‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most intense TV episodes you’ve seen
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
This installment starts with the MI5 agents confined as part of a simulation concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As events unfold, it appears that there really has been an attack with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or permitting their exit and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. Given it’s Spooks, his decision is predictable.
Threads (1984)
The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield from the programme that highlighted the truth and the offhand factual official statements that were transmitted. Continuing to be utterly horrifying 35 years later.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that kept the Innies on overtime, while yelling at the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she survives!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble at work and home – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks with a bet on sterling that might cost his firm millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and wins, loses, wins, is brutally attacked. Every time you think the situation cannot deteriorate further, it worsens. There’s hope of redemption by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, leading to terrible outcomes in the season finale. Absolutely had to relax following that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it will make you rise for the full show, filled with nervousness. The tension escalates when Jeremy and Mark realize needing to deceive regarding the dog they unintentionally hit and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then spend the rest of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it is possible!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
No other viewing has been as gripping as when I first saw the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The episode starts with the aftermath of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s private assistant and escalates to a高潮 with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Never bettered.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The start of the British program Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He spots a Muslim woman heading to the toilet and senses something is wrong. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and attempt to convince the woman to take off her suicide vest. Suspense rises to a practically unendurable point, until yes, the vest is diffused.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise in this mystical program. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a sullen tone, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The ultimate sequence of the series finale of the program was incredibly anxious. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all vanquished. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Think about the small elements.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow parks. Tony sadly tells Carmela there’s trouble afoot with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Strange people enter the restaurant. Look at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The door chimes, a person comes in. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Don’t stop. It stops. My heart sank about 20 minutes later.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I remained awake to view this installment in the early morning. It was so intense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, mercilessly mocking his targets and then keeping the death a mystery (finished with an unresolved situation). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the subdued noises – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
