‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping episodes of TV of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The show kicks off with the intelligence unit locked down while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, supervised by two Home Office agents. As events unfold, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The anxiety increases as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and gets worse 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 letting them go and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. Given it’s Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
Threads from 1984
Threads had minimal funding yet among the scariest shows I’ve ever seen because of the stark reality and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Still absolutely terrifying decades on.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The first season finale of Severance ranks highly among intense episodes. I remained for the whole show actually sitting tensely, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while yelling at 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 exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders because of his compulsive gambling, taking such risks with a bet on sterling which may result in huge losses for his employer. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and wins, loses, wins, is brutally attacked. Every time you think it can’t get any worse, it deteriorates. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences in the concluding part of the season. Absolutely had to relax following that!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday features such degrees of awkwardness that it’ll have you standing up for the full show, riddled with anxiety. It all ramps up once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they accidentally run over 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 West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense compared to my initial viewing the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The show opens with the fallout of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s confidential aide and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Superb programming. Unsurpassed.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is personally a top tense installment. He notices a Muslim female going into the loo and knows something is off. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and attempt to convince the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to a practically unendurable point, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise 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 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America
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 first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all vanquished. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Remember the little things.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony gloomily informs Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Don’t stop. It halts. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I stayed up to watch this episode at 2am. It was extremely gripping after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, savagely teasing his prey and then keeping the death a mystery (concluded with a suspenseful moment). 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
