‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most gripping episodes of TV of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
This installment starts with the MI5 agents confined during a training exercise concerning a fictional terrorist event, overseen by two Home Office officials. As events unfold, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and escalates as the superior shows signs of exposure, with the two officials trying to exit, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to choose between firing at them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.
Threads from 1984
Threads had minimal funding yet among the scariest shows I have ever watched owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show that highlighted the truth and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The first season finale of Severance deserves a top spot among intense episodes. I spent the entire episode literally perched nervously, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while screaming at the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I needed to stop and stand and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble in his job and domestic life – buried in financial obligations to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, engaging in dangerous ventures with a gamble on the pound that might cost his firm millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, uses copious drugs and alcohol and wins, loses, wins, gets beaten to a pulp. Each instance you believe it can’t get any worse, it worsens. There is a chance for salvation by the episode’s conclusion yet he wastes the chance, resulting in dreadful effects in the concluding part of the season. Absolutely had to relax following that!
Peep Show – Holiday from 2007
Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. However, the Holiday episode includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up throughout the entire episode, permeated with worry. It all ramps up when Jeremy and Mark realize needing to deceive regarding the dog they unintentionally hit and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then occupy the remainder 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 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 private assistant and escalates to a高潮 involving a Haitian emergency, and the fallout from the non-disclosure of the president’s MS diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Wonderful television. Unequaled.
Bodyguard – episode one (2018)
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train with his young son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Suspense rises to a nearly intolerable level, until, indeed, the vest is disarmed.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy enters her house to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the most unusual type of death in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a gloomy atmosphere, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The final scene of the final episode of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s foes, genuine and fictional, were all overcome. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Think about the small elements.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela problems are brewing with yet another of his crew cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks. Strange people enter the restaurant. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The door chimes, a person comes in. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony raises his gaze. Keep going. It ceases. My spirit fell about 20 minutes later.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I kept late hours to see this show in the early morning. It was incredibly tense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, savagely teasing his prey then not knowing who he killed (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muffled sounds – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
