‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most intense TV episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
This installment starts with the Spooks team confined while undergoing a drill relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, monitored by two government representatives. As events unfold, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place with a chemical weapon released. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a disaster happening externally, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to opt for either shooting them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.
Threads from 1984
The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I’ve ever seen owing to its grim authenticity and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series that highlighted the truth and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while yelling at the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she survives!” – resembled a outburst.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and depart the area multiple times owing to the vast degree of the reckless self-harm I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble at work and home – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances on a wager involving sterling which could lose his company millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is brutally attacked. Every time you think the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. There is a chance for salvation by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. However, the Holiday episode features such degrees of awkwardness that it will make you rise for the full show, riddled with anxiety. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it is possible!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
No other viewing has been as gripping as when I first saw the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s personal secretary and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the effects of the withheld information of the president’s MS diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Unsurpassed.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train accompanied by his small son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He spots a Muslim woman entering the restroom and knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001
Buffy comes into her home to find her mum has passed away due to natural factors, which is the rarest form of demise in this supernatural show. The episode has no background music, a sullen tone, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America
The final scene of the final episode of the program was incredibly anxious. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all overcome. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow parks. Tony gloomily informs Carmela there’s trouble afoot with an additional associate working with the government. Meadow parks. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Look at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony looks up. Continue. It halts. My heart sank roughly 20 minutes after.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I stayed up to watch this episode in the early morning. It was extremely gripping following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muffled sounds – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
