‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most intense episodes of TV of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The show kicks off with the intelligence unit locked down during a training exercise relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, overseen by two Home Office officials. As things progress, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical agent deployed. The anxiety increases as incoming communications show a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or permitting their exit and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. This being Spooks, his decision is predictable.
Threads (1984)
Threads had minimal funding yet among the scariest shows I have viewed due to its harsh realism and dismal official figures. Watched it about a month ago having watched the original; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme which underscored the actuality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that were transmitted. Continuing to be utterly horrifying 35 years later.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode literally perched nervously, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to get their truths out there. The final climactic moment – “she survives!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season had my heart racing. I was compelled to halt and rise and exit the space repeatedly due to the immense extent of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty professionally and personally – up to his eyeballs in debt from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances with a gamble on the pound that might cost his firm millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, does tons of drugs and drink and experiences wins and losses, is brutally attacked. Each instance you believe things cannot decline more, it deteriorates. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects in the season finale. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. However, the Holiday episode includes such amounts of embarrassment that it will make you rise throughout the entire episode, permeated with worry. It all ramps up once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they accidentally run over and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense than the first time I watched the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The installment begins with the consequences of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s personal secretary and builds to a peak with a situation in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure of the president’s MS diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to run for another term. Superb programming. Unsurpassed.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train with his young son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He observes a woman in Islamic attire heading to the toilet and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died from natural reasons, which is the least common kind of passing in this supernatural show. The episode has no background music, a gloomy atmosphere, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The concluding moment of the last installment of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow stops the car. Tony gloomily informs Carmela there’s trouble afoot with yet another of his crew cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks the vehicle. Strange people enter the restaurant. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony looks up. Continue. It halts. My spirit fell 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 locating the survivors, savagely teasing his prey and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
