‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most intense episodes of TV ever
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The episode begins with the intelligence unit locked down while undergoing a drill relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, monitored by two government representatives. As things progress, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The anxiety increases as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and intensifies when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to opt for either shooting them or permitting their exit and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. As this is Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads was low budget but arguably the most terrifying series I have viewed because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series that highlighted the truth and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance ranks highly as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode actually sitting tensely, straining every sinew with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while screaming at the Innies to reveal their realities. The concluding高潮 – “she is living!” – resembled a outburst.
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 exit the space repeatedly owing to the vast degree of the wanton self-destruction I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations to illegal creditors because of his compulsive gambling, taking such risks 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 alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Whenever you assume things cannot decline more, it deteriorates. There’s hope of redemption by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Absolutely had to relax following that!
Peep Show – Holiday from 2007
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. Yet the installment Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand throughout the entire episode, filled with nervousness. The tension escalates as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it turns out to be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense than the first time I watched the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The show opens with the fallout of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s confidential aide and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to seek re-election. Excellent TV. Unequaled.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The beginning of the UK show 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 entering the restroom and knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, get on the train, and endeavor to coax 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 comes into her home to find her mum has passed away from natural reasons, which is the least common kind of passing in this paranormal series. The episode has no background music, a somber mood, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The concluding moment of the last installment of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow parks. Tony gloomily informs Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew working with the government. Meadow parks. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow finds a spot. The bell sounds, an individual enters. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony raises his gaze. Continue. It halts. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.
The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth
I remained awake to view this installment at 2am. It was so intense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muted audio – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
