🔗 Share this article

The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The show kicks off with the Spooks team restricted as part of a simulation concerning a fictional terrorist event, overseen by two Home Office officials. As events unfold, it becomes clear a real incident has taken place and a chemical agent deployed. The tension ratchets up as reports reveal a crisis unfolding beyond their walls, and intensifies as the boss appears to be infected, and the two Home Office officials attempt to leave, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to opt for either shooting them or allowing them to leave and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. This being Spooks, it is unsurprising which one he chooses.

Threads (1984)

Threads was low budget but arguably the most terrifying series I have ever watched because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Saw it not long ago having watched the original; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub featured in the show which emphasised the reality and the glib matter-of-fact official information that aired. Remaining completely frightening 35 years later.

Severance – The We We Are from 2022

The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season ranks highly among intense episodes. I was throughout the episode actually sitting tensely, straining every sinew with Dylan to keep his hands on the levers that allowed the Innies to remain active, while shouting to the Innies to reveal their realities. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – was like an eruption.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

Episode five of the third series of Industry made my pulse quicken. I needed to stop and stand and depart the area multiple times due to the immense extent of the wanton self-destruction I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in major difficulty at work and home – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders due to his addictive betting, 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 experiences wins and losses, is severely assaulted. Every time you think things cannot decline more, it deteriorates. There is a chance for salvation as the installment closes but he squanders the opportunity, resulting in dreadful effects in the season finale. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!

Peep Show – Holiday (2007)

The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. But the episode Holiday contains such levels of cringe that it’ll have you standing up the whole episode, riddled with anxiety. It all ramps up once Jeremy and Mark find themselves having to lie about the dog they unintentionally hit and following tries to eliminate it. You then spend the rest of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it is possible!

The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals

No other viewing has been as gripping compared to my initial viewing the season two finale to The West Wing. The show opens with the fallout of the demise (in a car crash) of the president’s personal secretary and escalates to a高潮 with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information about the president’s MS condition, along with affirmation of his plan to run for another term. Excellent TV. Never bettered.

Bodyguard – episode one (2018)

The beginning of the UK show Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train accompanied by his small son, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He observes a woman in Islamic attire heading to the toilet and senses something is wrong. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board the train, and attempt to convince the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to a nearly intolerable level, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

The 2001 Buffy episode The Body

Buffy comes into her home to realize her mom has deceased due to natural factors, which is the rarest form of demise in this supernatural show. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a somber mood, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.

The 2007 The Sopranos finale Made in America

The final scene of the final episode of the series was extremely nerve-wracking. And if you viewed it when it first premiered, you – initially – were uncertain of the reason. Tony’s enemies, real and imagined, had all been defeated. Doesn’t this resemble the season one conclusion? “Think about the small elements.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Approaching Twin Peaks-esque horror. The family sit in a restaurant. Meadow parks. Tony sadly tells Carmela there’s trouble afoot with an additional associate collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks the vehicle. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Stare at Tony(?) Meadow parks. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow finds a spot. The door chimes, a person comes in. Can’t be Meadow, she’s still parking. Tony glances upward. Continue. It stops. My spirit fell roughly 20 minutes after.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I stayed up to watch this episode during the night. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, cruelly taunting his victims and then keeping the death a mystery (ended on a cliffhanger). The victim’s POV shot and the muffled sounds – oh no! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season