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The Best Episodes of Orphan Black

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

Binge this in 1d 12h•Peaking at 9.2/10

A streetwise hustler is pulled into a compelling conspiracy after witnessing the suicide of a girl who looks just like her.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 6 - The Scandal of Altruism
    9.2/10(2004 votes)

    S4:E6

    When Cosima admits doubts about finding a cure in time to save her life, Sarah makes a lone decision that exposes Kendall to those she’s spent years hiding from. Meanwhile, Art and Felix team up to protect naïve clone, Krystal Godderitch, from herself.

    Director:Grant Harvey
    Writer:Chris Roberts

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  2. Orphan Black Season 3 Episode 6 - Certain Agony of the Battlefield
    9.1/10(2209 votes)

    S3:E6

    Paul digs and finds the ugly truth behind the Castor Boys’ logbooks of names, pushing him into action. Meanwhile, Felix is desperate for info on Sarah’s whereabouts, and presses the still-ailing Rachel for any shred of a lead. In order for Donnie and Alison to take their money-making endeavor to the “next level” she must introduce Jason Kellerman to her unique business plan.

    Director:Helen Shaver
    Writer:Aubrey Nealon

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  3. Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 10 - To Right the Wrongs of Many
    9.1/10(1642 votes)

    S5:E10

    With Helena forced to take shelter behind enemy lines, it’s a bloody last stand for survival as Sarah and Art struggle to protect her, and end the siege on the sestras once and for all.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writers:Graeme Manson, Renée St. Cyr

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  4. Orphan Black Season 3 Episode 10 - History Yet to Be Written
    9.0/10(1668 votes)

    S3:E10

    Castor and Topside force Sarah to make uneasy alliances. But there is some rest for the wicked, when Donnie gives Helena an unexpected ‘gift’, and the results of Alison’s candidacy finally come in. Even as team Leda takes a moment to breathe, change is afoot and a life hangs in the balance.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Graeme Manson

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  5. Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 8 - Guillotines Decide
    9.0/10(1342 votes)

    S5:E8

    Mrs. S orders the sisters to take a night off from sleuthing to celebrate Felix's art opening. But while Felix attempts to impress a famous gallerist with the help of his sestras, Sarah remains on edge with a nagging suspicion that S is hiding something. Meanwhile, wounded and desperate, Rachel reunites with an old ally, but their plans for revenge on Neolution put Clone Club in the line of fire.

    Director:Aaron Morton
    Writers:Graeme Manson, Aisha Porter-Christie

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  6. Orphan Black Season 1 Episode 10 - Endless Forms Most Beautiful
    8.9/10(2377 votes)

    S1:E10

    Sarah’s last chance to bring her nemesis back to sanity slips away as Art intervenes to get answers of his own. Meanwhile, the Orphans must decide whether to make peace with their creators, as Sarah is forced into a deadly confrontation with their enemy.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Graeme Manson

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    7. Trending NowTRENDING NOW

    The 20 WORST Episodes of Orphan Black

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  7. Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 10 - By Means Which Have Never Yet Been Tried
    8.9/10(2013 votes)

    S2:E10

    The war with Dyad is all but lost when Rachel’s latest ploy forces a broken Sarah to concede. The Clone Club springs into action, uniting in a reckless gambit to save Sarah. As they fight to gain their freedom, Sarah encounters a new ally and uncovers a terrifying new dimension to the conspiracy.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Graeme Manson

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  8. Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 7 - Gag or Throttle
    8.8/10(1285 votes)

    S5:E7

    As P. T. Westmorland demands a more aggressive action on Kira, and Sarah fights to save her daughter, Rachel discovers a dark secret that makes her question her place within Neolution. Meanwhile, Cosima has returned with a vital clue to Westmorland's true identity.

    Director:David Frazee
    Writer:Renée St. Cyr

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  9. Orphan Black Season 5 Episode 9 - One Fettered Slave
    8.8/10(1170 votes)

    S5:E9

    A devastating loss is eclipsed when word reaches Sarah that Helena has been kidnapped. Clone Club bands together in a race against time, determined to find her before she has her babies. And with time running out, Sarah is forced into action in a last-ditch effort to save her sestra.

    Director:David Frazee
    Writer:Alex Levine

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  10. Orphan Black Season 1 Episode 9 - Unconscious Selection
    8.6/10(2129 votes)

    S1:E9

    After Kira’s life is threatened, Sarah is on the warpath, but Dr. Leekie makes her think twice about her plans for revenge. Meanwhile, Cosima faces the truth about Delphine, forcing her to choose sides. Now, it’s up to Sarah to decide the killer’s fate, but the truth about where Sarah came from changes everything.

    Director:T.J. Scott
    Writer:Alex Levine

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  11. Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 7 - Knowledge of Causes, and Secret Motion of Things
    8.6/10(1746 votes)

    S2:E7

    When a rehab confidante betrays Alison and threatens to expose the truth about Aynsley’s death, she goes into free fall on the eve of Family Day. With Donnie and the kids set to visit, it’s all clones on deck to contain the fallout.

    Director:Ken Girotti
    Writer:Aubrey Nealon

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  12. Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 1 - The Collapse of Nature
    8.6/10(1633 votes)

    S4:E1

    After two months of respite, Sarah’s hard-won refuge in Iceland is shattered by a Neolution attack. Once again forced to flee, she realizes no matter how far her family runs it will never be far enough.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Graeme Manson

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  13. Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 10 - From Dancing Mice to Psychopaths
    8.6/10(1429 votes)

    S4:E10

    When communication with Cosima is cut off and Neolution appears to be within striking distance, Sarah's alliance with Rachel goes out the window. Sarah lures a high-level Neolutionist into a trap, and sets out to bring down Neolution once and for all.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Graeme Manson

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  14. Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 9 - Things Which Have Never Yet Been Done
    8.5/10(1649 votes)

    S2:E9

    Cosima takes a turn for the worse, forcing Sarah to take desperate action which results in tragic consequences for those she loves. The Proletheans set their ultimate plan in motion, while Alison and Donnie tangle with the law.

    Director:T.J. Scott
    Writer:Alex Levine

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  15. Orphan Black Season 3 Episode 8 - Ruthless in Purpose, and Insidious in Method
    8.5/10(1432 votes)

    S3:E8

    When Rachel makes a promise to Sarah, it comes with a hefty price. Meanwhile, Helena and Gracie work with the Hendrixes, and Donnie takes Kellerman to task. Over at Castor, Coady and Benchman scheme to track down the Castor Original, and Rudy descends on DYAD for a much needed asset.

    Director:Aaron Morton
    Writers:Graeme Manson, Chris Roberts

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  16. Orphan Black Season 3 Episode 9 - Insolvent Phantom of Tomorrow
    8.5/10(1403 votes)

    S3:E9

    Sarah, Felix, and Mrs. S are in London to track down the Castor Original, but their enemies are not far behind.

    Director:Vincenzo Natali
    Writer:Russ Cochrane

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  17. Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 9 - The Mitigation of Competition
    8.5/10(1256 votes)

    S4:E9

    With Susan Duncan deposed, Sarah finds herself in the same position as Rachel — under the heel of a new HBIC — causing the archenemies to come together for the greater good. Cosima and Susan butt heads on the ethical implications of human experiments. Meanwhile, when the Hendrixes' legal counsel, Adele, further investigates Donnie’s case, she begins to suspect Felix is keeping deep secrets. Helena’s arrival forces Felix to make a difficult decision.

    Director:David Frazee
    Writer:Alex Levine

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  18. Orphan Black Season 1 Episode 6 - Variations Under Domestication
    8.4/10(2264 votes)

    S1:E6

    Sarah’s hunt for answers is interrupted by a trip to the suburbs. Alison’s paranoia has boiled over, putting all the Orphans at risk. But when Sarah, Alison and Beth’s worlds dangerously collide, Sarah must decide who to trust with her secret.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Will Pascoe

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  19. Orphan Black Season 1 Episode 8 - Entangled Bank
    8.4/10(2144 votes)

    S1:E8

    Sarah's actions pit the Orphans against each other as she tries to plan her next move. As Paul tries desperately to cover up Sarah’s existence, Alison takes vengeance on her suspected monitor, which could cost her everything she holds dear.

    Director:Ken Girotti
    Writer:Karen Walton

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  20. Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 1 - Nature Under Constraint and Vexed
    8.4/10(2068 votes)

    S2:E1

    Sarah is out of options, on the run, and pursued by deadly adversaries. Desperate to find her daughter Kira, Sarah suspects ruthless pro-clone Rachel is behind her daughter’s disappearance and sparks an all out war against her. Alison and Donnie attend the funeral of her fallen friend, Aynsley, causing Alison to sink into guilt and despair. Cosima is faced with a perplexing decision that may have dire consequences.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Graeme Manson

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  21. Orphan Black Season 2 Episode 4 - Governed As It Were by Chance
    8.4/10(1800 votes)

    S2:E4

    Sarah comes home looking for answers, and with the help of Cosima, they begin digging into the origins of the clone experiment. The hunt for answers takes her right into the belly of the beast, but getting out could cost her more than she knows.

    Director:David Frazee
    Writer:Russ Cochrane

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  22. Orphan Black Season 3 Episode 7 - Community of Dreadful Fear and Hate
    8.3/10(1461 votes)

    S3:E7

    Alison must secure a store front in order to take her and Donnie’s business to the “next level”. But things don’t go according to plan when her mother, Connie, proves to be a major hindrance. Cosima is facing familiar health issues and calls upon beleaguered Alison for a favor. But with Alison working to save an imperiled Donnie from the merciless hands of a drug lord, it’s Cosima who ends up doing a favor. An unassuming Scott gets closer to the greatest discovery of all, when he sits down with beleaguered clone Rachel.

    Director:Ken Girotti
    Writer:Sherry White

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  23. Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 2 - Transgressive Border Crossing
    8.3/10(1338 votes)

    S4:E2

    After evading a Neolution attack in Iceland, Sarah returns home to track down an elusive new ally. As Cosima struggles with Delphine’s disappearance, Alison and Donnie host a pregnant and ever-hungry Helena. Meanwhile Felix, feeling like an outsider, embarks on his own journey of self-discovery.

    Director:John Fawcett
    Writer:Russ Cochrane

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  24. Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 5 - Human Raw Material
    8.3/10(1274 votes)

    S4:E5

    Sarah’s day off to reconnect with Kira quickly turns into a sleuthing mission aimed squarely at discrediting Felix’s new ties. Cosima steps up with Donnie to further investigate the Neolutionist fertility research center. While Donnie bumps into an all too familiar face, Cosima makes a shocking discovery that leads her into a dangerous encounter.

    Director:David Wellington
    Writer:Kate Miles Melville

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  25. Orphan Black Season 4 Episode 8 - The Redesign of Natural Objects
    8.3/10(1218 votes)

    S4:E8

    As Alison is terrified by Neolution threats made against Donnie, Sarah and Mrs. S question her loyalty to her sisters. While Sarah is distracted, Siobhan sneaks out to seek vengeance. Meanwhile, Cosima and Susan Duncan work together in a final attempt to discover a cure.

    Director:Aaron Morton
    Writer:Peter Mohan

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Scandal of Altruism" is the best rated episode of "Orphan Black". It scored 9.2/10 based on 2004 votes. Directed by Grant Harvey and written by Chris Roberts, it aired on 5/19/2016. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Certain Agony of the Battlefield".