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The Best Episodes of Transparent

Every episode of Transparent ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Transparent!

The Best Episodes of Transparent

An LA family with serious boundary issues have their past and future unravel when a dramatic admission causes everyone's secrets to spill out.

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  1. 8.5/10(6 votes)

    #1 - Grey Green Brown & Copper

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    S2:E10

    Maura reconciles with her lineage, both past and present; Ali talks to Leslie about her academic future; Josh looks to Buzz as a father figure; Sarah tries to tie up loose ends.

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  2. 8.5/10(366 votes)

    #2 - If I Were a Bell

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    S3:E8

    Boyle Heights, 1958. 12 year old Maura's femininity causes a clash between her mother Rose and her grandparents, Haim and Yetta. Across town, 12 year old Shelly quits the school play and stops eating but won't tell anyone why. Flash forward to 1966, where 21 year olds Mort and Shelly carry on a secret affair.

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    Director:Andrea Arnold
    Writer:Our Lady J
  3. 8.4/10(336 votes)

    #3 - Exciting and New

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    S3:E10

    The Pfeffermans escape their problems on land by taking a cruise together. Though the clan spends most of the cruise apart - venturing on their own journeys of self discovery - they ultimately find themselves coming together at the Seder that almost wasn't.

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  4. 8.2/10(12 votes)

    #4 - The Letting Go

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    S1:E2

    Maura embraces her new journey, but nothing about life as a woman is easy -- making friends, finding a new community, and above all, coming out to her children. Sarah introduces her husband (Rob Huebel) to her ex-girlfriend Tammy (Melora Hardin). Josh pays a visit to his ex-babysitter Rita, as Ali gets closer to her trainer.

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    Director:Joey Soloway
  5. 7.9/10(341 votes)

    #5 - Elizah

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    S3:E1

    While working at an LGBT suicide hotline, Maura receives a distressing call from a young trans woman, Elizah. Afraid that Elizah will hurt herself, Maura goes on an odyssey through South Central LA to find the troubled teen and lands herself in the hospital.

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  6. 7.9/10(471 votes)

    #6 - To Sardines and Back

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    S3:E3

    Relationships are tested as the Pfefferman family gather for Maura's birthday. Sarah confronts Buzzy on temple board politics and Maura makes a big announcement, experiencing pushback from both Vicki and Shelly. The night culminates in a game of Sardines, forcing tense situations into tight spaces.

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of Transparent

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  8. 7.9/10(291 votes)

    #7 - Oh Holy Night

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    S3:E5

    The Pfefferman family gathers at Hineni to support Sarah's alternative spiritual endeavor. After the news of a close friend's untimely passing, a distressed Josh leans on Raquel for support. Ali ends the night by witnessing the pitfalls of Leslie's prejudices.

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  9. 7.8/10(5 votes)

    #8 - Why Do We Cover the Mirrors?

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    S1:E10

    A funeral brings all the Pfeffermans together and reunites them with their past - Shelley and Maura with old friends, Sarah with her ex, and Josh with his teenage babysitter - who brings a 17-year-old boy. Just when they thought there were no more secrets, the family busts out a few more.

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    Director:Joey Soloway
  10. 7.8/10(5 votes)

    #9 - Flicky-Flicky Thump-Thump

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    S2:E2

    Josh has a pool party for his new band, but he and his siblings are caught off-guard when Maura and Shelly arrive together; Ali reconnects with an old friend; Sarah finds her past catching up with her.

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  11. 7.8/10(6 votes)

    #10 - Oscillate

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    S2:E8

    Maura learns more about the trans experience; Josh heads down a reckless path; Ali and Sarah take Maura to the Idyllwild Wimmin's Music Festival.

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  12. 7.8/10(294 votes)

    #11 - The Open Road

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    S3:E6

    Josh hits the road with an unlikely copilot, stirring up some undeniable chemistry along the way. Back at home, Shelly becomes wary of Buzzy's outlandish spending while Ali sees God during a nitrous induced trip at the dentist's office.

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  13. 7.8/10(279 votes)

    #12 - Life Sucks and Then You Die

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    S3:E7

    Josh arrives in Overland Park and delivers difficult news to Colton. Sarah oversteps her boundaries with Raquel, putting the Hineni Seder in danger. A tough conversation with Bryna brings up some big issues between Maura and Vicki.

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    Director:Shira Piven
  14. 7.8/10(210 votes)

    #13 - Desert Eagle

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    S4:E8

    Maura yearns to forge a new relationship but finds the connection strained. Ali is drawn to rejoin her family. Out in the vast desert Josh tries his hand at shooting a gun, leaving Shelly rattled.

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  15. 7.7/10(7 votes)

    #14 - Moppa

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    S1:E4

    Maura finally comes out to Ali, and they join Sarah on a field trip to the mall - where they all get rude lessons in womanhood. Josh is forced to confront his past thanks to questions from Syd (Carrie Brownstein) about his longtime relationship with Rita.

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  16. 7.7/10(6 votes)

    #15 - Wedge

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    S1:E5

    When Shelly's husband Ed goes missing, Sarah, Josh and Ali set out to find him, and instead find themselves lost in their past. Ali can no longer keep Maura's secret from Josh, which sends him into a tailspin. When Maura runs into a Pfefferman family friend she takes a stand for her new identity.

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  17. 7.7/10(215 votes)

    #16 - Cool Guy

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    S4:E4

    Maura and Ali uncover new truths about their family. Shelly gets bold in her improv class. Sparks fly between Sarah, Lila, and Len and they set off to hatch a plan. Josh is haunted by the past.

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    Director:Sarah Gavron
  18. 7.6/10(7 votes)

    #17 - Rollin

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    S1:E3

    Maura moves out of the family house and into a lively new apartment complex, just as Sarah needs a new home after dismantling her perfect life. Josh has to reconsider his sudden vision of starting a family, while Ali finds some new boundaries to cross.

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  19. 7.6/10(5 votes)

    #18 - Bulnerable

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    S2:E6

    Ali finds herself a little too close to Leslie when she seeks Leslie's advice on her UCLA application; Josh confronts Shelly about the past; Sarah uses a hard-won date night to explore some of her sexual fantasies.

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  20. 7.6/10(7 votes)

    #19 - Man on the Land

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    S2:E9

    Maura makes a new friend and has a rude awakening at the music festival; Sarah experiences liberation from an unlikely source; Ali makes an unexpected journey to the past.

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  21. 7.6/10(272 votes)

    #20 - Off the Grid

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    S3:E9

    After reconnecting with Colton, Josh decides to move to Overland Park, until a concerned Ali travels to him, intending to bring him home. Feeling abandoned, Sarah has trouble controlling her rage. Shelly confronts Buzzy about his spending, leading to some unforeseen revelations. Newly single Maura has an exciting, surprising night out.

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  22. 7.6/10(204 votes)

    #21 - Born Again

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    S4:E5

    Maura revisits the night that Ali was born. Davina recalls memories of her youth and comes to terms with her troubled relationship with Sal. Davina and Maura each make a deal with God.

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  23. 7.5/10(6 votes)

    #22 - The Book of Life

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    S2:E7

    On Yom Kippur, Sarah tries to make amends with Tammy; Maura tries to communicate with Davina; Josh tries to make peace with Raquel; Ali and Syd host a break-the-fast party.

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  24. 7.5/10(297 votes)

    #23 - When the Battle is Over

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    S3:E2

    After a health scare, Maura confronts death and her relationship to her body. Sarah hopes to join the MidCity Temple board. Shelly plans a onewoman show with Buzzy. Dissatisfied with their lives, Josh and Ali play married couple.

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    Director:Silas Howard
  25. 7.5/10(279 votes)

    #24 - Just the Facts

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    S3:E4

    Maura gets an exciting peek at the future with a visit to the plastic surgeon's office but fails to muster the same enthusiasm from Vicki on a fun night out. Josh visits an unusually upbeat Rita while Ali and Leslie struggle with intimacy. Sarah finds distraction from her personal troubles by spearheading an unorthodox approach to Judaism.

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  26. 7.4/10(5 votes)

    #25 - The Wilderness

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    S1:E6

    As they struggle to come to terms with Maura, Josh looks for answers from a rabbi named Raquel (Kathryn Hahn), and Ali looks for answers in a Gender Studies class with Syd. Sarah is left to answer questions from her own kids, who meet Maura for the first time.

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Best Episodes Summary

"Grey Green Brown & Copper" is the best rated episode of "Transparent". It scored 8.5/10 based on 6 votes. Directed by Andrea Arnold and written by Micah Fitzerman-Blue, Noah Harpster, it aired on 12/11/2015. This episode scored 0.0 points higher than the second highest rated, "If I Were a Bell".