‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most intense TV episodes of all time
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
The episode begins with the MI5 agents restricted during a training exercise concerning a fictional terrorist event, overseen by two Home Office officials. As events unfold, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and escalates when the leader seems contaminated, with the two officials trying to exit, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or permitting their exit and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads was low budget but one of the most frightening programmes I have viewed because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Watched it about a month ago following the initial broadcast; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub from the programme which underscored the actuality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying 35 years later.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The season one finale of Severance ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, exerting with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that kept the Innies on overtime, while shouting to the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she survives!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Installment five in Industry’s third series had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the deliberate ruin I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders due to his addictive betting, engaging in dangerous ventures 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 alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it worsens. There is a chance for salvation at the end of the episode 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. But the episode Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand throughout the entire episode, filled with nervousness. The situation intensifies when Jeremy and Mark realize being compelled to falsify about the canine they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode 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 have seen has been as tense than the first time I watched the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s personal secretary and builds to a peak with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to seek re-election. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train with his young son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. 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 try to persuade the woman to remove her explosive vest. Tension escalates to a nearly intolerable level, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the most unusual type of death in this mystical program. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The ultimate sequence of the series finale of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all overcome. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Think about the small elements.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow stops the car. Tony sadly tells Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Keep going. It ceases. My heart dropped from my mouth about 20 minutes later.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I kept late hours to see this show during the night. It was incredibly tense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets then not knowing who he killed (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