‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ Your most nerve-wracking episodes of TV ever
The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse
This installment starts with the Spooks team confined as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, overseen by two Home Office officials. As events unfold, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical agent deployed. The anxiety increases as incoming communications show a disaster happening externally, and gets worse as the superior shows signs of exposure, and the government agents endeavor to depart, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to choose between firing at them or allowing them to leave and potentially infecting the secure MI5 headquarters. As this is Spooks, the outcome is expected.
Threads from 1984
Threads was low budget yet among the scariest shows I’ve ever seen due to its harsh realism and bleak government data. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I often attended the bar in Sheffield shown in the series that highlighted the truth and the casual, straightforward government details that were transmitted. Remaining completely frightening decades on.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season has to be right up there in terms of gripping installments. I was throughout the episode literally perched nervously, exerting with Dylan to hold the switches that kept the Innies on overtime, while screaming at the Innies to disclose their facts. The ultimate peak – “she’s alive!” – felt like an explosion.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Installment five in Industry’s third series had my heart racing. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly due to the immense extent of the reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty professionally and personally – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders because of his compulsive gambling, engaging in dangerous ventures with a gamble on the pound which could lose his company millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, does tons of drugs and drink and alternates between success and failure, gets beaten to a pulp. Every time you think things cannot decline more, it does. There is a chance for salvation by the episode’s conclusion but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects in the season finale. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!
Peep Show – Holiday (2007)
Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. But the episode Holiday contains such levels of cringe 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 accidentally run over 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 (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense as when I first saw the second season finale of The West Wing. The episode starts with the aftermath of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s confidential aide and reaches a crescendo involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy about the president’s MS condition, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Excellent TV. Unsurpassed.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The opening of the British series Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train with his young son, is for me one of the most intense episodes ever. He observes a woman in Islamic attire going into the loo and senses something is wrong. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and endeavor to coax the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.
The 2001 Buffy episode The Body
Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the least common kind of passing in this supernatural show. The show features no musical score, a sullen tone, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s dismay upon uncovering her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007
The ultimate sequence of the series finale of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, were all overcome. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Recall the minor details.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with another member of his team working with the government. Meadow secures a parking space. Unfamiliar individuals come into the diner. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The door chimes, a person comes in. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony raises his gaze. Continue. It ceases. My heart sank about 20 minutes later.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth (2016)
I remained awake to view this installment at 2am. It was so intense following the introduction of villain Negan finding the group, mercilessly mocking his targets then not knowing who he killed (ended on a cliffhanger). The point-of-view shot from the victim and the muted audio – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
