some gross new perfume... couldn't you smell it?
Carly: I just thought your cat peed in the car again.
Sam: I wish.
[About Spencer's giant pumpkin:]
Sam: Can we eat it?
[Carly and Freddie stare at her:]
Sam: My mom makes me dinner like twice a year, okay!
Carly: This could be the very last iCarly webcast ever!
Sam: And if anything horrible happens to us...
[Freddie zooms in on her:]
Sam: Mom, I lied to you. Those pants do make you look fat!
Sam: When my mom buys a new bikini, she usually wears it around the house for a few days to "break it in." If you're my friend, you won't make me look at that.
Carly: It was really nice of your mom to give me a ride home from school!
Sam: Nah, she just likes me hanging out with you 'cause she thinks it'll keep me out of jail.
Carly: Low-fat cheese in a can? This is what your mom gave you for lunch?
Sam: Hey, I'm just happy she woke up before noon.
Sam: You know, I was born on a bus.
Freddie: Huh?
Sam: My mom's not good at planning!
[After hiring her personal chef:]
Sam: My mom doesn't feed me, and since I got some real money now, why not?
Sam: My mom keeps screaming at the cat to get a job. Yeah, I don't know.
Carly: No, we're not going to make Spencer's life miserable just to make ours easy.
Sam: Come on, having a miserable life isn't all bad. Sometimes, my mother laughs.
Sam: I'm not going!
Carly: Oh, yes, you are! You wanna know why?
Sam: Why?
Carly: Because when your mother got chicken pox, I helped you rub calamine lotion all over that woman. And those pox were everywhere...
Sam: You're a good friend.
Spencer: I just made a new video for "Whynotdateme.com".
Sam: My mom got banned from that website.
Sam: My mom told me I couldn't leave the house 'til I cleaned out my room. Sooo, I locked my door, snuck out the window and took a bus here.
Carly: You took a cab to school?
Sam: I had to. My mom loaned her car to some fisherman and I missed the bus.
Carly: Don't you think you should go home and be with your mom?
Sam: What for?
Carly: 'Cause she's in bed - with pneumonia!
Sam: I'm not a doctor!
Sam: My mom bought a new TV.
Spencer: Cool. You're gonna hook it up?
Sam: Nah, we're gonna beat the old one with a baseball bat.
Sam: My mom can drive us.
Carly: Did she get her license back?
Sam: ...I didn't say that.
Freddie: Did she get her van back from the police?
Sam: ...Maybe someone else should drive us.
Freddie: We're gonna put it in writing that you gotta pay me $50 as soon as it's done.
Sam: No prob. My mom's dating a lawyer this week. I'll have him write us a contract.
[When Freddie wants to change the contract shortly afterwards:]
Sam: Too late... she's dating a rabbi now.
Sam: My mom dated a psychologist last year and he said she needed to be more trusting. So, she gave him a key to our house and then he stole our refrigerator.
Sam: [After getting soup from Carly] Aww, just like mom never made.
Sam: You're not gonna believe this!
Freddie: Your mom got a job?
Sam: Okay, let's not get crazy.
Sam: My mom just had laser eye surgery this afternoon and she's coming to pick me up, so I've got to get outside!
Freddie: This won't take long... I´m prepared to offer... Wait, your mom had laser eye surgery today and she's driving a car?!
Sam: I didn't say she makes good decisions.
Freddie: And you're getting in the car with her?!
Sam: I didn't say I make good decisions!
[After Sam´s mom crashes her car through locker #239:]
Sam: There's my mom now. Nice driving, mom!
Carly: This is the "nice" hotel your mom recommended?!
Sam: This is where she stays when she comes to town!
Freddie: Why?!
Sam: Her plastic surgeon works out of room 210.
Melanie: I gotta go meet my mom at the clinic.
Carly: I thought your mom just bought a huge new TV last month.
Sam: She did. But... You know that senator she's been dating?... He stole it.
Carly: A senator stole your TV?
Sam: Yeah, turns out he wasn't a real senator.
Carly: I told your mom there was no such state as "New Kentucky".
Sam: Oh man, did someone post more pics of my mom in a bikini?!
Freddie: This is worse!
Carly: What could be worse than...?
Freddie: Don't you have some trick to get your mom out of bed?
Sam: Yeah - I'll try it... [screams in Ricky Flame's ear] GET UP, YOU LAZY BLOB!! THERE'S A COP AT THE DOOR AND HE'S GOT A WARRANT!!
Carly: How can I get to know someone in 15 seconds?!
Sam: Come on, six of my mom's best relationships started in 15 seconds!
[After seeing pictures of Lewbert and Marta :]
Carly: You know what we have to do.
Sam: Get my mom to start shaving her armpits? It's like two sweaty jungles up in there...!
Sam: We email Marta... then buy a weedwhacker for my mom's armpits.
Carly: You were really a beauty pageant girl?
Sam: I didn't wanna be. My mom forced me.
[About the fake boobs:]
Carly: Return them!
Sam: I can't. My mom wore them last night.
Carly: [shocked/disgusted] Whoa!! [drops them]
Ernie: How's your mom?
Sam: Still the worst!
Ernie: [chuckles] Right!
Carly: Well, there is no such thing as tall pygmies!
Sam: Do you guys want to see the videos of my mom and Gwoojie?
All: [all saying at different times] No!!
Freddie: Sam's mom here yet?
Carly: No, they're late 'cause she was bleaching her mustache.
Carly: Can you improve your attitude?
Sam: Yeah, probably, with some medication my mom can't afford.
[After Nora texted Sam's mother that everything is going alright:]
Nora: [reading the answer Sam´s mom texted] 'I finally popped that thing on my back'.
Sam: Wow, she's been squeezing that thing since Christmas!
Pam Puckett and Sam having a fight
[After Sam threatens an Italian exchange student in Italian]
Carly: When did you learn...
Sam: My mom likes Italian dudes.
Carly: Of course.
Sam: I mean, she really likes Italian dudes.
Carly: I get it.
Girl: We want more money and better working conditions!
Sam: And I wanted a mom who doesn't wear bikinis three sizes too small. Did I get that? No.
Sam: Ever since my mom and I have been going to therapy, she's trying to be a better parent, so she packed me a lunch.
Carly: Awww, that's so sweet. [Sam groans; Carly searches through Sam's lunchbag] A Fat Cake... some packets of hot sauce...
Freddie: A can of "Chugg'n'Buzz"...
Carly: A "C" battery...
Freddie: And a jar of paprika.
Sam: I said she was trying, I didn't say she was competent...
Freddie: [About Carly] It's like she's oozing happy.
Sam: Kinda like when my mom was taking those "special vitamins".
Spencer: Call [Sam's] mom.
Carly: I can't. She's in Tijuana getting laser hair removal.
Spencer: From what part of her body?
Carly: I didn't wanna know!
Spencer dressed as Pam
Spencer: [Dressed up as Pam]Hey Sam!
Sam: Hi Mom.
Freddie: I just wanted people to think I was creative ....
Sam: And I wanted a mom without stretch marks, that didn't happen....
Colonel Shay: [message appearing on the screen] Hey Sam.
Sam: Hey Colonel Shay!
Colonel Shay: How's your mom?
Sam: My mom?[Shrugs] Same as always.
Colonel Shay: I'm so sorry.
Freddie: How re we gonna pay for one-way tickets to Amsterdam?
Sam: Easy ... I got all my mom's engagement rings.
Spencer: How do you know about jungle worms?
Sam: My mom got them from using some foreign guy's toothbrush.
[Pam walks through the background wearing a bikini]
Sam: Mom, quit trying on bikinis. They ALL look bad!
Pam's Boyfriends
.jpg "ICook (Douglas 01).jpg (55 KB)")
In Fandom
Prior to her revelation, lots of people had made their own conclusions to who exactly she is and how she acts. Most thought of her as a blond, overweight, drunk lady who often goes off to party and, as now proven in the show, dates new men weekly.
Many darker fanfictions even portray her as an alcoholic who is very abusive towards Sam.
Others thought of her as a basically caring, but slightly crazy person who just has poor parenting skills.