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The Worst Episodes of The Walking Dead

Every episode of The Walking Dead ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Walking Dead!

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Sheriff's deputy Rick Grimes awakens from a coma to find a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating zombies. He sets out to find his family and encounters many other survivors along the way.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 21 - Diverged
    4.1/10(13935 votes)

    S10:E21

    Daryl and Carol come to a fork in the road and head their separate ways. Each going into their own type of survival mode, the easiest of challenges become much harder. Will their individual journeys be the tipping point needed to mend their friendship, or is the distance between them permanent?

    Director:David Boyd
    Writer:Heather Bellson

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  2. The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 20 - Splinter
    5.2/10(11990 votes)

    S10:E20

    Eugene, Ezekiel, Yumiko and Princess are captured and separated. Princess struggles with memories of her traumatic past and tries to escape one way or another with the help of Ezekiel.

    Director:Laura Belsey
    Writers:Vivian Tse, Julia Ruchman

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  3. The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 6 - Swear
    5.7/10(18874 votes)

    S7:E6

    Someone stumbles upon a brand new society unlike anything seen before.

    Director:Michael Satrazemis
    Writer:David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick

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  4. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 6 - The King, the Widow, and Rick
    6.2/10(12490 votes)

    S8:E6

    With things looking up for Rick and the group, an argument breaks out at the Hilltop; the consequences of the decision are life versus death.

    Director:John Polson
    Writers:Angela Kang, Corey Reed

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  5. The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 18 - Find Me
    6.2/10(10729 votes)

    S10:E18

    An adventure for Daryl and Carol turns sideways when they come across an old cabin. It takes Daryl back to the years when he left the group after Rick disappeared as he relives a time that only the apocalypse could manifest.

    Director:David Boyd
    Writer:Nicole Mirante-Matthews

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  6. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 3 - Monsters
    6.5/10(14128 votes)

    S8:E3

    Conflict with the Saviors leads to unintended consequences for the Hilltop, the Kingdom, and Alexandria; morality proves tricky in wartime.

    Director:Greg Nicotero
    Writers:Channing Powell, Matthew Negrete

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  7. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 7 - Time for After
    6.5/10(12079 votes)

    S8:E7

    Negan has to enlist the help of his lieutenants in solving a huge issue facing the Sanctuary; Rick and the group continue to enact the plan.

    Director:Larry Teng
    Writers:Matthew Negrete, Corey Reed

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  8. The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 14 - The Other Side
    6.6/10(13256 votes)

    S7:E14

    The Saviors visit the Hilltop unexpectedly, surprising everyone, with plans of taking more than supplies.

    Director:Michael Satrazemis
    Writer:Angela Kang

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  9. The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 11 - Rogue Element
    6.6/10(8783 votes)

    S11:E11

    Eugene looks for Stephanie after she mysteriously goes missing. Connie investigates a story on Trooper Davis. Carol helps Hornsby with a labor dispute at a drug farm.

    Director:Michael Cudlitz
    Writer:David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick

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  10. The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 5 - Go Getters
    6.8/10(15332 votes)

    S7:E5

    Saddled with grief and surrounded by enemies, members of the group try to find safety at the Hilltop before it's too late.

    Director:Darnell Martin
    Writer:Channing Powell

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  11. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 2 - The Damned
    6.8/10(14887 votes)

    S8:E2

    The plan involving Alexandrians, Kingdommers and Hilltoppers unfolds. As Rick continues to fight, he encounters a familiar face.

    Director:Rosemary Rodriguez
    Writers:Channing Powell, Matthew Negrete

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  12. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 4 - Some Guy
    6.9/10(14051 votes)

    S8:E4

    A new weapon in the Savior arsenal proves to be a giant hurdle as fighting continues between Rick's forces and those of the Saviors.

    Director:Dan Liu
    Writer:David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick

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  13. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 8 - How It's Gotta Be
    6.9/10(15168 votes)

    S8:E8

    Every story and battle comes crashing together.

    Director:Michael Satrazemis
    Writers:Angela Kang, David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick

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  14. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 11 - Dead or Alive Or
    6.9/10(10995 votes)

    S8:E11

    Daryl finds himself in bad company as his group heads to the Hilltop; Maggie makes difficult decisions at the Hilltop; Gabriel's faith becomes tested.

    Director:Michael Satrazemis
    Writer:Eddie Guzelian

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  15. The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 2 - We Are the End of the World
    6.9/10(10469 votes)

    S10:E2

    The origins of Alpha and Beta are revealed. Alpha attempts to toughen up Lydia as they prepare to walk with the dead. Meanwhile, the Whisperers create their herds.

    Director:Greg Nicotero
    Writer:Nicole Mirante-Matthews

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  16. The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 12 - Say Yes
    7.0/10(13805 votes)

    S7:E12

    The group scavenges for supplies; back in Alexandria, someone must make a morally challenging decision.

    Director:Greg Nicotero
    Writer:Matthew Negrete

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  17. The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 12 - The Lucky Ones
    7.0/10(8006 votes)

    S11:E12

    Aaron and Maggie meet Governor Pamela Milton as she tours Alexandria, Oceanside and Hilltop. Ezekiel finds himself lucky during a routine checkup. Eugene processes Max's story.

    Director:Tawnia McKiernan
    Writer:Vivian Tse

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  18. The Walking Dead Season 7 Episode 2 - The Well
    7.1/10(18124 votes)

    S7:E2

    For a number of familiar faces, a new, well-established community seems too good to be true.

    Director:Greg Nicotero
    Writer:Matthew Negrete

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  19. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 1 - Mercy
    7.1/10(17477 votes)

    S8:E1

    Rick and his group, along with the Kingdom and Hilltop, have banded together to bring the fight to Negan and the Saviors.

    Director:Greg Nicotero
    Writer:Scott M. Gimple

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  20. The Walking Dead Season 8 Episode 9 - Honor
    7.1/10(14149 votes)

    S8:E9

    Rick faces new difficulties after a battle. Meanwhile, the fight continues in other communities as core members face hard decisions.

    Director:Greg Nicotero
    Writers:Channing Powell, Matthew Negrete

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  21. The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 4 - Silence the Whisperers
    7.1/10(9472 votes)

    S10:E4

    Still paranoid Alexandrians get riled up over the Whisperers and take their fear out on Negan; back at Hilltop, the group deals with an unexpected safety issue.

    Director:Michael Cudlitz
    Writer:Geraldine Inoa

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  22. The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 8 - The World Before
    7.1/10(9117 votes)

    S10:E8

    A fight causes tensions in Oceanside while the Alexandrians set out on a high-stakes mission.

    Director:John Dahl
    Writer:Julia Ruchman

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  23. The Walking Dead Season 10 Episode 17 - Home Sweet Home
    7.1/10(10239 votes)

    S10:E17

    Maggie has returned with a story she is not ready to share, even when her past catches up to her. Negan’s safety is at stake again. Daryl and Maggie fight an unseen and unknown threat.

    Director:David Boyd
    Writers:Corey Reed, Kevin Deiboldt

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  24. The Walking Dead Season 11 Episode 4 - Rendition
    7.1/10(9813 votes)

    S11:E4

    Daryl and Dog get captured by the Reapers. Taken to the Meridian, they reconnect with a familiar figure from their past.

    Director:Frederick E. O. Toye
    Writer:Nicole Mirante-Matthews

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  25. The Walking Dead Season 6 Episode 5 - Now
    7.2/10(15460 votes)

    S6:E5

    Trouble is inside and outside the gate.

    Director:Avi Youabian
    Writer:Corey Reed

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Diverged" is the worst rated episode of "The Walking Dead". It scored 4.1/10 based on 13935 votes. Directed by David Boyd and written by Heather Bellson, it aired on 3/28/2021. This episode scored 1.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "Splinter".