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
S4E16 9.1
The End's Not Near, It's Here

The Cohen family says goodbye in the series finale as the episode jumps six months after the earthquake to show the Cohens, Ryan, Taylor, Summer and the Cooper women trying to piece their lives back together. The Cohens find out that fixing up their old mansion would cost more than rebuilding it but Ryan and Seth see this as an opportunity to give Sandy and an expecting Kirsten a surprise that'll change their lives.

#2
S2E24 9.0
The Dearly Beloved

Kirsten hits rock bottom after Caleb's funeral, prompting Sandy to finally take action; Jimmy Cooper resurfaces and almost immediately renews ties with a mourning Julie; Jess bullies Trey into participating in a drug deal that turns into a shootout; Ryan finally learns the truth about what happened between Trey and Marissa, leading to a bloody confrontation.

#3
S1E1 8.8
Premiere

A new life for Ryan Atwood, the Cohens and the Cooper families, and basically everyone else in the wealthy, picturesque, secretive, turbulent community of Orange County.

#4 The Ties That Bind S1E27 8.8
#5 The Rainy Day Women S2E14 8.8
#6 The Graduates S3E25 8.7
#7 The Homecoming S1E11 8.6
#8 The O.Sea S2E23 8.6
#9 The Best Chrismukkah Ever S1E13 8.5
#10 The Chrismukkah That Almost Wasn't S2E6 8.5

Lowlights

#92 S4E11 The Dream Lover 6.7

Ryan overcomes his indecision and competes with Henri-Michel for Taylor's affections. Che leads Seth on a trek of spiritual renewal. Meanwhile, Kirsten and Julie have to do some damage control.

#91 The French Connection S4E10 6.9
#90 The Road Warrior S3E16 7.1
#89 The Heavy Lifting S3E15 7.1
#88 The Secrets and Lies S3E19 7.2

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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