‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most intense episodes of TV ever
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The show kicks off with the MI5 agents restricted as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and escalates when the leader seems contaminated, with the two officials trying to exit, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
The 1984 production Threads
The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I’ve ever seen due to its harsh realism and bleak government data. Viewed it recently after seeing the first airing; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield shown in the series which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance ranks highly among intense episodes. I spent the entire episode literally perched nervously, pushing alongside Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to get their truths out there. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.
The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief
Episode five of the third series of Industry caused my heart to pound. I was compelled to halt and rise and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the deliberate ruin I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks with a gamble on the pound which may result in huge losses for his employer. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Each instance you believe it can’t get any worse, it worsens. There is a chance for salvation as the installment closes yet he wastes the chance, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. But the episode Holiday features such degrees of awkwardness that it will make you rise throughout the entire episode, permeated with worry. It all ramps up once Jeremy and Mark find themselves needing to deceive regarding the dog they by chance collide with and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it can be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001
No other viewing has been as gripping compared to my initial viewing the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The installment begins with the consequences of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Excellent TV. Never bettered.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He spots a Muslim woman heading to the toilet and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, enter the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to a nearly intolerable level, until yes, the vest is diffused.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001
Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the least common kind of passing in this supernatural show. 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 ultimate sequence of the series finale 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, had all been defeated. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Think about the small elements.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony gloomily informs Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks. The door chimes, a person comes in. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Keep going. It stops. My heart sank roughly 20 minutes after.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I remained awake to view this installment in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
