8.7/107 votes#1 - April 10, 2022: Data Brokers
Season 9 Episode 7 - Aired 4/10/2022
John Oliver discusses how much data brokers know about us, what they’re doing with our personal information, and one unusual way to change privacy laws. Plus, Russian State TV lies about the Ukraine war; DirecTV drops OAN; John says goodbye to AT&T.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.5/106 votes#2 - Episode 214: Tucker Carlson
Season 8 Episode 5 - Aired 3/14/2021
Main story: Where Tucker Carlson came from and why he's admired by white nationalists; plus, reaction to the Biden COVID-19 relief bill.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.5/102 votes#3 - Episode 238
Season 8 Episode 29 - Aired 11/7/2021
John Oliver discusses the current state of the nation's power grid, why it needs fixing, and, of course, how fun the balloons are.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.5/102 votes#4 - Episode 239
Season 8 Episode 30 - Aired 11/14/2021
John Oliver discusses the mechanics of union busting, why the companies who do it face so few consequences, and what it really means when your manager wants to talk to you about "your attendance."
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.4/105 votes#5 - Episode 222: Sponcon
Season 8 Episode 13 - Aired 5/23/2021
John Oliver explains why the integrity of local news is so important, how sponsored content could damage that integrity, and why the Venus Veil is so much more than a blanket. (It's not.)
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.3/103 votes#6 - Episode 219: Vaccine
Season 8 Episode 10 - Aired 5/2/2021
John Oliver explains why some people don't want to get the Covid-19 vaccine and how they might be reassured.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.2/105 votes#7 - May 1, 2022: Environmental Racism
Season 9 Episode 9 - Aired 5/1/2022
John Oliver discusses environmental racism, how both government and industry are failing people of color and how zoning is manipulating the same people to live in adverse conditions. Plus, pandas doing some weird things and 'gas math' by Shaquille O'Neal.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.2/106 votes#8 - May 22, 2022: Subway
Season 9 Episode 12 - Aired 5/22/2022
John Oliver discusses one of the largest franchises in the U.S., how their business model doesn’t always serve franchisees, and what it all has to do with Korean dramas.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.2/106 votes#9 - February 26, 2023: Artificial Intelligence
Season 10 Episode 2 - Aired 2/26/2023
Artificial intelligence is increasingly becoming part of our lives, from self-driving cars to ChatGPT. John Oliver discusses how AI works, where it might be heading next, and, of course, why it hates the bus.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.2/105 votes#10 - October 29, 2023: Chocolate
Season 10 Episode 15 - Aired 10/29/2023
John Oliver discusses chocolate, cocoa farming, and, of course, some facts that will make Halloween a little weird.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.2/105 votes#11 - November 5, 2023: Abortion Rights
Season 10 Episode 16 - Aired 11/5/2023
John Oliver discusses the ongoing fallout from the overturning of Roe v. Wade as the November elections approach.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.1/108 votes#12 - March 13, 2022: Tickets
Season 9 Episode 4 - Aired 3/13/2022
John Oliver explains why concert tickets are so expensive, who’s making money off of them, and which One Direction is his favorite. Plus, the introduction of some appalling anti-LGBT laws in several states.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/106 votes#13 - Episode 210: The Next Pandemic
Season 8 Episode 1 - Aired 2/14/2021
Main story: What could cause the next pandemic, what we can do to avoid it, and why you shouldn’t kiss pigs; plus, Impeachment Part 2.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/106 votes#14 - Episode 215: Plastics
Season 8 Episode 6 - Aired 3/21/2021
Main story: How plastics are harming the planet, and why recycling isn’t the solution you think it is; plus, the Atlanta mass shootings and hate crimes against Asian-Americans.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/104 votes#15 - Episode 218: Bankruptcy
Season 8 Episode 9 - Aired 4/18/2021
John Oliver details why people file for bankruptcy, how needlessly difficult the process can be, and the ways we can better serve people struggling with debt.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/104 votes#16 - Episode 224: Prison Heat
Season 8 Episode 15 - Aired 6/13/2021
John Oliver explains how the failure to air-condition prisons can cause both physical and mental health issues for incarcerated people, and why the solution is simpler than you might think. Plus, some truly unique local car dealership ads.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/104 votes#17 - Episode 228: Emergency Medical Services
Season 8 Episode 19 - Aired 8/1/2021
John Oliver explains how emergency medical services function in the U.S., why they can be so expensive, and what we can do to fix things.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/104 votes#18 - Episode 231: Afghanistan
Season 8 Episode 22 - Aired 8/22/2021
John Oliver discusses the end of America's war with Afghanistan and the humanitarian crisis being left behind.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/104 votes#19 - Episode 232: Lukashenko
Season 8 Episode 23 - Aired 9/12/2021
John Oliver discusses the longtime leader of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, and the many reasons his country's citizens have not to like him.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/102 votes#20 - Episode 236
Season 8 Episode 27 - Aired 10/24/2021
John Oliver discusses Taiwan's history of being governed by other countries, its fraught present-day relationship with China, and what its citizens would want their future to look like.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/101 votes#21 - Episode 237
Season 8 Episode 28 - Aired 10/31/2021
With homelessness increasing nationwide, John Oliver takes a look at the way we discuss the unhoused, what policy failures are making the problem worse, and how we can help.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/109 votes#22 - February 20, 2022: Critical Race Theory
Season 9 Episode 1 - Aired 2/20/2022
John Oliver explains what critical race theory is, what it isn't, and why we can expect to hear more about it in the coming months. Plus, the Canadian trucker protests.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/108 votes#23 - March 6, 2022: Wrongful Convictions
Season 9 Episode 3 - Aired 3/6/2022
John Oliver talks about the current practices of overturning wrongful convictions and how it is quite unsupportive of even apparently innocent people. He advocates for urgent reforms in the flawed system which is clearly not working in favor of the innocents. Plus, the heroic resistance of Ukrainians against the invasion of Russia.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/106 votes#24 - April 17, 2022: Police Interrogations
Season 9 Episode 8 - Aired 4/17/2022
John Oliver discusses the tactics that can make police interrogations so damaging, particularly to the innocent. Plus, a look at Dr. Oz's campaign for U.S. Senate.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
8.0/105 votes#25 - May 8, 2022: Abortion Ruling/Philippines Election
Season 9 Episode 10 - Aired 5/8/2022
John Oliver discusses the current presidential election in The Philippines and why Bongbong Marcos is - albeit in a very limited and unflattering way - sort of like Ant-Man. Plus, the leaked anti-abortion draft opinion that looks set to overturn Roe v. Wade, how we got to this point, and where we may be headed.
Director: Paul Pennolino
Writer: Ali Barthwell
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The Best Episodes Written By Ali Barthwell
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Ali Barthwell Ratings Summary
"April 10, 2022: Data Brokers" is the best rated episode written by Ali Barthwell. It scored 8.7/10 based on 7 votes. It was directed by Paul Pennolino. It aired on 4/10/2022 and is rated 0.2 points higher than their second-best episode, "Episode 214: Tucker Carlson".