‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most intense TV episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The show kicks off with the MI5 agents confined while undergoing a drill about a potential terror incident, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as reports reveal a disaster happening externally, and escalates as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or letting them go and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
Threads from 1984
Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I have viewed because of the stark reality and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago after seeing the first airing; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series which underscored the actuality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode literally perched nervously, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that kept the Innies on overtime, while shouting to the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – resembled a outburst.
The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble professionally and personally – overwhelmed by debt from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, engaging in dangerous ventures with a gamble on the pound which could lose his company 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 things cannot decline more, it worsens. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode but he squanders the opportunity, leading to terrible outcomes in the season finale. Absolutely had to relax following that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
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 throughout the entire episode, filled with nervousness. The situation intensifies as Jeremy and Mark discover being compelled to falsify about the canine they by chance collide with and later efforts to get rid of it. You then spend the rest of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it can be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I have seen has been as tense than the first time I watched the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The show opens with the fallout of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s confidential aide and reaches a crescendo with a situation in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure of the president’s MS diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to run for another term. Superb programming. Never bettered.
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 heading to the toilet and senses something is wrong. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, get on the train, and attempt to convince the woman to remove her explosive vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise in this paranormal series. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a somber mood, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America
The final scene of the final episode of the program was incredibly anxious. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Remember the little things.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sadly tells 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 continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks. The bell sounds, an individual enters. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony looks up. Keep going. It stops. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.
The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth
I remained awake to view this installment in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
