‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most intense episodes of TV you’ve seen
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The episode begins with the intelligence unit confined as part of a simulation about a potential terror incident, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The tension ratchets up as reports reveal a disaster happening externally, and escalates 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 permitting their exit and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I have viewed due to its harsh realism and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago after seeing the first airing; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series that highlighted the truth and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Continuing to be utterly horrifying 35 years later.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there in terms of gripping installments. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that kept the Innies on overtime, while shouting to the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season had my heart racing. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the deliberate ruin I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks with a gamble on the pound which may result in huge losses for his employer. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is brutally attacked. Every time you think things cannot decline more, it does. There is a chance for salvation as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Definitely needed a lie-down after 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’ll have you standing up for the full show, permeated with worry. The situation intensifies as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they by chance collide with and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it can be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense compared to my initial viewing the second season finale of The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout 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 regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Unequaled.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The start of the British program Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train alongside his juvenile boy, is personally a top tense installment. He observes a woman in Islamic attire entering the restroom and senses something is wrong. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to an almost unbearable degree, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the rarest form of demise in this supernatural show. The episode has no background music, a gloomy atmosphere, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The concluding moment of the last installment of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow stops the car. Tony sadly tells Carmela difficulties are arising with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It ceases. My spirit fell roughly 20 minutes after.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I stayed up to watch this episode in the early morning. It was extremely gripping after the buildup of bad guy Negan locating the survivors, mercilessly mocking his targets and then keeping the death a mystery (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
