‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping TV episodes you’ve seen
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The episode begins with the intelligence unit locked down while undergoing a drill about a potential terror incident, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The anxiety increases as incoming communications show a disaster happening externally, and gets worse when the leader seems contaminated, and the government agents endeavor to depart, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or allowing them to leave and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. As this is Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads had minimal funding but one of the most frightening programmes I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and bleak government data. Viewed it recently having watched the original; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub from the programme which underscored the actuality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Continuing to be utterly horrifying 35 years later.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season deserves a top spot among intense episodes. I spent the entire episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, straining every sinew with Dylan to hold the switches that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while shouting to the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she’s alive!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Episode five of the third series of Industry made my pulse quicken. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times because of the sheer scale of the deliberate ruin I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit in his job and domestic life – overwhelmed by debt from unscrupulous lenders because of his compulsive gambling, engaging in dangerous ventures with a gamble on the pound which could lose his company millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. However, the Holiday episode contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand the whole episode, permeated with worry. The tension escalates when Jeremy and Mark realize being compelled to falsify about the canine they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You then spend the rest of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it is possible!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
No other viewing has been as gripping than the first time I watched 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 repercussions of the secrecy about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to run for another term. Superb programming. Unsurpassed.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train accompanied by his small son, is personally a top tense installment. He observes a woman in Islamic attire going into the loo and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, board the train, and try to persuade the woman to remove her explosive vest. Suspense rises to an almost unbearable degree, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy comes into her home to discover her mother has died due to natural factors, which is the rarest form of demise in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a gloomy atmosphere, 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 concluding moment of the last installment of the program was incredibly anxious. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all overcome. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony sadly tells Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains 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 kept late hours to see this show in the early morning. It was incredibly tense following the introduction of villain Negan locating the survivors, savagely teasing his prey then not knowing who he killed (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the subdued noises – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
