‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most intense TV episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The show kicks off with the MI5 agents locked down while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The suspense builds as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and escalates as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to choose between firing at them or letting them go and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I have ever watched because of the stark reality and bleak government data. Viewed it recently following the initial broadcast; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme which underscored the actuality and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying 35 years later.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there as a tense chapter. 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 screaming at the Innies to get their truths out there. The concluding高潮 – “she survives!” – was like an eruption.
The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief
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 because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble professionally and personally – overwhelmed by debt from unscrupulous lenders because of his compulsive gambling, taking such risks with a bet on sterling which could lose his company millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, does tons of drugs and drink and alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Whenever you assume the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects during the season’s final episode. Certainly required a rest afterward!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. But the episode Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up the whole episode, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up once Jeremy and Mark find themselves needing to deceive regarding the dog they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it is possible!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
No other viewing has been as gripping than the first time I watched the second season finale of The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak with a situation in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.
Bodyguard – episode one (2018)
The start of the British program Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train accompanied by his small son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, enter the train, and attempt to convince the woman to take off her suicide vest. Anxiety builds to an almost unbearable degree, until yes, the vest is diffused.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The final scene of the final episode 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 adversaries, actual and perceived, were all overcome. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Think about the small elements.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sadly tells Carmela difficulties are arising with an additional associate cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The door chimes, a person comes in. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony looks up. Don’t stop. It stops. My heart dropped from my mouth roughly 20 minutes after.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I kept late hours to see this show at 2am. It was extremely gripping after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims and then keeping the death a mystery (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
