20 Most Intense TV Scenes Ever

13. Pulling Teeth - The Americans

As a family drama masquerading as a cold war spy thriller, The Americans knew better than most how to do suspense, with a number of close calls. It also knew how to do brutality, like breaking a woman's bones to fit her corpse into a suitcase.

And yet, it's in a spot of dentistry we see the show at its best (and most painful to watch) in this regard. Elizabeth, following one of those aforementioned close calls, has a rotten tooth that needs to come out but can't go to the dentist, so it falls to Phillip to perform the necessary 'surgery', sans anaesthesia.

It's excruciating to watch in a way that'll make your teeth ache, and the direction from Thomas Schlamme makes sure to go close-up on their faces, making this a surprisingly intimate affair. We see every bit of pain on Elizabeth's face, and while it also works as a wider commentary on their relationship, it's the sheer act - and how tight it's shot - that makes it (and us viewers) - bristle.