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Episode Ratings Grid

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Episode Power Rankings

The peaks and the valleys. Find the essential episodes — and the ones to skip.

#1
S1E13 8.3
Heroic Materialism

Kenneth Clarke shows how the heroic materialism of the past 100 years has been linked with an increase in humanitarism.

#2
S1E2 8.2
The Great Thaw

The sudden re-awakening of European civilisation in the 12th century is traced by Sir Kenneth Clarke to its high point - the building of the Cathedral of Chartres.

#3
S1E12 8.2
The Fallacies of Hope

Kenneth Clarke traces the disillusionment of the artists of the Romantic movement.

#4 Romance and Reality S1E3 8.1
#5 Man: The Measure of All Things S1E4 8.1
#6 The Hero as Artist S1E5 8.1
#7 The Smile of Reason S1E10 8.0
#8 The Worship of Nature S1E11 8.0
#9 The Skin of Our Teeth S1E1 7.9
#10 Protest and Communication S1E6 7.9

▼ Lowlights

#13 S1E9 The Pursuit of Happiness 7.6

Kenneth Clarke looks at the rococo style in 18th-century music and architecture.

#12 The Light of Experience S1E8 7.9
#11 Grandeur and Obedience S1E7 7.9
#10 Protest and Communication S1E6 7.9
#9 The Skin of Our Teeth S1E1 7.9

The Quality Arc

Each point is an episode, plotted in order. Colored bands mark season boundaries. Look for the rise, the plateau, or the decline.

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Episode Engagement

High votes + high rating = beloved classic. High votes + low rating = notorious stinker. Low votes + high rating = hidden gem.

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