‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping TV episodes of all time
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
This installment starts with the Spooks team confined as part of a simulation concerning a fictional terrorist event, overseen by two Home Office officials. As events unfold, it seems an actual attack has occurred with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and intensifies as the superior shows signs of exposure, with the two officials trying to exit, forcing Matthew Macfadyen’s character to opt for either shooting them or permitting their exit and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. This being Spooks, his decision is predictable.
Threads from 1984
Threads had minimal funding yet among the scariest shows I have viewed owing to its grim authenticity and grim official statistics. Watched it about a month ago following the initial broadcast; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub featured in the show which underscored the actuality and the casual, straightforward government details which was broadcast. Continuing to be utterly horrifying decades on.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The first season finale of Severance ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, pushing alongside Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while shouting to the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she survives!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I had to pause and get up and leave the room several times due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani faces serious trouble professionally and personally – overwhelmed by 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. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, does tons of drugs and drink and wins, loses, wins, gets beaten to a pulp. Every time you think things cannot decline more, it does. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, with horrifying consequences during the season’s final episode. Certainly required a rest afterward!
Peep Show – Holiday from 2007
Peep Show itself isn’t necessarily a stressful show. Yet the installment Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it can cause you to stand the whole episode, permeated with worry. The tension escalates once Jeremy and Mark find themselves needing to deceive regarding the dog they accidentally run over and subsequent attempts to dispose of it. You then spend the rest of the episode doubting if it can actually be more terrible than burning, and it turns out to be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
No other viewing has been as gripping than the first time I watched 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 private assistant and escalates to a高潮 with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information of the president’s MS diagnosis, coupled with verification of his aim to run for another term. Wonderful television. Never bettered.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He spots a Muslim woman entering the restroom and realizes something is amiss. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and attempt to convince the woman to take off her suicide vest. Anxiety builds to a nearly intolerable level, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy enters her house to find her mum has passed away of natural causes, which is the most unusual type of death in this paranormal series. The episode has no background music, a sullen tone, and we see the episode through the experience of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.
The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America
The concluding moment of the last installment of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you watched it when it originally aired, you – at first – weren’t sure why. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all vanquished. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The clan sits in an eatery. Meadow parks. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with another member of his team collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Strange people enter the restaurant. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow parks her car. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It stops. My spirit fell roughly 20 minutes after.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I kept late hours to see this show at 2am. It was so intense after the buildup of bad guy Negan finding the group, savagely teasing his prey and then keeping the death a mystery (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
