‘I absolutely had to rest after that!’ The most gripping television episodes ever
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse (2003)
The show kicks off with the intelligence unit locked down as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, supervised by two Home Office agents. As things progress, it appears that there really has been an attack with a chemical weapon released. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a catastrophe taking place outside, and escalates when the leader seems contaminated, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or permitting their exit and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. Given it’s Spooks, his decision is predictable.
Threads from 1984
Threads had minimal funding but one of the most frightening programmes I’ve ever seen owing to its grim authenticity and dismal official figures. Saw it not long ago following the initial broadcast; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub featured in the show that highlighted the truth and the casual, straightforward government details that aired. Continuing to be utterly horrifying after three and a half decades.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The season one finale of Severance has to be right up there in terms of gripping installments. I spent the entire episode literally perched nervously, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that sustained the Innies’ extended time, while screaming at the Innies to reveal their realities. The final climactic moment – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.
Industry – White Mischief from 2024
Installment five in Industry’s third series made my pulse quicken. I needed to stop and stand and exit the space repeatedly owing to the vast degree of the deliberate ruin I was witnessing. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty professionally and personally – up to his eyeballs in debt to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, taking such risks on a wager involving sterling which could lose his company millions. Inevitably, he starts a gaming binge, consumes excessive substances and alcohol and alternates between success and failure, is severely assaulted. Whenever you assume it can’t get any worse, it worsens. There’s hope of redemption as the installment closes yet he wastes the chance, resulting in dreadful effects in the concluding part of the season. Certainly required a rest afterward!
Peep Show – Holiday from 2007
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. Yet the installment Holiday includes such amounts of embarrassment that it’ll have you standing up for the full show, permeated with worry. The tension escalates once Jeremy and Mark find themselves having to lie about the dog they by chance collide with and following tries to eliminate it. You subsequently use the rest of the installment wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it turns out to be!
The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals (2001)
Nothing I’ve watched has been more intense than the first time I watched the second season finale of The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the passing (in a road incident) of the president’s private assistant and builds to a peak with a crisis in Haiti, and the fallout from the non-disclosure regarding the president’s multiple sclerosis diagnosis, along with affirmation of his plan to pursue re-election. Wonderful television. Unequaled.
The 2018 Bodyguard premiere episode
The start of the British program Bodyguard, with the protagonist on a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female heading to the toilet and realizes something is amiss. The bomb squad is alerted, get on the train, and try to persuade the woman to remove her explosive vest. Tension escalates to an almost unbearable degree, until yes, the vest is diffused.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body (2001)
Buffy arrives at her residence to realize her mom has deceased from natural reasons, which is the rarest form of demise in this mystical program. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a sullen tone, and we witness the episode via the perspective 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 – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s adversaries, actual and perceived, were all overcome. Surely this has the feel of the season one ending? “Remember the little things.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow parks. Tony sadly tells Carmela there’s trouble afoot with an additional associate working with the government. Meadow secures a parking space. Strange people enter the restaurant. Look at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony puts a record on the jukebox. Meadow parks her car. The bell rings, someone enters the restaurant. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It ceases. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.
The Walking Dead – The Last Day on Earth from 2016
I kept late hours to see this show during the night. It was incredibly tense after the buildup of bad guy Negan locating the survivors, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (ended on a cliffhanger). The first-person perspective of the victim and the subdued noises – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season
