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The 2003 Spooks episode I Spy Apocalypse

The episode begins with the Spooks team restricted while undergoing a drill about a potential terror incident, overseen by two Home Office officials. As events unfold, it seems an actual attack has occurred and a chemical agent deployed. The suspense builds as messages indicate a disaster happening externally, and escalates when the leader seems contaminated, and the government agents endeavor to depart, compelling the character played by Matthew Macfadyen to choose between firing at them or permitting their exit and risking contaminating the sealed MI5 offices. Given it’s Spooks, the outcome is expected.

Threads (1984)

Threads had minimal funding but arguably the most terrifying series I’ve ever seen because of the stark reality and grim official statistics. Viewed it recently after seeing the first airing; I frequently went to the Sheffield pub shown in the series which emphasised the reality and the offhand factual official statements that were transmitted. Still absolutely terrifying decades on.

The 2022 Severance episode The We We Are

The first season finale of Severance ranks highly in terms of gripping installments. I remained for the whole show actually sitting tensely, pushing alongside Dylan to maintain his grip on the controls that allowed the Innies to remain active, while screaming at the Innies to reveal their realities. The ultimate peak – “she is living!” – felt like an explosion.

Industry – White Mischief from 2024

Installment five in Industry’s third series caused my heart to pound. I was compelled to halt and rise and depart the area multiple times because of the sheer scale of the reckless self-harm I observed. Rishi Ramdani is in deep shit professionally and personally – up to his eyeballs in debt to loan sharks owing to his uncontrollable gaming, assuming hazardous chances on a wager involving sterling that might cost his firm millions. So of course, he goes on a gambling spree, 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 at the end of the episode but he misses the opening, resulting in dreadful effects in the season finale. Definitely needed a lie-down after that!

Peep Show – Holiday from 2007

Peep Show is not inherently a tense series. However, the Holiday episode features such degrees of awkwardness that it can cause you to stand the whole episode, permeated with worry. The tension escalates as Jeremy and Mark discover being compelled to falsify about the canine they accidentally run over and later efforts to get rid of it. You then spend the rest of the episode wondering if it might be more awful than cremation, and it is possible!

The West Wing – The Two Cathedrals from 2001

Nothing I have seen has been as tense compared to my initial viewing the season two finale to The West Wing. The installment begins with the consequences of the death (in a traffic accident) of the president’s personal secretary and reaches a crescendo with a situation in Haiti, and the effects of the withheld information of the president’s MS diagnosis, with confirmation of his intention to seek re-election. Superb programming. Unsurpassed.

Bodyguard – episode one from 2018

The opening of the British series Bodyguard, featuring the main character on a train alongside his juvenile boy, is personally a top tense installment. He spots a Muslim woman entering the restroom and knows something is off. The bomb diffuser experts are called, board the train, and try to persuade the woman to discard her bomb jacket. Suspense rises to an almost unbearable degree, until, finally, the vest is neutralized.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer – The Body from 2001

Buffy enters her house to discover her mother has died of natural causes, which is the rarest form of demise in this paranormal series. The installment lacks any soundtrack, a gloomy atmosphere, and we witness the episode via the perspective of Buffy’s shock of discovering her mother.

The Sopranos – Made in America from 2007

The final scene of the final episode of the program was incredibly anxious. And for those who saw it during its initial broadcast, you – at first – weren’t sure why. 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. Almost Twin Peaks levels of terror. The family gathers in a diner. Meadow finds a parking spot. Tony sorrowfully notifies Carmela difficulties are arising with an additional associate cooperating with the officials. Meadow parks. Strange people enter the restaurant. Gaze at Tony(?) Meadow is parking. Tony plays a track on the music machine. Meadow finds a spot. The door chimes, a person comes in. It cannot be Meadow, she is still parking. Tony glances upward. Keep going. It ceases. My heart sank around 20 minutes subsequently.

The 2016 The Walking Dead episode The Last Day on Earth

I remained awake to view this installment during the night. It was incredibly tense after the establishment of antagonist Negan discovering the characters, mercilessly mocking his targets and then leaving the victim unknown (concluded with a suspenseful moment). The first-person perspective of the victim and the muffled sounds – ugh! {We then had to wait for season seven|We then needed to await season