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
S1E2 8.3
The Riddle of Black Holes

They are the most powerful objects in the universe. Nothing, not even light, can escape the gravitational pull of a black hole. Astronomers now believe there are billions of them out in the cosmos, swallowing up planets, even entire stars in violent feeding frenzies. New theoretical research into the twisted reality of black holes suggests that three-dimensional space could be an illusion. That reality actually takes place on a two-dimensional hologram at the edge of the universe.

#2
S1E4 8.3
What Happened Before the Beginning?

Every cosmologist and astronomer agrees: our Universe is 13.7 billion years old. Using cutting-edge technology, scientists are now able to take a snapshot of the Universe a mere heartbeat after its birth. Armed with hypersensitive satellites, astronomers look back in time to the very moment of creation, when all the matter in the Universe exploded into existence. It is here that we uncover an unsolved mystery as old as time itself — if the Universe was born, where did it come from? Meet the leading scientists who have now discovered what they believe to be the origin of our Universe, and a window into the time before time.

#3
S1E8 8.3
Beyond the Darkness

What is the universe made of? If you answered stars, planets, gas and dust, you'd be dead wrong. Thirty years ago, scientists first realized that some unknown dark substance was affecting the way galaxies moved. Today, they think there must be five times as much dark matter as regular matter out there. But they have no idea what it is — only that it's not made of atoms, or any other matter we are familiar with. And Dark Matter is not the only strange substance in the Universe — a newly discovered force, called Dark Energy, seems to be pushing the very fabric of the cosmos apart.

#4 Is There an Edge to the Universe? S2E2 8.3
#5 Is Time Travel Possible? S1E3 8.2
#6 What Are We Really Made Of? S1E7 8.2
#7 Does Time Really Exist? S2E3 8.2
#8 Are Robots the Future of Human Evolution? S4E7 8.2
#9 Can We Travel Faster Than Light? S2E8 8.1
#10 Is There a Creator? S1E1 8.0

Lowlights

#62 S8E4 Is Gun Crime a Virus? 6.7

Every 17 minutes, someone is killed with a gun. It's a wave of violence that political debate can't seem to stop. Is this an epidemic that scientists can help cure? Could gun crime be a virus?

#61 Are Aliens Inside Us? S6E5 7.0
#60 Are There More Than Two Sexes? S7E3 7.1
#59 What Makes a Terrorist? S7E1 7.1
#58 Will We Become God? S5E8 7.1

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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