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
S1E1 9.0
The Hardest Challenge

The contests between predators and prey are the most dramatic events in nature. The Hardest Challenge reveals the extraordinary range of techniques predators use to catch their prey - from a leopard using all its powers of stealth to stalk impala in broad daylight to wild dogs, whose tactic is to wear down their prey over long distances; from Nile crocodiles, the planet's most patient predators, to killer whales who use teamwork and intelligence to take on humpback whales. But even with these finely tuned strategies, the outcome is far from certain. Surprisingly, most predators fail most of the time.

#2
S1E2 9.0
In the Grip of the Seasons (Arctic)

In the Grip of the Seasons looks at the challenges of hunting in the Arctic, the most seasonal place on Earth. To a predator, seasonal change is a problem. It means that all the parameters of the hunt - the conditions, the strategies, the prey - change too. The only option for the Arctic's top predators, the wolf, the Arctic fox and the polar bear, is to continually adapt to their changing world, exploiting the good times and enduring the bad.

#3
S1E3 8.9
Hide and Seek (Forests)

Hide and Seek follows tigers, harpy eagles, chimpanzees, army ants and other predators as they rise to the challenge of hunting within the forest - a dense, confusing, three-dimensional world, one in which even finding prey is a maddening task. The prize for succeeding at nature's great game of hide-and-seek is one worth winning. Forests cover one third of the land surface, and concealed within are over half of the species on Earth.

#4 Hunger at Sea (Oceans) S1E4 8.9
#5 Nowhere to Hide (Plains) S1E5 8.9
#6 Race Against Time (Coasts) S1E6 8.7
#7 Living with Predators (Conservation) S1E7 8.2

Lowlights

#7 S1E7 Living with Predators (Conservation) 8.2

The final episode of the series visits the frontline of the conflict with the world's top predators, meeting the scientists fighting to save them. Crossing five continents and combining landmark natural history footage with real-life human drama, it checks the pulse of the earth's iconic animals, including lions, tigers, polar bears and blue whales. With three-quarters of the planet's carnivores now in decline, can people find ways to live with predators before they disappear forever?

#6 Race Against Time (Coasts) S1E6 8.7
#5 Nowhere to Hide (Plains) S1E5 8.9
#4 Hunger at Sea (Oceans) S1E4 8.9
#3 Hide and Seek (Forests) S1E3 8.9

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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