Written by Anne Cofell Saunders
Directed by Michael Rymer
“This is going to spiral out of control.”
Pegasus wasn’t simply beautiful… Pegasus wasn’t simply poetic…
Watching those final minutes, as taut direction, amazing performances, and absolutely astonishing music combined to elevate this show beyond anything Battlestar Galactica had already achieved, I came to a simple conclusion…
Pegasus is an opera. Mozart himself would have approved.
(1) The build up of this episode was extraordinary. It starts off quietly, tense with the discovery of an unknown vessel…then the excitement of rediscovering more colonials kicks in. Then, we have the happy reunion, the debriefing…
…and then the shit hits the fan! The messing with Adama’s command…the revelation of the sick side of Pegasus’ crew…the attempted interrogation of Cylon-Boomer…and its horrible fallout…
From there, we speed to those final minutes: just look at the expression of PAIN that crosses Adama’s face, as his conscience trumps his duty. He walks in to CIC and gives the order to send them all to hell!
(2) The bond between Roslin and Adama has never been stronger. You can tell Admiral Cain (and yes, that’s the brilliant Michelle Forbes!) has no time for her, but Adama’s quiet exchanges with Roslin reveal far more than the writers could ever articulate with dialogue. Just watch how they LOOK at each other…
(3) Baltar and the abused, raped, molested, damaged Number Six, in the Pegasus holding cell. Hallucinatory Six’s reaction to the barbarity of her doppleganger’s state…Baltar’s repressed shock…and then, the monumental baring of his soul in front of Six — his entire world view, his feelings, drawn out into the open. There simply aren’t enough words to do justice to how powerful this segment is…perhaps the most powerful segment of Galactica to date.
(4) The music! Have you HEARD the music in this episode? Unlike anything yet heard on Battlestar Galactica — it makes the heart pound and the soul sing. To be honest, I don’t think there’s been a single uninspiring score since the series began!
Naturally, it ends on a cliffhanger (this was also the mid-season cliffhanger in the U.S.)…but it’s a simple, pulse-pounding, adrenaline-fuelled piece of MAGNIFICENCE!
Pegasus is art. It’s a dynamic piece of opera that would have brought the house down at La Scala Milan. There are times television can transcend its limitations, beyond anyone’s imagination. Pegasus is one of these times.
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