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The Best Episodes of For Life

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

Binge this in 16h 30m•Peaking at 8.4/10

A prisoner becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own life sentence for a crime he didn’t commit.

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Seasons2

All12

Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    For Life Season 1 Episode 11 - Switzerland
    8.4/10(283 votes)

    #1 - Switzerland

    S1:E11

    Aaron bolsters his case with newfound information from Marie; Cassius suspects Aaron is a snitch and seeks retribution; Foster struggles to lay low during his last two weeks before retirement, but Safiya turns up the heat.

    Director:Darnell Martin
    Writer:Karen Struck

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  2. For Life Season 1 Episode 13 - Fathers
    8.3/10(276 votes)

    #2 - Fathers

    S1:E13

    When Maskins and Cyrus Hunt try to thwart Aaron's attempt at a retrial, Aaron is forced to attempt a desperate move, risking the wrath of a powerful new adversary. The election comes to a head as Safiya tries to warn Aaron that he is now a marked man on the season finale

    Director:Hank Steinberg
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  3. For Life Season 2 Episode 10 - Andy Josiah
    8.2/10(167 votes)

    #3 - Andy Josiah

    S2:E10

    Aaron and his legal team face their toughest trial yet as they prosecute the police officer responsible for the killing of an innocent, unarmed Black man.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writers:Hank Steinberg, Sonay Hoffman

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  4. For Life Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    8.1/10(516 votes)

    #4 - Pilot

    S1:E1

    Prisoner Aaron Wallace becomes a lawyer, litigating cases for other inmates while fighting to overturn his own wrongful conviction.

    Director:George Tillman Jr.
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  5. For Life Season 1 Episode 7 - Do Us Part
    8.1/10(267 votes)

    #5 - Do Us Part

    S1:E7

    Aaron struggles to balance the demands of his own case with the needs of an inmate who's fighting for the right to marry his dying girlfriend. Safiya defies the prison board, effectively jeopardizing Anya's campaign as well as their marriage.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writers:Hank Steinberg, Garen Thomas

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  6. For Life Season 1 Episode 12 - Closing Statement
    8.1/10(253 votes)

    #6 - Closing Statement

    S1:E12

    Aaron finally gets his chance to argue for his retrial in court, but it's thwarted by the return of prison warden Cyrus Hunt; Safiya deals with the aftermath of the prison riot and attempts to salvage her reforms.

    Director:Debs Paterson
    Writer:Lee Edward Colston

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    The 20 WORST Episodes of For Life

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  7. For Life Season 2 Episode 1 - Never Stop Fighting
    8.1/10(229 votes)

    #7 - Never Stop Fighting

    S2:E1

    After nine years of fighting to win his freedom, it’s do or die for Aaron Wallace. As dangerous enemies lurk at Bellmore and Marie faces criminal charges for assisting Aaron in prior cases, Aaron must find a way to gain the upper hand on Maskins.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  8. For Life Season 1 Episode 6 - Burner
    7.9/10(267 votes)

    #8 - Burner

    S1:E6

    Aaron confronts O'Reilly in court, targeting the search warrant used in Aaron's arrest and the DA's failure to disclose a confidential informant. Marie's father comes to town, intent on encouraging her and Darius to solidify their relationship. Maskins arranges for a dangerous inmate, Cassius Dawkins, to be transferred to Bellmore in hopes that he'll cause problems for Safiya and Aaron.

    Director:Guillermo Navarro
    Writer:Eric Haywood

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  9. For Life Season 1 Episode 9 - Buried
    7.9/10(250 votes)

    #9 - Buried

    S1:E9

    Aaron pushes to represent longtime inmate Easley Barton, hoping that winning this 23-year-old case against Maskins will strengthen his own. Captain Foster continues his drug-smuggling racket as Safiya closes in. Marie struggles with her breakup with Darius as she continues to help Aaron in his case.

    Director:Erica A. Watson
    Writer:Hope Mastras

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  10. For Life Season 1 Episode 3 - Brother's Keeper
    7.8/10(309 votes)

    #10 - Brother's Keeper

    S1:E3

    Determined to gain access to his police file, Aaron decides to represent an inmate from Safiya’s drug rehabilitation program whose brother is a cop. District Attorney Maskins and Assistant District Attorney O’Reilly close in on proof of Aaron’s malfeasance during Jose Rodriguez’s trial, targeting Marie as a way to get to Aaron.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  11. For Life Season 1 Episode 5 - Witness
    7.8/10(273 votes)

    #11 - Witness

    S1:E5

    While litigating on behalf of an inmate locked up on a robbery charge, Aaron is torn between doing what's right and what's best for his case. Heartened by Aaron's new lead, Marie recommits to his case, researching witnesses on Aaron's behalf. Plus, Safiya closes in on Foster's drug smuggling scheme.

    Director:Guillermo Navarro
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  12. For Life Season 2 Episode 9 - The Blue Wall
    7.8/10(133 votes)

    #12 - The Blue Wall

    S2:E9

    With Aaron and Marie facing threats from an increasingly hostile community, Aaron and his team double down by pursuing criminal charges against a high-ranking police officer they believe tried to cover up the shooting.

    Director:Laura Belsey
    Writers:T. Zhang, Jake Gillman

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  13. For Life Season 1 Episode 2 - Promises
    7.7/10(355 votes)

    #13 - Promises

    S1:E2

    Tensions rise between Aaron and his crew when he provides counsel to a white supremacist in order to repay his debt to inmate Wild Bill. District Attorney Maskins ups his game when Aaron sues the NYPD in an attempt to gain access to his case file. Meanwhile, his daughter’s boyfriend, Ronnie, braces for confrontation as he visits the prison to meet Aaron for the first time.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  14. For Life Season 1 Episode 8 - Daylight
    7.7/10(244 votes)

    #14 - Daylight

    S1:E8

    In order to maintain his lifeline to the outside world, Aaron is forced to defend Cassius Dawkins when he puts three white supremacists in the hospital; Marie struggles with her feelings for Aaron after he signs her divorce papers.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:David Feige

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  15. For Life Season 1 Episode 10 - Character and Fitness
    7.7/10(247 votes)

    #15 - Character and Fitness

    S1:E10

    Flashing back to the previous nine years of his incarceration, Aaron's journey from terrified novice prisoner to attorney and social crusader unfolds.

    Director:Jann Turner
    Writer:Zach Calig

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  16. For Life Season 2 Episode 4 - Time to Move Forward
    7.7/10(164 votes)

    #16 - Time to Move Forward

    S2:E4

    As a favor to Jamal, Aaron defends a man in a witness tampering case, while tensions rise at home in the run-up to the Wallace family Thanksgiving.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:Kirk A. Moore

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  17. For Life Season 2 Episode 3 - The Necessity Defense
    7.6/10(176 votes)

    #17 - The Necessity Defense

    S2:E3

    At the urging of Spencer Richardson, Aaron defends a woman charged with holding hospital workers at gunpoint to secure lifesaving treatment for her son. Aaron and Marie navigate their newly intimate relationship, and a young social justice warrior joins Aaron and Roswell’s firm.

    Director:Marisol Adler
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  18. For Life Season 2 Episode 5 - Collars for Dollars
    7.6/10(164 votes)

    #18 - Collars for Dollars

    S2:E5

    After Aaron and Roswell agree to help a young woman facing deportation for a minor crime, they realize her case could be a key to exposing a broad pattern of police corruption. Meanwhile, Jasmine begins to spend more time at Ronnie's house and Marie grapples with the first signs of an empty nest.

    Director:Jono Oliver
    Writer:Terri Kopp

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  19. For Life Season 2 Episode 2 - Homecoming
    7.4/10(176 votes)

    #19 - Homecoming

    S2:E2

    A newly liberated man, Aaron acclimates to family life outside of prison. As he attempts to help Jamal with his case, Aaron encounters Jamal’s sister who needs legal help of her own. Former nemesis Spencer Richardson proposes an intriguing work opportunity to Aaron and Roswell.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:Hank Steinberg

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  20. For Life Season 2 Episode 8 - For the People
    7.4/10(136 votes)

    #20 - For the People

    S2:E8

    Aaron faces pressure from all sides when he is forced to decide which charges to bring against the officers responsible for the killing of an unarmed civilian. While Safiya pursues video evidence that could change their case, Roswell searches for a way to move the case from Staten Island to a friendlier venue.

    Director:Jono Oliver
    Writer:David Feige

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  21. For Life Season 1 Episode 4 - Marie
    7.1/10(295 votes)

    #21 - Marie

    S1:E4

    Taking us back nine years, Marie struggles in her marriage to Aaron as she deals with the turbulence of Aaron’s arrest, trial and incarceration.

    Director:Charles Martin
    Writer:Sonay Hoffman

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  22. For Life Season 2 Episode 6 - 354
    7.0/10(202 votes)

    #22 - 354

    S2:E6

    After an urgent call from Bellmore concerning the growing COVID-19 pandemic, Aaron enlists Safiya’s help and heads back to the prison to investigate. Meanwhile Marie faces a choice: Expose her family to the virus or go all-in at the hospital.

    Director:Russell Lee Fine
    Writer:Garen Thomas

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  23. For Life Season 2 Episode 7 - Say His Name
    6.8/10(180 votes)

    #23 - Say His Name

    S2:E7

    Aaron takes on the case of an unarmed man shot by a police officer. Safiya represents Ronnie after he’s arrested and roughed up by law enforcement, and the family struggles with whether to have Aaron Jr. baptized.

    Director:Eif Rivera
    Writer:Sonay Hoffman

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Best Episodes Summary

"Switzerland" is the best rated episode of "For Life". It scored 8.4/10 based on 283 votes. Directed by Darnell Martin and written by Karen Struck, it aired on 4/28/2020. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Fathers".