‘I definitely needed a lie-down after that!’ Your most gripping episodes of TV you’ve seen
Spooks – I Spy Apocalypse from 2003
The episode begins with the MI5 agents confined as part of a simulation relating to a hypothetical terrorist attack, monitored by two government representatives. As the situation develops, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical agent deployed. The tension ratchets up as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and escalates as the boss appears to be infected, with the two officials trying to exit, pushing the protagonist portrayed by Matthew Macfadyen to choose between firing at them or allowing them to leave and endangering the sterile MI5 environment. This being Spooks, the outcome is expected.
The 1984 production Threads
Threads was low budget yet among the scariest shows I have viewed due to its harsh realism and bleak government data. Watched it about a month ago having watched the original; I often attended the bar in Sheffield from the programme which underscored the actuality and the casual, straightforward government details that aired. Still absolutely terrifying 35 years later.
Severance – The We We Are from 2022
The concluding episode of Severance’s debut season ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I remained for the whole show quite literally on the edge of my seat, 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 get their truths out there. The final climactic moment – “she survives!” – felt like an explosion.
The 2024 Industry episode White Mischief
Episode five of the third series of Industry made my pulse quicken. I had to pause and get up and exit the space repeatedly because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I saw. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit professionally and personally – buried in financial obligations from unscrupulous lenders due to his addictive betting, engaging in dangerous ventures with a bet on sterling which could lose his company millions. Naturally, he embarks on a betting frenzy, uses copious drugs and alcohol and experiences wins and losses, is brutally attacked. Whenever you assume the situation cannot deteriorate further, it does. Redemption seems possible at the end of the episode yet he wastes the chance, resulting in dreadful effects during the season’s final episode. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!
Peep Show – Holiday from 2007
The series Peep Show isn’t typically anxiety-inducing. However, the Holiday episode contains such levels of cringe that it will make you rise the whole episode, filled with nervousness. The tension escalates when Jeremy and Mark realize needing to deceive regarding the dog they by chance collide with and later efforts to get rid of it. You then occupy the remainder of the episode questioning whether it truly can be worse than incineration, and it turns out to be!
The 2001 The West Wing episode The Two Cathedrals
Nothing I have seen has been as tense 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 builds to a peak involving a Haitian emergency, and the repercussions of the secrecy about the president’s MS condition, with confirmation of his intention to pursue re-election. Superb programming. Unequaled.
Bodyguard – episode one from 2018
The start of the British program Bodyguard, with the hero aboard a train alongside his juvenile boy, ranks among the most gripping episodes I’ve seen. He notices a Muslim female going into the loo and senses something is wrong. The explosive disposal specialists are summoned, board 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 from 2001
Buffy enters her house to find her mum has passed away due to natural factors, which is the most unusual type of death in this mystical program. The show features no musical score, a somber mood, and we view the installment through the lens of Buffy’s astonishment upon finding her mother.
The Sopranos – Made in America (2007)
The ultimate sequence of the series finale of the show was pants-wettingly tense. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, 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? “Remember the little things.” However, the vibe is oddly threatening. Nearly Twin Peaks-like fear. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow stops the car. Tony gloomily informs Carmela difficulties are arising with yet another of his crew collaborating with the authorities. Meadow parks. Odd persons arrive at the eatery. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow continues to park. Tony selects a song on the jukebox. Meadow parks. The bell sounds, an individual enters. It isn’t Meadow, she remains parking. Tony glances upward. Don’t stop. 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 at 2am. It was extremely gripping following the introduction of villain Negan finding the group, cruelly taunting his victims and then keeping the death a mystery (finished with an unresolved situation). The first-person perspective of the victim and the subdued noises – argh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season