‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most intense television episodes ever
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
The show kicks off with the intelligence unit locked down while undergoing a drill relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As events unfold, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as messages indicate a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or letting them go and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
Threads (1984)
Threads was low budget yet among the scariest shows I’ve ever seen because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago after seeing the first airing; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme that highlighted the truth and the casual, straightforward government details that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The first season finale of Severance ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while screaming at the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
Installment five in Industry’s third series 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 reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble professionally and personally – buried in financial obligations to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances with a bet on sterling that might cost his firm millions. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, gets beaten to a pulp. Whenever you assume the situation cannot deteriorate further, it worsens. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes but he misses the opening, leading to terrible outcomes in the season finale. Certainly required a rest afterward!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. But the episode Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand the whole episode, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up when Jeremy and Mark realize having to lie about the dog they by chance collide with and later efforts to get rid of it. You then spend the rest of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it can be!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
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 episode starts with the aftermath of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the repercussions of the secrecy regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to run for another term. Excellent TV. Unequaled.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is personally a top tense installment. He spots a Muslim woman going into the loo and knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to remove her explosive vest. Suspense rises to a nearly intolerable level, until yes, the vest is diffused.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001
Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died of natural causes, which is the rarest form of demise in this supernatural show. The episode has no background music, a sullen tone, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The concluding moment of the last installment 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 adversaries, actual and perceived, were all vanquished. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela there’s trouble afoot with another member of his team working with the government. Meadow secures a parking space. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The door chimes, a person comes in. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Don’t stop. It ceases. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I remained awake to view this installment in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan locating the survivors, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
