The phrase "a difficult episode" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used to describe a challenging or troubling event or period in someone's life or in a narrative context, such as a story or a series.
Example: "The protagonist faced a difficult episode that tested her resilience and strength."
Alternatives: "a challenging moment" or "a tough experience".
It was a difficult episode to film; at one point, Erskine broke down on the set, and then Konkle immediately broke down, too.
Sunday night's "Game of Thrones" was a difficult episode to watch for many reasons, but mostly because the Stark girls can't catch a break.
And when I am in a difficult episode, riddled with self-doubt, nervousness or anxiety, the last thing I want to do is turn off all of the media that distracts me from my insecurity.
Bowman found "Gender Bender" a difficult episode to work on the script had initially called for lantern light to illuminate several scenes, but this was found to be unworkable.
Her departure would cap a difficult episode for CBS, which brought Ms. Couric to the network with considerable fanfare in a bid to catapult "Evening News" back into first place.
"It's a very difficult episode in some ways.
Verne Gay of Newsday called it a good, but difficult episode, saying, "the story lines were all parallel – it was even an anthology, with each story mirroring the next (bringing to mind that memorable scene when Roger, under the influence, is looking in the mirror and told to look away)... the themes of male-female entanglement, and disentangle (and yes, hair, once again is a predominant metaphor).
I recently underwent a liver transplant and I used this difficult episode in my life to increase empathy with potential readers, to show them I am not an arrogant surgeon as many frequently imagine, but a regular patient who also has suffered with this system of managed care as everyone else has.
"I am confident that the changes proposed in this bill, alongside the continuing improvements we are making to the justice system, will help make what is often the most difficult episode in someone's life a bit easier.
That difficult episode, she says, taught her to have a "constant turnaround mentality".
\ Democrats have, of course, taken delight in watching Mr. Allen confront another difficult episode.
