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The Best Episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events

Every episode of A Series of Unfortunate Events ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events!

Binge this in 19h 43m•Peaking at 8.7/10

The orphaned Baudelaire children face trials, tribulations and the evil Count Olaf, all in their quest to uncover the secret of their parents' death.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 6 - Penultimate Peril (2)
    8.7/10(1271 votes)

    S3:E6

    Big secrets are revealed when Count Olaf goes on trial in the hotel lobby. The Baudelaires are the first to take the stand, but will justice be served?

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  2. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 5 - Penultimate Peril (1)
    8.6/10(1240 votes)

    S3:E5

    Various parties converge at the Hotel Denouement, where the mysterious "J.S." has called the V.F.D. together -- and things aren't always what they seem.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  3. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 7 - The End
    8.5/10(1423 votes)

    S3:E7

    The final chapter takes the orphans to a deserted island: a place of lost lives, old stories and new beginnings. It all ends here.

    Director:Bo Welch
    Writer:Unknown

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  4. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 10 - Carnivorous Carnival (2)
    8.4/10(1307 votes)

    S2:E10

    Still posing as conjoined carnival freaks, the Baudelaires brace themselves for a beastly fate. Will good fortune intervene ... for once?

    Director:Loni Peristere
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  5. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 8 - The Miserable Mill (2)
    8.3/10(2113 votes)

    S1:E8

    Klaus just isn't himself after seeing Dr. Orwell, an optometrist with oddly optimistic patients. Meanwhile, Violet works to clear her parents' names.

    Director:Bo Welch
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  6. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 9 - Carnivorous Carnival (1)
    8.3/10(1292 votes)

    S2:E9

    Come one, come all to the creepiest circus the world has ever seen, a place where puzzling mysteries -- and a familiar face -- await.

    Director:Loni Peristere
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events

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  7. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 7 - The Hostile Hospital (1)
    8.2/10(1323 votes)

    S2:E7

    Life on the lam leads the Baudelaires to a horrifying hospital with an enormous library that could hold the answers to all of their questions.

    Director:Allan Arkush
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  8. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 3 - The Reptile Room (1)
    8.1/10(2391 votes)

    S1:E3

    After the Baudelaires move in with Dr. Montgomery, a renowned expert in reptile behavior, their new guardian hires a frighteningly familiar assistant.

    Director:Mark Palansky
    Writer:Unknown

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  9. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 4 - The Reptile Room (2)
    8.1/10(2262 votes)

    S1:E4

    Klaus and Violet suspect Count Olaf and his evil cohorts when a lifeless body turns up in the reptile room. Sunny sees the inside of a suitcase.

    Director:Mark Palansky
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  10. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 3 - The Ersatz Elevator (1)
    8.1/10(1410 votes)

    S2:E3

    Violet, Klaus and Sunny get new guardians in a fashionable building, where stairs are in -- and the elevator's out. Jacques Snicket trains a recruit.

    Director:Bo Welch
    Writer:Unknown

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  11. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 4 - The Ersatz Elevator (2)
    8.1/10(1367 votes)

    S2:E4

    The Baudelaires find their friends -- and then lose them -- at the bottom of an elevator shaft. Count Olaf conducts an auction in disguise.

    Director:Bo Welch
    Writer:Unknown

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  12. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 8 - The Hostile Hospital (2)
    8.1/10(1290 votes)

    S2:E8

    A bearded Klaus and Sunny comb the hospital's crumbling halls for Violet, who's being held prisoner under Count Olaf's questionable "care."

    Director:Allan Arkush
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  13. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 7 - The Miserable Mill (1)
    8.0/10(2105 votes)

    S1:E7

    The children arrive at the Lucky Smells Lumber Mill and unearth some unsettling accusations about their parents. Count Olaf courts an old flame.

    Director:Bo Welch
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  14. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 1 - Slippery Slope (1)
    8.0/10(1275 votes)

    S3:E1

    While Count Olaf makes his way to V.F.D. headquarters with Sunny, Klaus and Violet are exactly where we left them: careening toward the edge of a cliff.

    Director:Jonathan Teplitzky
    Writer:Unknown

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  15. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 2 - Slippery Slope (2)
    8.0/10(1130 votes)

    S3:E2

    Sunny sends a signal from Count Olaf's camp, where a sinister duo is awakening old insecurities. A clue at V.F.D. HQ points the way to a fateful meeting.

    Director:Jonathan Teplitzky
    Writer:Unknown

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  16. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 2 - The Bad Beginning (2)
    7.9/10(2612 votes)

    S1:E2

    While Mr. Poe's secretary works overtime, Count Olaf casts Violet and Klaus in "The Marvelous Marriage," a work of theater with alarming implications.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Unknown

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  17. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 1 - The Austere Academy (1)
    7.9/10(1606 votes)

    S2:E1

    The Baudelaires begin life at boarding school and meet a pair of mysterious siblings whose tragic lives sound eerily similar to their own.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Unknown

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  18. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 6 - The Vile Village (2)
    7.9/10(1302 votes)

    S2:E6

    The orphans find themselves under suspicion in the wake of a devastating murder. But time behind bars leads to an important realization.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  19. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 2 - The Austere Academy (2)
    7.8/10(1473 votes)

    S2:E2

    While the Quagmires keep up the search, the Baudelaires struggle to balance their studies with a punishing workout schedule, courtesy of Count Olaf.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  20. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 4 - Grim Grotto (2)
    7.8/10(1086 votes)

    S3:E4

    With Sunny's fate hanging in the balance, Violet and Klaus race to find a life-saving antidote and learn the location of the Last Safe Place.

    Director:Liza Johnson
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  21. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 1 - The Bad Beginning (1)
    7.6/10(3300 votes)

    S1:E1

    The dreadful history of the Baudelaire children begins with a deadpan narrator, a terrible fire and the ominous arrival of a distant relative.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Unknown

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  22. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 5 - The Wide Window (1)
    7.6/10(2118 votes)

    S1:E5

    The orphans arrive at the aptly named Lake Lachrymose to meet their widowed Aunt Josephine, a strict grammarian who's haunted by the past.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Unknown

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  23. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 1 Episode 6 - The Wide Window (2)
    7.6/10(2066 votes)

    S1:E6

    Klaus and Violet look for clues in a suspicious note that passes custody to Captain Sham, a seafaring scam artist with clear ties to Count Olaf.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Unknown

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  24. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 2 Episode 5 - The Vile Village (1)
    7.6/10(1311 votes)

    S2:E5

    Mr. Poe brings the Baudelaires to V.F.D., a bird-loving village with an Old West vibe. Jacques and Olivia continue their search for the Quagmires.

    Director:Barry Sonnenfeld
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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  25. A Series of Unfortunate Events Season 3 Episode 3 - Grim Grotto (1)
    7.6/10(1103 votes)

    S3:E3

    A young submarine captain with ties to the V.F.D. reveals she's looking for the sugar bowl. But so is Esmé Squalor, who's on a mission to find it first.

    Director:Liza Johnson
    Writer:Daniel Handler

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Best Episodes Summary

"Penultimate Peril (2)" is the best rated episode of "A Series of Unfortunate Events". It scored 8.7/10 based on 1271 votes. Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Daniel Handler, it aired on 1/1/2019. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Penultimate Peril (1)".