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The Worst Episodes of Trial & Retribution

Every episode of Trial & Retribution ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of Trial & Retribution!

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Trial & Retribution is a feature-length ITV police procedural television drama series that began in 1997. It was devised and written by Lynda La Plante as a follow-on from her successful television series Prime Suspect.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    Trial & Retribution Season 8 Episode 2 - Trial And Retribution VIII: Blue Eiderdown (2)
    6.6/10(80 votes)

    #1 - Trial And Retribution VIII: Blue Eiderdown (2)

    S8:E2

    A young prostitute, Angela Dutton, plunges to her death from the eleventh floor balcony of a block of flats. The police begin a murder inquiry and discover that she was the daughter of a seventies TV star who was also found murdered twelve years earlier, wrapped in blue eiderdown. The killer was never found. D.C.S. Walker heads the investigation into the two murders, with the aid of D.C.I. Connor and the rest of the team. They investigate to find out why Angela Dutton died - did she find her mother's killer, or did one of her three high-paying clients kill her?

    Director:Paul Unwin
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  2. Trial & Retribution Season 8 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution VIII: Blue Eiderdown (1)
    6.9/10(130 votes)

    #2 - Trial And Retribution VIII: Blue Eiderdown (1)

    S8:E1

    A young prostitute, Angela Dutton, plunges to her death from the eleventh floor balcony of a block of flats. The police begin a murder enquiry and discover that she was the daughter of a seventies TV star who was also found murdered twelve years earlier, wrapped in blue eiderdown. The killer was never found. D.C.S. Walker heads the investigation into the two murders, with the aid of D.C.I. Connor and the rest of the team. They investigate to find out why Angela Dutton died - did she find her mother's killer, or did one of her three high-paying clients kill her?

    Director:Paul Unwin
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  3. Trial & Retribution Season 12 Episode 3 - Ghost Train (1)
    6.9/10(67 votes)

    #3 - Ghost Train (1)

    S12:E3

    When a girl falls to her death from a ferris wheel, it is thought to be a tragic accident - until DS Satchell's aunt comes forward with suspicions of foul play.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. Trial & Retribution Season 11 Episode 4 - Kill the King (2)
    7.0/10(58 votes)

    #4 - Kill the King (2)

    S11:E4

    The aftermath of Gary Webster’s suicide begins – a DPS enquiry, a very shaken Palmer, and a shocked but stoic Gemma, still convinced of a cover-up at the hospital. Gary wasn’t the killer; all he ever wanted was a straight answer. Adrian Lawson offers a video recording of Amber’s surgery, showing that it was purely straightforward procedure, nothing untoward. His helpful nature doesn’t convince Connor, noting that he wouldn’t have given them something that might implicate either him or the hospital. In any case, Amber died in the ICU, six hours after the surgery. To get to the truth, they need to go back to whoever was in the ICU that night. Walker is unhappy about what he sees as his team wasting their time investigating hospital negligence, when Carlisle’s killer has still not been found. However, Connor is convinced of a connection between his murder and the death of the Webster’s little girl. Connor’s hunch nags at Walker and he pays a discreet visit to Gemma Webster. Promising that the police are investigating the case fully and properly, and revealing that Carlisle was killed with a massive overdose of fentanyl, he asks her once more if she has any information she hasn’t revealed so far. Gemma says nothing. With the spotlight of suspicion now falling on Lawson, Walker questions the Lawsons again. Adrian expresses shock and surprise when told that he was being implicated in Amber’s death. Adrian’s loyalty to his former boss and mentor starts to fade as, seething, he suggests that Walker look at what Carlisle was up to that night…

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  5. Trial & Retribution Season 12 Episode 4 - Ghost Train (2)
    7.0/10(48 votes)

    #5 - Ghost Train (2)

    S12:E4

    Despite the presence of Tess, the police find the funfair workers unwilling to cooperate. An arrest is eventually made, a Romanian worker called Pavel, who had actually gone out with the girl who fell from the Big Wheel, but he is not the murderer. The big question still remains as to the part the development company may have played in the deaths at the fair.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  6. Trial & Retribution Season 3 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution III (1)
    7.1/10(251 votes)

    #6 - Trial And Retribution III (1)

    S3:E1

    A fifteen year old girl goes missing and her blood-stained clothes are found. Det. Supt. Walker heads the investigation into her murder. Meanwhile, D.I. North is sent to see a persistent complainer, Warrington, who has been hounding the station. North begins to get stalked and Walker has a prime suspect for the murder. But then they find a connection between Warrington and Walker's prime suspect.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  7. Trial & Retribution Season 4 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution IV (1)
    7.1/10(184 votes)

    #7 - Trial And Retribution IV (1)

    S4:E1

    D.I. North re-investigates an eight-year-old murder case and finds that Det. Supt. Walker was in charge of the inquiry. She begins to suspect that he's covering something up and he is suspended from duty. He returns to his roots to find new evidence to prove his innocence, in order to save his career, relationship and reputation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  8. Trial & Retribution Season 11 Episode 7 - The Box (1)
    7.1/10(83 votes)

    #8 - The Box (1)

    S11:E7

    D.C.S. Walker goes on leave back to Glasgow, where he is taking care of his increasingly senile mother, he soon becomes involved in the case of a missing woman, who is the sister of an old friend. Walker begins to delve into the life of her then husband Kevin Reid, and discovers a dark bond between him and his brother Ronnie. Soon a body is discovered and is it is proved to be the missing woman. Then Kevin's second wife is reported missing - convincing Walker that one or both of the Reid brothers are involved in the crimes.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  9. Trial & Retribution Season 3 Episode 2 - Trial And Retribution III (2)
    7.2/10(97 votes)

    #9 - Trial And Retribution III (2)

    S3:E2

    A fifteen year old girl goes missing and her blood-stained clothes are found. Det. Supt. Walker heads the investigation into her murder. Meanwhile, D.I. North is sent to see a persistent complainer, Warrington, who has been hounding the station. North begins to get stalked and Walker has a prime suspect for the murder. But then they find a connection between Warrington and Walker's prime suspect.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  10. Trial & Retribution Season 7 Episode 1 - VII: Suspicion (1)
    7.3/10(150 votes)

    #10 - VII: Suspicion (1)

    S7:E1

    A severed female hand is found in the Thames, which brings D.C.I. Conner in contact with Walker (who is now back in uniform). No body is discovered, and the case soon becomes a battle of wits against the killer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  11. Trial & Retribution Season 10 Episode 2 - Sins Of The Father (2)
    7.3/10(80 votes)

    #11 - Sins Of The Father (2)

    S10:E2

    No description available

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  12. Trial & Retribution Season 10 Episode 3 - Closure (1)
    7.3/10(110 votes)

    #12 - Closure (1)

    S10:E3

    A young school girl is raped and murdered, but D.C.I. Connor still has no leads a month into the investigation. When Walker orders a review of unsolved cases, they turn up similar cases of raped and murdered teenage girls over the last ten years, and they find themselves searching for an apparent serial killer.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  13. Trial & Retribution Season 11 Episode 3 - Kill the King (1)
    7.3/10(76 votes)

    #13 - Kill the King (1)

    S11:E3

    When well-known paediatric surgeon Jonathan Carlisle is found dead, DCI Connor uncovers conflicts stirred by a recent operation that resulted in a young girl's death. The team soon learn that the girl's father, Gary Webster, was the subject of a restraining order issued by Carlisle, and had been stalking him for months. But before he can be questioned, Webster absconds. After a tense game of cat and mouse, the police corner Webster at the zoo - but what will be the outcome of the stand-off?

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  14. Trial & Retribution Season 12 Episode 2 - Siren (2)
    7.3/10(57 votes)

    #14 - Siren (2)

    S12:E2

    Imogen's mother makes a plea for her daughter's safe return. Things happening between McGill and Connor threaten the investigation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. Trial & Retribution Season 5 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution V (1)
    7.4/10(132 votes)

    #15 - Trial And Retribution V (1)

    S5:E1

    Walker is assigned to investigate the discovery of a 17-year-old skeleton, which he isn't too happy about - especially as he's working with D.I. North's ex-boyfriend. They soon discover more skeletons buried at the house.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  16. Trial & Retribution Season 6 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution VI (1)
    7.4/10(138 votes)

    #16 - Trial And Retribution VI (1)

    S6:E1

    D.I. North investigates when a girl is snatched from a wood, but the confession of a local sex offender complicates matters. Detective Chief Superintendent Walker is little help, as he has worries of his own.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  17. Trial & Retribution Season 11 Episode 8 - The Box (2)
    7.4/10(51 votes)

    #17 - The Box (2)

    S11:E8

    Whilst Anna's diary entries initially suggest that Ronnie was stalking her, they are eventually dismissed as forgeries. Ronnie also had an alibi for the time that Margaret went missing and it looks as if he is being framed, possibly by his brother, with whom there is an explosive showdown at a race course.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  18. Trial & Retribution Season 1 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution (1)
    7.5/10(317 votes)

    #18 - Trial And Retribution (1)

    S1:E1

    A five-year-old girl goes missing and the police are called in to search. When her body is found inside a sewage pipe, it becomes a murder investigation, which is headed by Detective Superintendent Walker. They follow a few leads and eventually arrest a suspect, who is then sent to trial.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  19. Trial & Retribution Season 1 Episode 2 - Trial And Retribution (2)
    7.5/10(151 votes)

    #19 - Trial And Retribution (2)

    S1:E2

    A five-year-old girl goes missing and the police are called in to search. When her body is found inside a sewage pipe, it becomes a murder investigation, which is headed by Detective Superintendent Walker. They follow a few leads and eventually arrest a suspect, who is then sent to trial.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  20. Trial & Retribution Season 2 Episode 1 - Trial And Retribution II (1)
    7.5/10(207 votes)

    #20 - Trial And Retribution II (1)

    S2:E1

    When Susan Harrow does not come home, her mother reports her missing to the police. Her body is later discovered on waste land and a murder investigation is launched, once again headed by Det. Supt. Walker. There is later a second murder and they know that they have a serial killer on their hands.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  21. Trial & Retribution Season 2 Episode 2 - Trial And Retribution II (2)
    7.5/10(122 votes)

    #21 - Trial And Retribution II (2)

    S2:E2

    When Susan Harrow does not come home, her mother reports her missing to the police. Her body is later discovered on waste land and a murder investigation is launched, once again headed by Det. Supt. Walker. There is later a second murder and they know that they have a serial killer on their hands.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  22. Trial & Retribution Season 4 Episode 2 - Trial And Retribution IV (2)
    7.5/10(84 votes)

    #22 - Trial And Retribution IV (2)

    S4:E2

    D.I. North re-investigates an eight-year-old murder case and finds that Det. Supt. Walker was in charge of the inquiry. She begins to suspect that he's covering something up and he is suspended from duty. He returns to his roots to find new evidence to prove his innocence, in order to save his career, relationship and reputation.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  23. Trial & Retribution Season 10 Episode 1 - Sins Of The Father (1)
    7.5/10(132 votes)

    #23 - Sins Of The Father (1)

    S10:E1

    The apparently happy Harrogate family is torn apart when they return home to discover their daughter, Emily, dead. Connor and Satchell begin to sift through the case and discover that the family isn't as stable as it first appeared. Connor appeals to Walker for some backup, who is having problems of his own with his own son Richard. Secrets are soon discovered and fragile relationships are tested in the process of ensuring justice is done.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Lynda La Plante

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  24. Trial & Retribution Season 10 Episode 5 - Paradise Lost (1)
    7.5/10(91 votes)

    #24 - Paradise Lost (1)

    S10:E5

    A serial rapist is targeting the black community by raping white women with black boyfriends. When an attack ends in murder and the boyfriend is cleared, Walker brings him on to the investigation to help, but could Connor's relationship with a barrister working on the case jeopardise the investigation and the subsequent trial?.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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  25. Trial & Retribution Season 10 Episode 9 - Mirror Image (1)
    7.5/10(88 votes)

    #25 - Mirror Image (1)

    S10:E9

    The murder of a Police Commander and his wife puts Walker, Connor and the team under pressure to get a quick result. Jewelery has been stolen from the house, which would indicate a burglary gone wrong, but several relatives profit from their deaths and so they focus the investigation on the family. Connor is suspicious of the identical twin sons in particular and suspects that they may have worked together in order to get away with patricide.

    Director:Unknown
    Writer:Unknown

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Trial And Retribution VIII: Blue Eiderdown (2)" is the worst rated episode of "Trial & Retribution". It scored 6.6/10 based on 80 votes. Directed by Paul Unwin and written by Lynda La Plante, it aired on 10/12/2004. This episode scored 0.3 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Trial And Retribution VIII: Blue Eiderdown (1)".