I'll go first.

Winner:
Breaking Bad, season 3 episode 10, "Fly"

Honorable mention:
Community, season 3 episode 10, "Cooperative Calligraphy"

PS: I'm having a hard time categorizing these as real bottle episodes since they don't feel cheap or "fillery" at all, but they are at least spatially and plot wise confined.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 10 points 3 weeks ago (7 children)

what is a "bottle episode"?

  • source
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 10 points 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    When a show ran out of money or wanted to spend extra on other episodes they’d either do a clip show or a bottle episode. A bottle episode traditionally uses only standing sets and existing cast under contract, with no special props or costumes.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 3 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago) (3 children)

    Usually called a "bottleneck episodes" because the characters are trapped in a room together. So much of the episode is dialogue based.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 3 weeks ago (2 children)

    Who calls them "bottleneck episodes"? That doesn't make sense. The episode is a bottle episode because it is bottled up in one location. A bottleneck episode would mean that one episode somehow dictated the maximum speed of the series?

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments