The BEST episodes of Perception
Every episode of Perception ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Perception!
This fascinating series features one of the most unique crime solvers on television, an eccentric neuroscience professor who is recruited by the FBI to help solve complex cases. Eric McCormack stars as Dr. Daniel Pierce, who possesses an intimate knowledge of human behavior and a masterful understanding of the way the mind works. Although Pierce’s mind may be brilliant, it’s also damaged as he suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. Rachael Leigh Cook co-stars as FBI agent Kate Moretti, Pierce’s former student who has recruited Pierce to consult on cases.
#1 - Dirty (1)
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/19/2014
When Donnie finds himself in a compromising situation, he calls Pierce for help. As the evidence begins to stack against Donnie, Pierce and Moretti struggle with their own fears and doubts, as they work to solve the case. During the chaos, Pierce must deal with his father after he assaults someone at the assisted living facility.
#2 - Light (2)
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/17/2012
Moretti learns that there may be some truth to Pierce's conspiracy theory. Pierce's new doctor forces him to face the truth about Natalie.
#3 - Cipher
Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/30/2012
Pierce tries to crack a coded message left in a newspaper by someone who may be connected to a murder. But time isn't on his side as another victim's life could be in danger.
#4 - Prologue
Season 3 - Episode 8 - Aired 8/5/2014
After a missing FBI agent turns up dead, Pierce is forced to face the one case he was never able to solve. When they discover that the killer is still out there, Pierce agrees to help Moretti, against the wishes of his therapist, Dr. Rosenthal, who believes it will only exacerbate Pierce’s condition.
#5 - Shadow (1)
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired 9/10/2012
A student tips off Pierce about a potential conspiracy to cover up the murder of a U.S. Senator.
#6 - Obsession
Season 2 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/18/2014
Pierce's mental stability is questioned and his job threatened when he is accused of stalking his ex-girlfriend, Caroline Newsome. As the situation escalates, Moretti works to find the real stalker with help from a visiting inspector from Canada.
#7 - Warrior (2)
Season 2 - Episode 10 - Aired 8/27/2013
Morretti faces criminal charges after taking things into her own hands while working on a dangerous case. Pierce and Donnie strive to clear her name, but as conflicting evidence builds, even Kate begins to question her own innocence
#8 - The Messenger
Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/6/2012
When a young man in a cult claims to be hearing the word of God, Pierce must determine if it's actually the word of God or a life-threatening neurological condition. Pierce and Moretti must also figure out if his murder is linked to his drug past or his new life with an organization that may be scamming people out of their life savings. Roger Bart guest-stars as Ethan Kendrick, a high-powered IRS agent looking into the finances of the organization. Meanwhile, the university gives Pierce an award for his research.
#9 - Romeo (1)
Season 3 - Episode 14 - Aired 3/10/2015
After a student is found murdered, Pierce tries to find the killer while defending the victim's boyfriend, who is believed to be mentally ill and guilty of the crime. Meanwhile, Pierce must confront his feelings as Kate and Donnie prepare for their wedding day.
#10 - Blindness
Season 2 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/9/2013
When a series of bizarre public murders occur, Pierce realizes that the killer is trying to send a message about inattentional blindness, but Donnie doubts this theory. But Pierce has a trick up his sleeve that can prove his point, and they must scramble to piece together the clues before the clever killer can make any more examples out of innocent victims.
#11 - 86'd
Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 7/23/2012
Pierce and Moretti race to find clues when a serial killer from 1986 begins killing again. They catch a break when they learn that one of the victims is actually alive. Moretti's dad, one of the investigators on the original case, offers his daughter advice. Pamela Reed also guest-stars as the mother of the surviving victim, while Armin Shimerman is the victim's psychologist.
#12 - Cobra
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/11/2014
Tensions arise between the CIA and FBI after Pierce receives a tip that the CIA might be assassinating U.S. citizens. Things become more complicated when one of Pierce's close friends is murdered. Meanwhile, Moretti tries to overcome her trust issues with Donnie.
#13 - Run (2)
Season 3 - Episode 15 - Aired 3/17/2015
When Moretti goes missing the day of her wedding, Pierce and Donnie set off in pursuit of the runaway bride. They soon learn that Kate has been abducted by a dangerous person from Pierce's own past. Now, Pierce and Donnie must risk everything to save Moretti before it's too late.
#14 - Silence
Season 3 - Episode 9 - Aired 8/12/2014
Donnie and Moretti are caught in the crossfire when a sniper shoots up the lobby of the Federal Building. When Pierce determines that the shooter is afraid of Extreme Low Frequency radio waves, he and Moretti take a trip to the Quiet Zone in Virginia, where they think the shooter is hiding out. Meanwhile, an alluring woman named Shelby Buchanan courts Donnie to run for political office.
#15 - Brotherhood
Season 2 - Episode 12 - Aired 3/4/2014
Pierce and Lewicki are caught off guard when Lewicki’s brother Kenny shows up unannounced. In an unwelcome turn of events, Kenny is named the key suspect in a homicide case, leaving Pierce torn between helping a friend and serving justice. Meanwhile, Lewicki is approached with a tantalizing offer that makes him question Pierce’s loyalty to him.
#16 - Curveball
Season 2 - Episode 11 - Aired 2/25/2014
With the help of his hallucination, Hall of Famer Mordecai “Three Finger” Brown, Pierce fights for an autistic teen under interrogation for murder. Meanwhile, Dean Haley turns on the charm in order to convince a neuroscience prodigy to attend CLMU.
#17 - Inconceivable
Season 3 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/22/2014
When an infant is reported stolen, Moretti hunts down the kidnapper and makes a very bizarre discovery. As Pierce and Moretti investigate a related murder, they find that there might be another child out there who needs their help. Meanwhile, Donnie and Moretti discuss their future together when Donnie looks into buying a house in the suburbs.
#18 - Mirror
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 3/3/2015
Pierce and Moretti uncover an international scandal while investigating the murders of a Bangladeshi diplomat and a Chicago reporter. Distracted by the case, Moretti struggles with preparations for her upcoming wedding to Donnie and turns to Pierce for help.
#19 - Painless
Season 3 - Episode 2 - Aired 6/24/2014
When a prosecutor mysteriously drops dead in the middle of a courtroom, Pierce and Moretti go on the hunt for a killer. Meanwhile, Moretti and Donnie make some decisions about their future.
#20 - Paris
Season 3 - Episode 1 - Aired 6/17/2014
Dr. Daniel Pierce’s picture-perfect new life in Paris is suddenly turned upside down after he is approached by the FBI legat to help with a dangerous international case. Meanwhile, his assistant Max Lewicki and Dean Paul Haley plot to get Pierce to return to Chicago.
#21 - Toxic
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/16/2013
Pierce accepts an invitation to work on a case from a renowned environmental activist concerning a chain of abnormal neurological reactions in a group of young girls. However, upon examining the girls, Pierce discovers that a dark secret is at the root of their ailments. Meanwhile, Moretti questions Pierce’s motives in working on a case without her.
#22 - Eternity
Season 3 - Episode 5 - Aired 7/15/2014
When renowned neuroscientist Landon Jennings is found dead, Moretti and Pierce must figure out how someone could have gained access to his impenetrable study in order to kill him. Lewicki finds himself with twice the work when Pierce’s father James moves in with them.
#23 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/9/2012
Neuroscience professor Daniel Pierce (Eric McCormack) is recruited by a former student, FBI Agent Kate Moretti (Rachael Leigh Cook), to help out on a case involving the death of a pharmaceutical executive. But Daniel's schizophrenic hallucinations could potentially derail the investigation.
#24 - Kilimanjaro
Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/3/2012
Moretti and Pierce are called upon to solve a crime in their own backyard when a college student is killed in her dorm room. Pierce is forced into the uncomfortable situation of interacting on a personal level with more than one of his students, which forces him to confront difficult truths about his own past. The case comes just as Moretti is beginning to re-evaluate her relationship with Dr. Hathaway.
#25 - Defective
Season 2 - Episode 6 - Aired 7/30/2013
A new brain device to control tremors seems to have a defect that turns out to be far more serious than a technical malfunction, and Pierce partners with Donnie to investigate. Their unlikely alliance is tested when the case escalates to murder. Meanwhile, Lewicki learns a valuable lesson about dating.