10 Grimmest TV Storylines Ever

10. The Infection Of Fred Burkle - Angel

Fred Burkle was a fan favourite with her life in full swing by season 5. Her and Wesley had finally made good on their oft teased romance and her work at Wolfram & Hart was going well. All it took was inhaling some sarcophagus dust for that to all come tumbling down.

Suddenly under attack from an ancient demonic force, we have to watch the amiable Fred be consumed by the parasite within as the main cast unite to try and save her.

At first it appears Angel and Spike have done just that, locating the cure for her in England only to discover it would cause thousands to die instead. Caught between a rock and a hard place, they choose to let Fred succumb to her long, drawn out, agonising death.

And to add some injury to injury, we’re informed that the damage done to her will also prevent her soul from an afterlife or a resurrection. Talk about having a hard run of things.

“Why can’t I stay?” remains some of the saddest last words in TV history and one the of most devastating and memorable moments the Buffy spin-off put out.