The Worst Episodes of Orphan Black
Every episode of Orphan Black ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Orphan Black!
A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.
Lowest Rated Episodes Summary
The worst episode of "Orphan Black" is "Let the Children and Childbearers Toil", rated 7.6/10 from 988 user votes. It was directed by David Wellington and written by Greg Nelson. "Let the Children and Childbearers Toil" aired on 7/1/2017 and is rated 0.1 point(s) lower than the second lowest rated, "Variable and Full of Perturbation".
7.6/10 988 votes#1 - Let the Children and Childbearers Toil
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 7/1/2017
Following up on intel from a mysterious source, Mrs. S heads on the road with Sarah to investigate a lead on a Neolution defector. Meanwhile, an unexpected reunion takes place on the island, while Cosima's research leads her to a discovery more terrible than she could have ever imagined. As more pieces slide into place, the puzzle only seems to become more complicated.
Director: David Wellington
Writer: Greg Nelson
7.7/10 1,545 votes#2 - Variable and Full of Perturbation
Season 2 Episode 8 - Aired 6/7/2014
A new player in the clone conspiracy turns up at Felix’s door, sending him into crisis mode. With Cosima running out of options, Sarah struggles with the decision to surrender a crucial piece of leverage and make a deal with Dyad.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Karen Walton
7.8/10 1,340 votes#3 - Transitory Sacrifices of Crisis
Season 3 Episode 2 - Aired 4/25/2015
Castor pursues the Leda clones for original tissue samples. Helena, who is pregnant and imprisoned, is examined by a mysterious new villain. The Castor boys are also out to play, toying with a frightened young woman, Patty, in a sexy switcheroo that ultimately sets Sarah – and Art – hot on the Castor trail. But it’s not all fun and games for the Castor boys, as Sarah gleans they may have a mysterious defect that puts their lives in peril.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Aubrey Nealon
7.8/10 1,126 votes#4 - The Few Who Dare
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 6/10/2017
Sarah is deeply wounded and struggling to stay alive on the Island. Driven deep into its forest by Neolutionists and worse, she strives to make it far enough to rescue Cosima. Meanwhile, a recovering Cosima reunites with Delphine, but there's way more going on on this Island than Cosima imagined and Delphine can't give her all the answers she needs. What is clear is that Rachel is now firmly in charge as the right-hand of the 170-year-old founder of Neolution, P. T. Westmorland. Back home, Neolution puts the screws to Alison and Donnie in their hunt for Helena. The sestras couldn't be further apart when they need most to be together.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Graeme Manson
7.9/10 1,283 votes#5 - Formalized, Complex, and Costly
Season 3 Episode 3 - Aired 5/2/2015
Leda and Castor are both on the hunt for original clone DNA. On-the-lam, Mark and Gracie pursue new leads to find the samples that might set them free, while Art and Sarah reunite to track them down. Meanwhile, Cosima and Scott try to learn more about Castor’s biology and Alison’s new money-making venture is going gangbusters. A shocking revelation about the Castor-Leda connection leaves the sisters reeling, just before Sarah witnesses a deadly Prolethean-Castor face-off.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Chris Roberts
7.9/10 1,264 votes#6 - Newer Elements of Our Defense
Season 3 Episode 4 - Aired 5/9/2015
Mark is taken down in a Prolethean shoot-out and Sarah must step in to help. But as Sarah gathers intel that puts her on the trail of the original Castor DNA, a familiar foe is not far behind. While Helena continues to toil in a faraway military compound, it is ultimately Sarah’s fate that will hang in the balance as she tries to save her sister. Meanwhile, Gracie is cast out from the Prolethean fold, and Alison and Donnie come face-to-face with unhappy drug lord, Jason Kellerman.
Director: Chris Grismer
Writer: Russ Cochrane
7.9/10 1,176 votes#7 - The Antisocialism of Sex
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 5/26/2016
Sarah regresses to old habits while struggling to cope with the consequences of her decisions —reconnecting with Beth on a dark night of the soul. Back at the lab, Cosima, haunted by vicious memories and news of Delphine, attempts a dangerous Hail Mary to find a cure. At the Hendrixes, Alison is more determined than ever to create normalcy for her kids. As she forges ahead with a birthday party, Donnie is caught in the Neolution crosshairs.
Director: David Frazee
Writer: Nikolijne Troubetzkoy, Graeme Manson
7.9/10 994 votes#8 - Ease for Idle Millionaires
Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 7/8/2017
While Sarah and Kira spend some well-needed bonding time at home, secrets are unlocked about Kira’s special gifts that are surprisingly linked to the island’s creature. Meanwhile, Cosima joins Delphine at the mansion for a twisted family dinner, causing a dangerous showdown with the Neolution patriarch.
Director: Helen Shaver
Writer: Jenn Engels
8.0/10 2,335 votes#9 - Instinct
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 4/6/2013
With a body in her car and nowhere to turn, Sarah is forced to continue her con and earn “Beth” a second chance on the force. But with a killer on her tail, her only hope of finding answers lies with another apparent ‘identical,’ Alison.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Graeme Manson
8.0/10 1,611 votes#10 - Mingling Its Own Nature with It
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 5/3/2014
After hitting the road with Felix, Sarah is forced to turn to a ghost from her past - an old flame named Cal Morrison. When their brief respite is brutally shattered, Sarah realizes that no matter how far she runs, it will never be far enough.
Director: T.J. Scott
Writer: Alex Levine
8.0/10 1,037 votes#11 - Clutch of Greed
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 6/17/2017
Captured by Neolution Sarah receives a damning ultimatum from Rachel: come into the fold, or lose your family. Her decision causes a clash with Kira who begins exploring her own maturity. Meanwhile, Ferdinand struggles to get a handle on Rachel's new velvet glove mandate in pursuit of the clones. With Neolutionists and Ferdinand watching their every move, Felix brings an old ally into the mix to help his family get Kira to safety. On the Island, Cosima struggles to comprehend the reality of the Neolution myth made real.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Jeremy Boxen
8.0/10 1,016 votes#12 - Beneath Her Heart
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 6/24/2017
Stuck on the sidelines with Neolutionists crawling all over her home, Alison seeks to return to her community center, but Bailey Downs has moved on from her. As she flounders to take back some semblance of control, the ghost of friendships' past rears its handsome head. Art and his new partner show up at the Hendrix residence to continue their search for Helena, forcing Art to make a difficult moral judgement.
Director: David Wellington
Writer: Alex Levine
8.1/10 2,852 votes#13 - Natural Selection
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 3/30/2013
Sarah, a streetwise hustler on the run from a lifetime of bad decisions, witnesses the suicide of a stranger who looks just like her. Sarah assumes her identity, hoping that cleaning out the dead woman’s bank account will solve all of her problems. Instead, the street smart chameleon is thrust headlong into a kaleidoscopic mystery. After taking on the new identity, Sarah quickly finds herself caught in the middle of a deadly conspiracy and must race to find answers.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Graeme Manson
8.1/10 2,181 votes#14 - Variation Under Nature
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 4/13/2013
Rocked by the revelation that she and her fellow "Orphans" are clones, Sarah just wants to get her hands on the money and skip town. But Sarah’s fake detective ruse stretches thin when the cops find the body she buried and assign “Beth” to the case. As Sarah closes in on the killer, the hunter becomes the hunted.
Director: David Frazee
Writer: Graeme Manson
8.1/10 1,940 votes#15 - Parts Developed in an Unusual Manner
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 5/11/2013
With Paul missing, Sarah is forced to confront the conspiracy head on. But when Paul learns Sarah has kept essential information from him, the fragile trust between them threatens to shatter. Meanwhile, Cosima grows closer to Delphine and the dangerously fascinating Dr. Leekie.
Director: Brett Sullivan
Writer: Tony Elliott
8.1/10 1,539 votes#16 - The Weight of This Combination
Season 3 Episode 1 - Aired 4/18/2015
When the menace of Castor rears its head once more, Sarah and her entire family must come together to survive.
Director: David Frazee
Writer: Graeme Manson
8.1/10 1,124 votes#17 - The Stigmata of Progress
Season 4 Episode 3 - Aired 4/28/2016
As Sarah reels from the shocking discovery of Neolution’s biotech, she’s desperate to find answers. Rachel receives a visit from her keeper and takes a fraught step forward towards recovery. Meanwhile, Helena is mistaken for “Mrs. Hendrix” when she answers a visit from suspicious visitors.
Director: Ken Girotti
Writer: Aubrey Nealon
8.1/10 1,115 votes#18 - From Instinct to Rational Control
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 5/5/2016
Sarah realizes her goals have aligned with her once enemy and forms a precarious alliance in hopes of getting to the head of Neolution. Meanwhile, on her end, Alison dispatches Felix and Donnie to infiltrate a Neolution fertility clinic that Beth investigated. Back at the lab, Cosima and Scott receive a revolting delivery from Alison. As Rachel grows closer to Charlotte, Susan Duncan leaves a devastating decision in her hands.
Director: Peter Stebbings
Writer: Alex Levine
8.2/10 2,070 votes#19 - Effects of External Conditions
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 4/20/2013
Sarah realizes that the Orphans’ survival is going to take more than police work. But tracking the killer threatens Sarah’s long awaited reunion with her daughter, Kira. As Sarah gets closer to the killer, the killer gets closer to the truth – the ensuing showdown threatens to expose her ruse as a cop.
Director: Grant Harvey
Writer: Karen Walton
8.2/10 2,011 votes#20 - Conditions of Existence
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 4/27/2013
When terrifying evidence suggests the Orphans are part of a sinister ongoing experiment, Sarah’s suspicions turn to Paul, Beth’s boyfriend. But her probing inadvertently triggers Paul’s own investigation, bringing him dangerously close to the truth. Meanwhile, paranoid Alison piles on a whole new level of complication.
Director: T.J. Scott
Writer: Alex Levine
8.2/10 1,678 votes#21 - Governed by Sound Reason and True Religion
Season 2 Episode 2 - Aired 4/26/2014
While Alison struggles with Aynsley's death and Cosima grapples with the worsening symptoms of her mysterious sickness, Sarah enlists Art’s help to find Kira and is shocked when she learns where the trail leads.
Director: John Fawcett
Writer: Karen Walton, Graeme Manson
8.2/10 1,564 votes#22 - Ipsa Scientia Potestas Est
Season 2 Episode 5 - Aired 5/17/2014
Rachel goes on the warpath, lashing out at Sarah's nearest and dearest. While she tries to keep her loved ones safe, an unexpected visitor threatens to derail Sarah's plans.
Director: Helen Shaver
Writer: Tony Elliott
8.2/10 1,527 votes#23 - To Hound Nature in Her Wanderings
Season 2 Episode 6 - Aired 5/24/2014
Sarah joins forces with an unlikely and untrustworthy ally, following a trail of clues that she hopes will lead her to the origins of the clone experiment. Cosima and Delphine make a discovery that could prove to be the key to treating her illness. Alison finds herself in unsavory company at rehab.
Director: Brett Sullivan
Writer: Chris Roberts
8.2/10 1,292 votes#24 - Scarred by Many Past Frustrations
Season 3 Episode 5 - Aired 5/16/2015
Helena and Sarah are reunited at the Castor camp. As Sarah suffers testing, Paul appears to chide her; but his allegiances are beginning to strain. While the Leda family worries about Sarah’s absence, Gracie ‘breaks loose’ under the care of Mrs. S and an unwilling Felix. Cosima falls hard for an internet date, Shay.
Director: David Frazee
Writer: Alex Levine
8.2/10 1,002 votes#25 - Manacled Slim Wrists
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 7/15/2017
Cosima is forced into an alliance when an old enemy returns to the island, accelerating P. T. Westmorland's sinister agenda. Meanwhile, on the mainland, Krystal stumbles onto a vital clue to the Neolution endgame. Sarah and Mrs. S’s research into Neolution's corporate ties leads to the cosmetics industry and an inevitable cross with Krystal Goderitch. But before Sarah can dig deeper, Krystal hijacks the investigation.
Director: Grant Harvey
Writer: David Bezmozgis