‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most intense episodes of TV you’ve seen
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
This installment starts with the MI5 agents locked down during a training exercise about a potential terror incident, supervised by two Home Office agents. As events unfold, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The anxiety increases as messages indicate a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, 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. 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’ve ever seen because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently after seeing the first airing; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show which underscored the actuality and the offhand factual official statements that were transmitted. Remaining completely frightening after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, pushing alongside Dylan to hold the switches that allowed the Innies to remain active, while yelling at the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Episode five of the third series of Industry caused my heart to pound. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the deliberate ruin I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit at work and home – up to his eyeballs in debt to loan sharks due to his addictive betting, assuming hazardous chances with a bet on sterling which could lose his company millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, uses copious drugs and alcohol and wins, loses, wins, gets beaten to a pulp. Each instance you believe the situation cannot deteriorate further, it worsens. Redemption seems possible 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
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. However, the Holiday episode includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up the whole episode, permeated with worry. It all ramps up when Jeremy and Mark realize having to lie about the dog they unintentionally hit and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then spend the rest of the episode wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it can be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
No other viewing has been as gripping compared to my initial viewing the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The episode starts with the aftermath of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s private assistant and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Never bettered.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Anxiety builds to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001
Buffy enters her house to find her mum has passed away due to natural factors, which is the least common kind of passing in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a sullen tone, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s shock of discovering 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 for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all overcome. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sadly tells Carmela there’s trouble afoot with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The door chimes, a person comes in. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It halts. My spirit fell 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 extremely gripping after the buildup of bad guy Negan locating the survivors, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the muffled sounds – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season