‘I truly required a break after that!’ The most intense television episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The episode begins with the Spooks team restricted as part of a simulation concerning a fictional terrorist event, monitored by two government representatives. As events unfold, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as incoming communications show a disaster happening externally, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or allowing them to leave and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads was low budget yet among the scariest shows I have ever watched because of the stark reality and bleak government data. Watched it about a month ago having watched the original; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series which emphasised the reality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Continuing to be utterly horrifying after three and a half decades.
The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season deserves a top spot in terms of gripping installments. I spent the entire episode literally perched nervously, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while yelling at the Innies to get their truths out there. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Episode five of the third series of Industry had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and leave the room several times owing to the vast degree of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble in his job and domestic life – up to his eyeballs in debt to illegal creditors owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances on a wager involving sterling which could lose his company millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Whenever you assume things cannot decline more, it does. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes but he misses the opening, with horrifying consequences in the concluding part of the season. Certainly required a rest afterward!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. But the episode Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it can cause you to stand the whole episode, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover having to lie about the dog they unintentionally hit and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then spend the rest of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, 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 second season finale of The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s personal secretary and builds to a peak with a crisis in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to run for another term. Wonderful television. Unsurpassed.
Bodyguard – episode one (2018)
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female entering the restroom and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, board the train, and try to persuade the woman to take off her suicide vest. Tension escalates to a nearly intolerable level, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy arrives at her residence to discover her mother has died from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise in this mystical program. The episode has no background music, a somber mood, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The concluding moment of the last installment of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. This seems similar to the first season’s finale, right? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow stops the car. Tony gloomily informs Carmela problems are brewing with another member of his team working with the government. Meadow parks the vehicle. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow finds a spot. The door chimes, a person comes in. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony looks up. Don’t stop. It stops. My heart dropped from my mouth around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I stayed up to watch this episode during the night. It was so intense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then keeping the death a mystery (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muted audio – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
