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
S1E6 7.9
Friend of the Devil: Part 2

DC Templeton's body is discovered, and Annie becomes convinced that the murder is connected to that of Lucy Payne. The suspect in the Daniels murder case is cleared, so DCI Banks must establish how the real murderer was able to avoid detection.

#2
S1E8 7.9
Cold Is the Grave: Part 2

Emily Rydell has apparently been brutally beaten to death and DCI Banks quickly ends up being in the middle of a murder investigation with many suspects. After a surveillance operation establishes a link between the murder of Charles McKay and Brian Clough, Banks and Annie soon work out that the two cases have to be connected.

#3
S5E6 7.9
Undertow: Part 2

Banks' mission to solve Annie's murder is made all the harder by the fact he has been taken off the case and sent on gardening leave - but that won't stop him.

#4 Cold Is the Grave: Part 1 S1E7 7.8
#5 Strange Affair: Part 2 S2E2 7.8
#6 Ghosts: Part 2 S4E6 7.8
#7 Friend of the Devil: Part 1 S1E5 7.7
#8 Strange Affair: Part 1 S2E1 7.7
#9 Innocent Graves: Part 2 S2E6 7.7
#10 Wednesday's Child: Part 2 S3E2 7.7

Lowlights

#32 S1E3 Playing with Fire: Part 1 7.3

In the first episode, DCI Alan Banks is taken to a canal where there has been a fatal fire. The crime is far from straightforward, and as another body is discovered the motive, as well as the intended victim, become increasingly unclear. However, the discovery of what appears to be a Turner landscape suggests that at least one of the victims was involved in an art forgery scam.

#31 Playing with Fire: Part 2 S1E4 7.4
#30 What Will Survive: Part 1 S4E1 7.5
#29 Bad Boy: Part 1 S3E5 7.5
#28 Piece of My Heart: Part 2 S3E4 7.5

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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Series Trajectory

One point per season. Smooths out the episode-to-episode noise to reveal the bigger arc.

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Season Momentum

Did each season build or fizzle? Green means the finale outscored the premiere. Red means the opposite. Longer arrows, bigger swings.

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Season Consistency

How steady is each season? Tightly clustered dots mean reliable quality. Scattered dots mean a wild ride.

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