‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most gripping episodes of TV of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The show kicks off with the intelligence unit confined during a training exercise relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or permitting their exit and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads was low budget but arguably the most terrifying series I’ve ever seen due to its harsh realism and bleak government data. Viewed it recently having watched the original; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series which underscored the actuality and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The season one finale of Severance deserves a top spot among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, pushing alongside Dylan to hold the switches that allowed the Innies to remain active, while yelling at the Innies to get their truths out there. The concluding高潮 – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Episode five of the third series of Industry had my heart racing. I was compelled to halt and rise and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble professionally and personally – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks 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 wins, loses, wins, gets beaten to a pulp. Whenever you assume the situation cannot deteriorate further, it deteriorates. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes yet he wastes the chance, with horrifying consequences in the season finale. Certainly required a rest afterward!
Peep Show – Holiday from 2007
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. However, the Holiday episode features such degrees of awkwardness that it’ll have you standing up for the full show, riddled with anxiety. The tension escalates once Jeremy and Mark find themselves being compelled to falsify about the canine they unintentionally hit and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to be!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense as when I first saw the second season finale of The West Wing. The episode starts with the aftermath of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s confidential aide and escalates to a高潮 involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Never bettered.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female entering the restroom and knows something is off. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and try to persuade the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to a practically unendurable point, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy arrives at her residence 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 shock of discovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The final scene of the final episode of the program was incredibly anxious. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Think about the small elements.” Yet the atmosphere is strangely foreboding. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony sadly tells Carmela there’s trouble afoot with another member of his team cooperating with the officials. Meadow secures a parking space. Strange people enter the restaurant. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. 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 looks up. Keep going. It stops. My heart dropped from my mouth roughly 20 minutes after.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I stayed up to watch this episode at 2am. It was so intense following the introduction of villain Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then leaving the victim unknown (finished with an unresolved situation). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the subdued noises – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
