‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most intense TV episodes ever
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
The episode begins with the MI5 agents locked down while undergoing a drill concerning a fictional terrorist event, supervised by two Home Office agents. As the situation develops, it appears that there really has been an attack and a chemical agent deployed. The tension ratchets up as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the government agents endeavor to depart, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or letting them go and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.
Threads from 1984
The production was inexpensive yet among the scariest shows I have viewed owing to its grim authenticity and bleak government data. Viewed it recently following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield shown in the series that highlighted the truth and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The first season finale of Severance has to be right up there among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while shouting to the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she’s alive!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble in his job and domestic life – overwhelmed by debt from unscrupulous lenders owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks with a gamble on the pound which could lose his company millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, uses copious drugs and alcohol and alternates between success and failure, is brutally attacked. Every time you think 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 is not inherently a tense series. However, the Holiday episode features such degrees of awkwardness that it can cause you to stand throughout the entire episode, riddled with anxiety. The tension escalates when Jeremy and Mark realize having to lie about the dog they by chance collide with and following tries to eliminate it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it turns out to be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense than the first time I watched the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s personal secretary and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the effects of the withheld information about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Never bettered.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The start of the British program Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is personally a top tense installment. He notices a Muslim female entering the restroom and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Anxiety builds to an almost unbearable degree, until yes, the vest is diffused.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy enters her house to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this mystical program. The show features no musical score, a gloomy atmosphere, and we witness the episode via the perspective 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 program was incredibly anxious. 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 overcome. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sadly tells Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew working with the government. Meadow secures a parking space. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony looks up. Keep going. It ceases. My heart sank about 20 minutes later.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I kept late hours to see this show at 2am. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan locating the survivors, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). 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
