2.10 Pegasus

Well well well, things have taken a turn for the serious. The episode started with what appeared to be a bright miracle – the discovery of the Pegasus Battlestar. Here was a ship, lead by Admiral Kane, that had not had to bother with the protection of a fleet and had purely gone out on the offensive.

As should have been clear from the start, this was a ship that takes a hardline to a new level. And having Adama’s authority taken away was never going to be one that went well.

The episode didn’t waste time in getting to the point: the Pegasus pretty much presented bad news for the Galactica fleet, with an iron fist rule and self-serving mentality that overstepped reason. And, to be sure, the episode strained credulity in busting itself wide open to make the point. The real jaw-dropping moment came in the almost-rape of Boomer, before Tyrell and Helo arrived and battered the interrogator to death.

But by the remarks of the other crew members, and the battered state of Pegasus’ Six, it was apparent that rape and beating of her had been commonplace, rendering her into a catatonic state. (The scenes with her and Gaius at last presented him with some material that didn’t make him a weasel, which was welcome.)

This was dark dark stuff indeed. And following on from the previous gloriously enjoyable episode the counterpoint is more extreme.

Admiral Kane is evidently a very hateable character. In fact, so unreasonably harsh was her issuing a death sentence against Helo and Tyrell, it was hard to actually believe she could be real. Although, given the worried looks of the crew, and the story of how she shot her second-in-command in the head, it would appear that beneath her cold exterior she was utterly insane. It’s the only real explanation for the episode’s conclusion – a to be continued with both Battlestars about to be pitted against one another.

But Kane was not only the bitch. Apollo’s counterpart CAG from the Pegasus was also an absolute arse. And the grinning meathead crew didn’t sell the idea that there was anyone decent on the Pegasus. This is something of a shame. Either the Pegasus represents a Galactica gone wrong, populated by scumbags – or there are other people amongst the crew that we have yet to meet who can show some level of integrity much-lacking.

Still, great episode. Reminded me a lot of the introduction of the ‘tail section’ people in Lost. Makes me wonder if there isn’t going to be a backstory to take us through the Pegasus story and perhaps clarify how they came to be the crew we encountered in this episode. Perhaps, as Tigh and Adama discussed, context is an important thing to be highlighted, and is something we as viewers are not privy too when judging the Pegasus and its people.

Maybe, like the death sentence of Tyrell and Helo, it’s an unfair judgement I am striking them with. That would be an interesting future plot, perhaps, to turn around my absolute detest of these people into making me sympathise. That’s if they survive past the second part of this two-parter, of course!