‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping TV episodes ever
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
The show kicks off with the intelligence unit confined as part of a simulation concerning a fictional terrorist event, supervised by two Home Office agents. As events unfold, it appears that there really has been an attack with a chemical weapon released. The suspense builds as reports reveal a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to choose between firing at them or allowing them to leave and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. This being Spooks, his decision is predictable.
Threads from 1984
Threads was low budget but arguably the most terrifying series I’ve ever seen because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Watched it about a month ago following the initial broadcast; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield from the programme that highlighted the truth 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 among intense episodes. I remained for the whole show literally perched nervously, straining every sinew with Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while screaming at the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she survives!” – resembled a outburst.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
Episode five of the third series of Industry made my pulse quicken. I was compelled to halt and rise and leave the room several times because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty in his job and domestic life – overwhelmed by debt to loan sharks because of his compulsive gambling, 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, is brutally attacked. Each instance you believe it can’t get any worse, it deteriorates. There is a chance for salvation by the episode’s conclusion yet he wastes the chance, leading to terrible outcomes in the concluding part of the season. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it will make you rise for the full show, riddled with anxiety. The tension escalates once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they by chance collide with and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then spend the rest of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to 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 show opens with the fallout of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s personal secretary and reaches a crescendo with a crisis in Haiti, and the repercussions of the secrecy about the president’s MS condition, coupled with verification of his aim to run for another term. Superb programming. Unequaled.
Bodyguard – episode one (2018)
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train with his young son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He observes a woman in Islamic attire entering the restroom and knows something is off. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until yes, the vest is diffused.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died of natural causes, 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 shock of discovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The final scene of the final episode of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Think about the small elements.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sadly tells Carmela there’s trouble afoot with another member of his team working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony raises his gaze. Don’t stop. It stops. My heart dropped from my mouth roughly 20 minutes after.
The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth
I stayed up to watch this episode in the early morning. It was incredibly tense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims then not knowing who he killed (ended on a cliffhanger). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muffled sounds – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
