‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most gripping television episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The episode begins with the intelligence unit restricted 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 and a chemical weapon has been unleashed. The anxiety increases as reports reveal a disaster happening externally, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, with the two officials trying to exit, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to choose between firing at them or letting them go and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, his decision is predictable.
Threads from 1984
Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I have viewed due to its harsh realism and dismal official figures. Watched it about a month ago following the initial broadcast; I used to visit the pub in Sheffield shown in the series which underscored the actuality and the offhand factual official statements that aired. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.
Severance – The We We Are (2022)
The season one finale of Severance deserves a top spot among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode quite literally on the edge of my seat, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that kept the Innies on overtime, while yelling at the Innies to reveal their realities. The ultimate peak – “she’s alive!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief (2024)
Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I had to pause and get up and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the wanton self-destruction I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty professionally and personally – up to his eyeballs in debt to illegal creditors due to his addictive betting, taking such risks with a gamble on the pound which may result in huge losses for his employer. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, does tons of drugs and drink and experiences wins and losses, gets beaten to a pulp. Every time you think things cannot decline more, it does. Redemption seems possible as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects in the concluding part of the season. Absolutely had to relax following that!
The 2007 Peep Show episode Holiday
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up the whole episode, filled with nervousness. It all ramps up as Jeremy and Mark discover being compelled to falsify about the canine they by chance collide with and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it is possible!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense as when I first saw the concluding episode of The West Wing’s second season. The episode starts with the aftermath of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy of the president’s MS diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Unsurpassed.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female going into the loo and senses something is wrong. The bomb diffuser experts are called, enter the train, and try to persuade the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Tension escalates to a practically unendurable point, until yes, the vest is diffused.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy arrives at her residence to discover her mother has died of natural causes, which is the rarest form of demise in this paranormal series. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (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 – at the start – didn’t understand the cause. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, had all been defeated. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Remember the little things.” But the mood is bizarrely ominous. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with an additional associate cooperating with the officials. Meadow secures a parking space. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks her car. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It cannot be Meadow, she is 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 kept late hours to see this show during the night. It was extremely gripping after the buildup of bad guy Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (finished with an unresolved situation). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
