Reception
"Pegasus" was nominated for the 2006 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Short Form. It lost to the Doctor Who episodes "The Empty Child" and "The Doctor Dances". Actress Tricia Helfer, who played Six, received the 2006 Leo Award for "Best Lead Performance by a Female in a Dramatic Series" for her performance in the episode.
Critical reception of "Pegasus" was favorable. Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune wrote, "Tricia Helfer and Grace Park gave outstanding performances". Clifton gave "Pegasus" an A, praising the performances of Mary McDonnell (Roslin), Helfer, and especially Forbes and calling the episode as a whole "really, really well done, and really, really hard to watch." Segrest also said it was hard to watch but nonetheless reviewed the episode favorably, commending the performances of James Callis (Baltar) and Helfer as Gina. Davis gave "Pegasus" an A+, praising Forbes, Helfer, McDonnell, and Olmos and calling the episode's musical score "without equal". Keith called "Pegasus" "the darkest the show has gone" but said both the aired and extended versions were "A+ episodes." Simon Brew of Den of Geek called the episode "flat-out outstanding."
Michael Hickerson of Slice of SciFi ranked "Pegasus" as the eighth best episode of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, calling it "compelling and... fascinating". John Kubicek of BuddyTV ranked it ninth best, saying the ending "could be one of TV's greatest cliffhangers." Kelly Woo of TV Squad also ranked it ninth best. Alan Sepinwall listed it among his favorite episodes of the series, calling the episode "a gut-wrencher from start to finish" and Forbes "perfect". Jackson Alpern of Maxim ranked the first scene of confusion over whether Pegasus is a Cylon ship the ninth best moment in the series. Eric Goldman of IGN ranked "Admiral Cain's reign" in "Pegasus" and the following (two-part) episode, "Resurrection Ship", second on his list of the series's top "storylines and moments", praising Forbes's performance and calling the three episodes "riveting".
In separate interviews, Olmos, McDonnell, and actor Aaron Douglas (Tyrol) were asked to respond to criticism of the graphic nature of the rape scene. Olmos said of people who were upset, "They should be warned right now: please turn off your television sets and do not watch this show because it’s only going to provide more insight into the complexities of what happens to human beings." McDonnell said that the scene was helpful for promoting dialogue and contrasted it with how violence against women is portrayed elsewhere in media. Douglas insisted that the scene was not sensationalistic but rather was an attempt to honestly portray the human condition.
Read more about this topic: Pegasus (Battlestar Galactica)
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