Battlestar Galactica

Pegasus was a perfect and very entertaining episode of Battlestar Galactica and I really enjoyed watching this episode because there was a lot of surprise and tension as Admiral Cain decided to integrate the two Battlestar crews. It was interesting to see how everyone interacted with each other. Colonel Tigh learns some disturbing news about Cain, Tyrol and Helo learn about the Cylon "Interrogator" and Baltar tries to help the Pegasus Cylon prisoner. There was a major shift in power and the ripples started to show right away. The overall production was amazing. I look forward to watching the next episode!!!!!!!!!

In television land, this is what I'd like to call a jaw-dropper. A mind-blower. A new bar for an already stellar piece of science-fiction storytelling. ''Pegasus'' is, without a doubt, one of the strongest episodes of BSG, and one of the most compelling hours of sci-fi I've had the pleasure of watching.

This was one tough cookie.

What begins as an hour of celebration – as Galactica discover the presence of another battlestar ship – soon descends into brutality, rape, power plays and possible character deaths. To say there are a few shocking instances here would be putting it very lightly. I mean, I'd win ''understatement of the year'' by all accounts.

BSG has always been a gritty sci-fi show, but the rape scene involving Sharon was completely unexpected and made me feel very uneasy. I simply wasn't prepared for the series to take me there. Gold acting stars to Grace Park during said scenes, they were particularly tough to watch because of her authentic performance. I was glad to see Helo and Tyrol arrive to offer up some much needed ass kicker-y (and accidental deathery); however, it has only made matters worse as Admiral Cain has sentenced them both to death.

Michelle Forbes is alarmingly compelling as Admiral Cain. She has such a vital screen presence, it would be difficult to note any other actor in the role. Ruled with an iron fist, Pegasus certainly serves as the road not taken for Galactica, something that could have easily happened had Bill Adama not recovered, and Tigh was left in charge with his serpent wife whispering in his ear.

Gaius' scenes with a captive Six were really well done. Completely traumatised by her excessive physical and sexual abuse, it came as such a shocker to see such a defeated version of Six lying helpless, bloodied and bruised on the cold floor. I think head-Six's reaction is what really stirred my emotions, cos she really broke down and away from her usual self.

The final few moments are hair-raising. Adama has sent a marine squad to retrieve his men, and Cain has launched vipers on her end, in retaliation. It doesn't get any better than this.

And like I said, this was one tough cookie.

***This review details –» this is a "I" perspective, based in what I like and recognize to be good or interesting, this is not a "god" where the guy thinks what he thinks is the true or the "you" perspective where I know what you will like and what you don´t.***



With so few materials to cover, the writers best choice would be put new character or new material to cover and they did the best bringing another colonial battlestar – Pegasus. But as we can expect, this only could bring a new problem too. And what a problem, with so many people and Adama superior (was the best way to create the tension) all our characters little by little find their problems. This is without a doubt one of the most interesting conflict phase I have saw in BG. The climax of this episode was again in Sharron side, the level of tension was simply great and this provided another great complication for Chief. The ending is just what you can expect, simply great.



Presentation Phase - » (9/10) very interesting,

Complication Phase - » (10/10) one of the best, different sides, different eyes,

Climax Phase - » (9/10) high suspense,

Ending - » (9/10) great ending,



This episode progressed a lot if you take all the happening in consideration, so hard to say if there was filler, no flaws noticed and a storyline where I cannot see nothing that turned me off.



Details/Progress (To point A to B) -» (10/10) fine,

Time and Scene Management - » (10/10) perfect,

Plot Details/Holes- » (10/10) fine,

Storyline -» (10/10) one of the most interesting Storylines,



The main focus is drama because of the conflicts and then we have a great tension.



Drama - » (10/10),

Suspense/Tension - » (9/10),



Overall, this is without a doubt, the best episode that this season delivered so far.

During my first watch-thru this episode felt really rushed and I was surprised(and a little pissed) that they wouldn't be taking more time with what was one of the biggest plot developments in the series. But after thinking about it and rewatching some of it, I have to say that it was a brilliant choice. I almost felt helpless as these shocking and horrifying scenes keep coming one after another. With no chance to process or come to terms with what I'm seeing, I'm left feeling off balance and every scene after has that much more impact. In times of distress you always just want a few extra seconds to try and understand what's happening, by not giving the viewer that the drama and suspense were increased ten fold.



The chaos started not long after the arrival of the Pegasus, with Adama losing command of the fleet to Admiral Cain. Again there was no break as their scene was interspersed with Tigh and his Pegasus counterpart's scene, wherein he layed out the fate of the Pegasus' last XO. Fisk laughing it off as a joke only made it that much more disturbing.



Baltar's scenes with the Cylon prisoner aboard Pegasus were also brilliantly done. I loved how Six's eyes stayed on Thorn with a look of pure hatred as she's almost bristling with rage and contempt over her copy's treatment. I thought Baltar's description of his relationship with Six made for a heartbreakingly beautiful moment. And I'll just say it once now but it applies to the whole episode, the music was brilliant, like more so than usual.



The scenes during and leading up to Thorn's attempted "interrogation" of Sharon definitely had my ass closer to the end of my couch than any before them. With the Pegasus crew being so cavalier in discussing having their way with the captured Six, and their plans to do the same to Sharon once Thorn finished with her, I almost felt sick as the shots of Sharon being held down started. Honestly, this show has never come close to eliciting that much reaction from me. As much as I love Chief's character(Helo I'm still lukewarm on), no matter what happens to him my only regret will be that it was his first blow that killed Thorn and that Chief didn't get to beat him to death slowly.



The final moments came close to rivaling the suspense of the scenes that spawned them. I loved the cold blue lighting of the Pegasus' CIC to contrast with the warm, red interior of the Galactica as Adama and Cain squared off. I swear Cain's line, "Commander, why are you launching vipers?" gave me chills, her delivery was so perfectly authoritative and almost malevolent, especially on the word "commander." I know it's a small thing but I rewound it like three times it was so good.



I can't decide yet if this beat out Kobol's Last Gleaming Pt. 2 as my favorite episode, but it's definitely close.

Everything was going well with this episode, but the whole rape thing ruined it for me. I was rather shocked and disgusted. I don't think I can watch the show anymore. I assume there was some kind of point they were trying to make, but I was too disgusted to notice. Although the character "six" is supposed to be an android, for all intents and purposes she was human and had been subjected to brutality and totures that would be inflited upon humans. Add to that the rape interrogation of boomer, and you have an episode that crossed the line for this series. I don't think I'll be able to watch again, the whole thing turned my stomach.



What is worse is that there are injustices like this going on in the real world today.

I found this episode disgusting and disgraceful. Even the suggestion of such horrific acts being carried out on sentient beings goes far beyond the necessary. I was plainly horrified when I saw number six lying on the brig floor covered in bruises and cuts, and to top it off the attempted rape of Boomer. I am very glad that the scene was interrupted before anything major happened, that for me is this episodes only saving grace.

These things happen in real life, to real people, imagine the impact this episode would have had on one such person.

This is one of the better episodes of an already wonderful series. Once again, the performances are good, and the effects are as impressive as anything currently on television.



I particularly enjoyed the interaction between Adama and Admiral Cain, who outranks him. The writers understand that one of the best ways to explore character is through the introduction of conflict. Through the actions of Cain and other members of the Pegasus crew, it becomes clear that the greatest threat to our heroes may not ultimately come from the cylons, but from other humans.



Overall, this was a very exciting and compelling entry in this series. Not to give anything away, but the episode ends in a way that had me dying to see what happens next.

Weird, before seeing it I had seen that this episode was at the top list as best episode of this serie and so I had the hopes high and in the end I was really shocked - that should have been better than "Kobol's Last Gleaming"? Ok, leaving it - again, episode full of hope at first. The meet a new battlestar - this means: more firepower, more fighters, more men.. more all. But as they soon realize it has down sides too - they Admiral in charge on Pegasus is hard woman and it soon comes out that they cruelty is part of life in Pegasus. Chief and Helo gets their taste when they try to save Sharon and get accused of murder and end up being found guilty and headed to execution.



I mosty say - much happening and ending was really promising.

I was wondering if the this 2003 version would use the Battlestar Pegasus like the old 80’s version. There was so many changes that you cannot even compare the two. First off I really like how different one’s course can be depending on the leader. You can really see how Cain is so much different than Adama. I like detailed and different they rendered each Battlestar, you get to see why Galactica was slated to be decommissioned. As eye candy you get to see a lot of space shots in this episode. The last few minutes was intense. If you like Flight of the Phoenix (last episode) this one is just as good if not better.

I loved this one. I was waiting to see how the Pegasus would be included in the 2003 series. Having the commander be a woman was a very nice twist. She was strong, bold, and took the path of violating the code of conduct...just like in the old series but with the dark tone that Bat Star 2003 has added so well. It was great to see how the crew got fractured in their alliance over this episode and the following episode. I loved how we thought we knew how the collision of characters was going to turn out, and then it didn't happen, and then another character comes around from the side to finish off the Pegasus story at the last moment of the last episode. Wow.

(PLEASE NOTE: this is a critique of the episode Pegasus. It is spoiler heavy and assumes the reader has already seen the show. Do not expect a recap of the events is this episode: this is a review of those events, not a retelling.)



First of all, I am becoming increasingly convinced that the writers have NO IDEA how a military organization is supposed to function. As viewers we are routinely asked to sympathize with generally undisciplined, insubordinate characters, and sometimes even open mutineers. So now, in order to make the Pegasus crew look like bad guys, they have to be completely over the top callous, evil bastards. They actually had to stage an attempted rape scene to get the audience to sympathize with the protagonists. Starbuck even acts like the crew of Pegasus are stupid for tracking kills, as if (A) that weren’t a common military practice and (B) doing something in a way different than herself is somehow stupid and pointless. Adama tells his pilots that they are officers and should act like it. But they immediately respond by disrespecting their new CAG and then planning to steal a military ship for an unauthorized recon mission just because they don’t like the guys in charge. And we are supposed to think they are doing the right thing? Why should I sympathize with people who have absolutely no regard for anything other than their own desires and opinions. What’s more, why do the writers continually act as if this streak of insubordination and the total lack of discipline on Galactica are somehow commendable. If Cain is going to strictly enforce the regs, and make use of her ‘broad authority’ why doesn’t Roslin point out that even though Colonial Naval regulations make Cain the commanding uniformed officer, the Articles of Colonization make Roslin the President (and presumably Commander-in-Chief). Cain might not accept it, and she definitely has the biggest stick, but that inability to accept Roslin’s authority is a perfect reason for Adama to resist Cain’s command. Speaking of this, we come to Adama’s rebellion at the end of the episode. First of all, why should we support his decision to mutiny against his acknowledged superior officer because he doesn’t like her command style (yes, it sucks that his two officers will be executed, and he should tell her that even if they did mutiny, they are too valuable to simply execute). But what’s more, he launches fighers against a technologically and numerically superior force knowing full well that the Pegasus has plenty of time to see and respond to the attack. How does he expect to win?



Personally, I would have used the military/civilian government struggle at a method of sparking conflict between Galactica and Pegasus. If Cain had refused to acknowledge Roslin’s authority and attempted a military coup, it would have been easy to believe Adama would move against Cain in support of Roslin, the legitmate President. But since Adama himself started a coup last season, the writers couldn’t do that. (Of course, since that coup had absolutely no long term consequences, they might as well have had another one).

But I suppose this is all moot, since I suspect the Cylons will show up just before open civil war starts and both ships will have to join forces to fight the real enemy.



And some general plot holes/unanswered questions:



-Both Battlestars launch their ‘alert fighters’ at the end of the episode, but we clearly see that some 60 fighters launch from Pegasus and Galactica must have launched damn near all of it’s 40 fighters. I find it hard to believe that all 40 fighters and pilots are on alert at all times.



-How did Pegasus manage to avoid the cylons Colonial Ship disabling beam during the initial assault and their subsequent encounters? And if the Pegasus did discover the faulty coding in the Baltar’s navigation system, how did they do so? -How did Pegasus discover than cylons look like humans? How did they capture 6?



-Why do we not see any female crew members from Pegasus? And why is Pegasus’s deck chief the only sympathetic character from the entire ship (is he going to be the adoptee who stays with galactica after Pegasus disappears)?

Pegasus is certainly the most audacious episode of BSG so far. Until now the face of war we have seen is that of the grizzled Major Adama and company aboard the Galactica. With clear divisions as to who the bad guys are and what is fair and right in times of war. In this episode the hope and joy at the discovery of another surviving Battlestar, and crew, is short lived as we bear witness to another side of colonial conflict. Galactica’s setting in space removes it from earthly concerns other television show face is confronting the situation in Iraq or the War On Terror. Battlestar can deal with the prickly topics of how we fight a war today or conduct ourselves in these war zones. The aggressive and barbaric rape, torture and humiliation of the Cylon prisoners surely holds a mirror up to events of our times like the scandals and public outcry over Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo Bay. Bravo to the team behind the show for tackling these subjects in an intelligent and forthright manner. Using Science Fiction to reflect culture like in it used to in the past, fear of the Atomic Age for example. Backed up with fantastic cast, writing and execution the shows rebirth has been a revelation and Pegasus is a classic example of the quality we have come to expect from this fine show.

And if there wasn't a better argument for BSG to go 90-minute episodes of 13 episodes a season, I dunno what is.



Pegasus Extended begins with a scene the broadcast version never saw, and continues in that vein all the way to its dramatic conclusion. The extended scenes with Cain and Adama, Caprica and Baltar...aren't just fillers, they are hugely pivotal additions and really should have been in the opiginal broadcast. If you haven't already purchased Season Two - and I urge you to purchase the official DVD's - not rely on some BitStream download, then take a long time to watch Pegasus, and marvel at what had to left on the cutting-room floor to get the episode to fit into its alloted time. A great episode transformed into a tremendous one.

I really, REALLY liked the first season of Battlestar Galactica. That's why I am so disgusted with the direction that the series has taken now that NBC has hooked into it and subtly changed the direction.



Pretty much everything in the series is now either "ripped from the headlines" type stuff or is in the same cheesy vein as Law & Order-type shows. From the Abu Ghraib-type garbage in this episode to the pathetic first and second episodes of this season which were so desperate to please any-and-every possible type of consumer group out there (military fans, computer nerds, women, etc.) -- it just reeked of desperation.



And a lot of the episodes are just downright "preachy", which to me makes for rotten Sci-Fi. Sure, it's good run-of-the-mill network-style TV for people who don't like to think too much and who will eagerly watch just about anything labeled as Fantasy or Sci-Fi no matter how bad it is (Stargate fans, for instance), but it's just downright lousy as far as I'm concerned.



I really hope the original team exerts a little more control over the 3rd season (if that's even possible after selling out to NBC), otherwise I might not be along for the ride for too much longer. There's a reason I don't watch regular network TV, and now they've let NBC take this series and turn it into their standard network dreck. That's just wrong, and it makes me angry.



*edit*



After watching more of Season 3, I have to look back at this review and admit that, while I still feel that I was entirely justified at the time I wrote it, my feelings ended up being wrong in the long run. NBC did not entirely ruin the show as I feared that they would, but it has also been a litle cheesier (in this case, melodramatic) than I would have desired.

We might sneer and point and the admiral who comes out of the woodwork. We might point at this person and claim that we are better then this, that we are the true measure of command. But this episode and the ones following clearly show that there is a fine line between being a military genius and a looning fruitcake. Until we get there we do now know what we will be. The silence of the gun is only quiet and peaceful at the surface, but it deepens the abyss that follows. So how do each of us react when behind us is death and annihilation? Are we noble or will we move standards? Season 1 cleary showed how Adama had to move the bar more then once. Perhaps he only got lucky, but this episode clearly leaves the bitter taste behind that 'no choie' is a reality, and that what makes this series so amazing.

war is plain, simple and always dirty. That message comes clearly across.

This episode had me glued to my seat. In catching up on episodes I've missed (in this case, watching the entire season in a short time span) I tend to "skim", with my finger hovering on "fast forward". There was no skimming in this episode. I enjoyed the interaction between Cain and Adama and the interaction between the two crews. I enjoyed watching how each crew treated the cylons. I felt for Cylon Boomer. Sodomy is never excusable and the fact that Cain didn't seem to take this into account when Tyrol and Helo were on "trial" (such as it) is bothersome for many reasons.



This is one of my favourite episodes of the series thus far.

It is always possible to have, as they say, too much of a good thing. Less is more, addition by subtraction, and all that is typically pretty solid advice, but in this case, more of a good thing is simply a gift. The added footage is mostly expository; Cain gives more details regarding her ship's escape and trials, we get to learn just what Gina did in her role as a covert operative aboard Pegasus, and there's bit more about the goings-on down in the hangar deck, but some of the other additions were real jewels. We finally get to see the scene where Starbuck tries to convince Adama and Roslin that a return to Caprica is worthwhile (something that appeared in the recap section of a later episode). I particularly liked the extended drinking scene involving Tigh and Fisk. Also, there's a little throwaway with Baltar and Fisk aboard Pegasus that helps cement the jolly first mate as one of the few likeable Peggies. And Gaeta dispels those pesky rumors regarding his sexual preferences with an inquiry regarding the availability of porn. Of course, he didn't specify what kind of porn he was interested in, and we can't really assume that the Colonial Fleet has a "don't ask, don't tell" policy. The additions to the episode, thankfully, didn't hurt the narrative, which is one of the season's best. Cain is still the same hard-nosed commander, still undeterred from her single-minded pursuit of the Cylons. And Adama, despite all of his outward reassurances, still harbors misgivings about his new superior. I wonder if he knew more about her than he let on; perhaps he was one of those Commanders that she was promoted over. And I think we all know that he hasn't been taking orders his whole career - the last few months he's pretty much been in charge of his own destiny, and that can't be easy to give, especially to someone you know won't be sharing authority with a kindergarten teacher.

In this episode, we see a different side of Cylons. Or should I say the way humans treat them. We find Number Six locked up in a room in the Pegasus, beaten up almost to death and abused. Gaius' expression is very touching. It is one of the first time that we see a sympathetic reaction from him for someone other than himself. It shows how horrible the actions of the crew were on Number Six.

In addition, they almost get to Sharon. Major Thorne tries to rape her before being stopped by Helo and the Chief. I found myself rooting for the Cylons and suddenly realized why they would want to eliminate humans.

It seems that nothing is always black or white. Sometimes things are grey...

This episode echoes a storyline from the old series. The Battlestar Pegasus. Galactica has a sister ship, this ship is commanded by an admiral who committed war crimes against her own people. She's a tough leader, she's the opposite of adama who acts with a moral standard. they almost go on a shooting war with one another. but starbuck somehow prevents it from happening. this is definitely one of the best episodes of the show. the pegasus is now a good part of the fleet. 2 fleets are better than one, they have a better chance of surviving the cylon onslaught.

A very good episode, in which the true nature of these many characters is revealed; Adama is forced to cede command, but is unhappy with his superior officer. Lee and Starbuck are reduced to simple pilots again, flying under a bad CAG. What I liked, in accordance with RDM\'s comments, is that Admiral Cain says a lot of things which are very true. What we know, that she doesn\'t, is that however distorted, the Galactica family works very well regardless of their problems. The cliffhanger ending is well done; the image of the two squads aiming at each other sends shivers down my spine.

Well what an episode it left me speachless, it had surprises all the way through. After fleeing the cylons for weeks the galactica finally gets some good news, they find the Pegasus. But all is not what it seems. Adama and Cain have conflicting command styles and it all kicks off.



This is truly one of the best episodes of the season (so far) it had all you would expect from action to suspence. Everyone seemed to find their counterpart as well which also proved to be trivial.



The episode ends on a massive cliff hanger with both sets of vipers heading towards each other, then the dreaded To Be Continued pops up a leaves you begging for more.



Great episode!

The writers managed to create a great feeling of \\\'the funs over now\\\'. I can\\\'t get over how brutal this episode fits into the series. Even the music throughout was bugging me. All throughout the episode I was actually thinking, damn I was enjoying the relaxed atmosphere on board.

When the Admiral said \\\' Welcome back to the colonial fleet\\\' I was like \\\'Hold yer weesht, hen\\\' (translated from Glaswegian to \\\'Now just a minute there young woman\\\').

What a cow(had to use that word cos TV.com thinks that the word **** is offensive) Get the doctor dude to say she\'s a Cylon...

Brutal. Brilliant.

*SPOILERS TO FOLLOW*



This episode -- arguably the best of the series (thus far) -- brings out so many subtleties in the show, without exploiting them. For instance, the near-rape scene and violent death for the perpetrator continutes the important question of who is and isn\'t deserving of humane treatment. Are they \"just machines,\" or something more important?



Furthermore, the power struggle between Adama and Cain makes us wonder about humanity\'s future. How successful can we be fighting the Cylon if we\'re still fighting ourselves? This, like the rest of the episode, brings the nuance and grace to such subjects that are deserved.



Bravo, BSG, and I can\'t wait for you to return with Season Three in the fall.

This is the first episode that makes you realize you can't live without BSG! We had to wait, like, months for the cliffhanger to play out. If you weren't keeping tabs at tv.com you assumed "okay I can't wait to see how this plays out next week"... only to find next week it's a repeat. And then you google for the airdate of part ii and you are like "oh no! The next episode won't be unil next year? Frack!"



A minor plot hole that I don't know if it was ever adequately explained in later episodes. Maybe it was. How did the modern Pegasus avoid the whole Cylon virus attack?

I was wondering when they would find some new internal bikering to add a new dimension to the story line. I knew that all the strife could not come from the cylon threat, there had to be something from within the human fleet to make it interesting. people react to danger in such a variety of ways and I was wondering if someone would not see cylon prisoners has an excuse to stop acting human.... I guess I was not the only one who saw that coming.

Whoa, intense !!! A little painful to watch at times, but this is the type of fiction I live for., it was compleatly engaging and compleatly believable . That was a painful cliffhanger to leave us on, but a great episode before that. Actor who played Cain was awsome, loved her as Ensign RO too

The episode starts with joy and hope and pride as we discover that another battlestar has survived. It keeps going with anxiety, worry and fear as we wonder how everyone and everything (being so different from one ship to another) will work together. And it ends with...with...how to describe this...guts torn appart, feeling of rebellion, anger, bitterness. Oh My, Michelle Forbes gets the worst out of me on that episode, she's just perfect on the part ! it's such a dark episode..;and what a cliffangher !

I don't even know where to start. This episode poned in so many ways. I was just starting to think, "Hey, I wonder if they're going to make a Pegasus episode sometime soon," and here it is. I agree, it isn't like "The Living Legend", it's better. Seeing Pegasus, the believable emotions that can be experienced when something seems to be to good to be true, and the conflicting styles of command, it was just great TV. As for the scene when Sharon is about to get raped, I see nothing wrong. As has been mentioned 1,000 times before me, this show is not for kids! Kids may certainly want to watch it (and I don't blame them), but to me this doesn't seem like a problem, even though everyone else seems to think so. As for the cliffhanger, it couldn't have been better. There was so much suspense built up over the course of the show and it just explodes in the last 3 minutes. Great episode. 10 out of 10.

Classic Battlestar Galactica fans will barely recognize this as the new Galactica's version of the original episode "The Living Legend." The episode contains the same sort of disagreement on how things should be done that went on between Lorne Green and Lloyd Bridges in the original BSG episode, but also provides a lot more. This episode exposes the crueler side of humanity. Between the rather disturbing image of the Pegasus' Cylon prisoner and the attempted rape of Boomer, we see that Admiral Cain and some of the Pegasus' crew represent the evil, ruthless characteristics of mankind.



As with most of the other BSG episodes, this one draws you in and makes you feel the intensity and emotion of the situation the characters are in. The ending of the episode is suspenseful and leaves you excited for the conclusion (much the same as what occured with the first season conclusion). I would have to say I haven't found a BSG episode that I have disliked yet, and this one is definately at the top of my list for best so far in this series. Some people who have seen it were uneasy, couldn't believe that they would air the attempted rape scene and thought that the episode could've done without it, but I definately think that outside of it being essential to the plot, that scene furthers the tension between the two crews and really gives you an idea of the emotion sensed by the characters. It also shows a lot about Tyrol and Helo, and just how much the both love Boomer, Cylon or not.

This was the best episode in the series and definatly a worthy ending to the season.



Were to start. After fleeing the cylons for weeks the galactica finnally gets some good news. Theyve found a fellow battlestar the pegasus. at firts all seems wel and the two crews are intergarating well. Though visable tensions are present.(most nottably because the galactica is housing a cylon with which we all know helo is having a relationship with. The pegasus deals with cylons differently and we are sopon subjected to the appaling conditions their cylon a nuber six modal has had to go through.



The same fate lies in store for the galacticas sharon. The pegasus colnel attempts to rape sharon as a "method of information extraction" however helo and the chief fight of his advance however his subsequent murder finds them both court marshalled and facing death. the Adama steps up an invasion force to get his men back and tensions reach boiling point...