‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping episodes of TV you’ve seen
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The episode begins with the intelligence unit confined as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it appears that there really has been an attack with a chemical weapon released. The suspense builds as incoming communications show a catastrophe taking place outside, and intensifies when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to decide between shooting them or permitting their exit and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. As this is Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched because of the stark reality and bleak government data. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield featured in the show that highlighted the truth and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Still absolutely terrifying after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance ranks highly as a tense chapter. I spent the entire episode literally perched nervously, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
The fifth episode of Industry’s third season caused my heart to pound. I was compelled to halt and rise and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the wanton self-destruction I saw. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble at work and home – up to his eyeballs in debt from unscrupulous lenders due to his addictive betting, assuming hazardous chances with a bet on sterling 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. Redemption seems possible by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences in the concluding part of the season. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. However, the Holiday episode includes such amounts of embarrassment that it will make you rise for the full show, permeated with worry. The tension escalates when Jeremy and Mark realize needing to deceive regarding the dog they accidentally run over and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it is possible!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
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 private assistant and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the effects of the withheld information regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Unsurpassed.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is personally a top tense installment. He spots a Muslim woman going into the loo and knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, enter the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to take off her suicide vest. Suspense rises to a practically unendurable point, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the rarest form of demise in this mystical program. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a sullen tone, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The concluding moment of the last installment of the program was incredibly anxious. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela there’s trouble afoot with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow secures a parking space. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Look at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The bell sounds, an individual enters. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It ceases. My spirit fell around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I remained awake to view this installment in the early morning. It was so intense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, savagely teasing his prey then not knowing who he killed (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
