- 6/25/2025
When TV shows strip away the fancy sets and special effects, pure storytelling magic happens! Join us as we explore the most memorable episodes that prove less is more, featuring intense conversations, confined spaces, and brilliant character development that kept viewers glued to their screens.
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00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for budget-friendly TV episodes
00:08that made the most creative, compelling use of as few locations and characters as possible.
00:17Number 20, Episode 3, Adolescence
00:20Director Philip Barantini's extended tracking shots pack claustrophobia into every episode of Adolescence.
00:30That especially goes for the Netflix serial's third episode, in which Brian E. Ariston interviews 13-year-old alleged murderer Jamie Miller.
00:52It's almost an hour of the forensic psychologist walking between a youth detention facility's interrogation room
00:58and the adjacent security station to contemplate what she's witnessing.
01:01I know you think I'm trying to trick you.
01:03I said that eight years ago.
01:05I am just here to get an understanding of your understanding.
01:12And I understand that you need to have an understanding of my understanding.
01:17A child, who showed so much distress over terrible accusations, is finally revealing his violent misogyny to a woman of authority.
01:25The simmering suspense in this powerfully acted conversation, again captured in one continuous shot,
01:30epitomizes what makes Adolescence such a distinguished thriller.
01:34It's hard to watch, but the dramatic craft and importance make it impossible to look away.
01:38Number 19, Out of Gas, Firefly.
01:48I'm getting a little weary of this attitude wash.
01:50Are you?
01:51Well, I'm so very sorry, sir.
01:54I guess the news that we're all going to be purple and bloated and fetal in a few hours, it's made me a little snippy.
01:59Maybe it's not too shocking that Fox canceled Firefly when the cult sci-fi epic even milled what should have been its most minimalist episode.
02:06Out of Gas finds the crew of Serenity stranded in space and at the mercy of marauders after the ship breaks down.
02:12The tension is broken only by flashbacks to both the main plot's lead-in and each main character's first time boarding Serenity.
02:18You paid money for this, sir?
02:20On purpose?
02:22What?
02:24Come on, seriously, Zoe.
02:25What do you think?
02:27Honestly, sir, I think you got robbed.
02:29Robbed?
02:30What?
02:31What do you mean?
02:31It's within those confines that the episode experiments with setting, timeline, and development of our heroes' relationships with each other and their headquarters.
02:39I'm not leaving Serenity.
02:42Mal, you don't have to die alone.
02:44It also never loses the tight, action-packed suspense in their current crisis.
02:48So maybe the brilliance of Out of Gas actually illustrates the tragedy of Firefly's cancellation.
02:54I thought I ordered you all off the ship.
02:58Did I call you back?
03:00No, Mal, you didn't.
03:02I take full responsibility, Cap.
03:05Number 18.
03:06My Coffee with Niles.
03:07Frasier.
03:08Take a left, then the second right, then a left again.
03:13Okay, okay, goodbye, sweetheart.
03:16Maris lost again?
03:17Yes, she wandered into the kitchen by mistake.
03:19I had to talk her back to the living room.
03:20It wasn't until the season one finale that a sitcom about two therapists paired them for a therapy session.
03:26Even then, it's an impromptu development over Frasier and Niles Crane's regular coffee break at Cafe Nervosa.
03:32My Coffee with Niles focuses on the brothers and their father, Martin, as they contemplate their happiness since Frasier moved back to Seattle.
03:39Are you happy?
03:43Do you hear the question?
03:45Yes, I'm thinking.
03:46Seemingly complex question.
03:48This strictly dialogue-driven format, played out in real time, puts into perspective the nuances of the Crane family going into Frasier's sophomore season.
03:56Never mind the sitcom's unique ability to score laughs with woody banter alone.
04:00Would you rather CBS save money by reviewing the season with a clip show?
04:04You'd like to stay with Maris, but you'd like to have an affair with Daphne.
04:07Yes.
04:08Can I do that?
04:08No, you can't.
04:09As rewarding as this risky finale was, audiences were clearly already hooked on Frasier.
04:14Frasier, as always, I've enjoyed getting together with you for coffee.
04:17What do you guys talk about all the time?
04:19Oh, you know, sports chicks, monster truck rallies.
04:22Okay, don't tell me.
04:24Number 17, Ice.
04:26The X-Files.
04:36Fox would naturally want to save money where possible with the blockbuster sci-fi series The X-Files.
04:41With all its great bottle episodes, season one's ice solidified the standard.
04:45That's what they were drilling for.
04:50Quarter of a million years melting away in a couple of days.
04:52Agents Mulder and Scully quickly solved the case of a massacre at an Alaskan research outpost,
04:58then find themselves dealing with extraterrestrial parasites.
05:01It's not exactly the thing, but the special effects went over budget to get under your skin, figuratively speaking.
05:06An individual worm will not tolerate another invading its host.
05:13It does to the invader what it did to humans.
05:16The otherwise minimalist production doesn't just milk the suspense.
05:19Ice was a seminal episode for setting up the full scale of the show's spacey mythology and the complicated relationship between the leads.
05:26What was meant to be a standalone chiller made smartly crafted bottle episodes a staple on The X-Files.
05:32Yes, there won't be any left! They're all gonna be dead!
05:36Dead!
05:38Number 16. Long, Long Time. The Last of Us.
05:42Are you hurt?
05:45It's just a bruise.
05:47It's not long into HBO's The Last of Us before focus shifts from Joel and Ellie.
05:50As they approach the home of Joel's friends, Bill and Frank,
05:53the couple's 20-year relationship is chronicled over the course of Long, Long Time.
05:57I've done everything I know
06:01To try and make you mine
06:05It all takes place in a house fortified for the apocalypse, but built into a home.
06:10Despite still ending in tragedy,
06:12the episode drastically departs from the original video game's bleak take on Bill's backstory.
06:16Audiences praise the complex and moving romance,
06:19irrespective of the character's orientation,
06:21as well as Murley Barlet and Nick Offerman's incredible performances.
06:25Bill will not join the main adventure like he did in the game.
06:30Nevertheless, Long, Long Time crucially affirms the beauty of humanity in desperate times.
06:47Number 15. Leslie and Ron. Parks and Recreation.
06:51Guys, this is insane, okay? Let us out!
06:54Oh my god, babe! Game of Thrones is on tonight! It's the series finale!
06:57Khaleesi is marrying Jack Sparrow!
06:59Nick Offerman may be a great partner for the apocalypse,
07:02but Ron Swanson and Leslie Knope have never matched.
07:05I would rather bleed out than sit here and talk about my feelings for 10 hours.
07:09After tensions come to a head in William Henry Harrison,
07:12the duo are locked in Pawnees, Parks and Rec office throughout the follow-up episode.
07:16This gives them the opportunity to discuss the root of their conflict.
07:19I'd like to talk about.
07:21Oh, come on, Ron. We were friends for 10 years.
07:23We were work proximity associates.
07:25We were friends, and now we're not.
07:27And once again, it is up to me to save our friendship.
07:31And I will do so using the most powerful tool known to man,
07:35a well-organized chart.
07:37It's a crucial time to reflect on Leslie and Ron's characterization,
07:40to say nothing of their hilarious banter.
07:43Michael Schur wrote the episode specifically to showcase this
07:46and the acting range of Offerman and Amy Poehler.
07:49You made a key?
07:50Ron, please don't...
07:51Come on, Ron.
07:52Ron, just talk to me.
07:54Ron, come on.
07:55See you tomorrow morning.
07:58The project was a rousing success.
08:00Leslie and Ron would become regarded
08:01as one of the most significant episodes of Parks and Recreation,
08:05especially for the best of Frenemies.
08:07Number 14.
08:08The Box.
08:09Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
08:10Peralta, do you know what I miss most about being a detective?
08:14A good interrogation.
08:15Breaking suspects down.
08:18Talking quietly and then talking real loud.
08:20Sterling K. Brown can captivate even in a sitcom.
08:23Thus, all other Brooklyn Nine-Nine characters stand down
08:25when Detective Jake Peralta and Captain Holt
08:28interrogate the guest star as a murder suspect.
08:317 p.m.
08:32Talk with Philip about...
08:33Missing meds.
08:35Ooh.
08:36Did I get that right?
08:37Uh, yeah.
08:38The Box is a loving parody of a bottle episode
08:41of Homicide Life on the Street,
08:42which also starred Andre Brower.
08:44But as funny as the power plays between the detectives
08:47and their suspect get-to-be,
08:48there's tension in the standoff.
08:50No, I'm playing hardball,
08:51except for that the balls are questions.
08:53And here they come.
08:54What kind of car did Robert drive?
08:55Also, Dana from the bar.
08:57What color was her hair?
08:57And which night does the cleaning crew sterilize your office?
08:59And have you ever been up to where the body was found
09:01and when you left your phone at the office?
09:02Was it plugged into your computer or an outlet?
09:04And did you kill him?
09:05And what did your cab driver look like?
09:06This seems like a huge waste of time.
09:08The show's unique comic timing and character dynamics
09:11are naturally at their most refined
09:13in this play on the dialogue-driven thrills
09:15of prestige cop dramas.
09:17Brown may have been nominated for an Emmy,
09:19but the Box was wholly praised for its arresting methods.
09:22Let's get all up in his personal space.
09:24Make him feel uncomfortable.
09:25Number 13.
09:26Duet.
09:27Star Trek Deep Space Nine.
09:28I haven't done anything.
09:30Then why did you run?
09:31Trying to get away from this Bajoran fanatic.
09:33Bottle episodes were partly popularized
09:35by the Star Trek episode, The Naked Time.
09:38If a man was supposed to fly, he'd have wings.
09:41If he was supposed to be out in space,
09:42he wouldn't need air to breathe.
09:43This formula has since been utilized throughout the franchise
09:46to save on special effects budgets.
09:48But Deep Space Nine makes the most of it
09:50when the ship accepts a possible Cardassian war criminal.
09:53Our doctor confirmed you do have Kalanar,
09:55which means you were at Galatep.
09:57If your lies are going to be this transparent,
10:02it's going to be a very short interrogation.
10:05Well, in that case, I'll try to make my lies more opaque.
10:09Duet is driven by standoffs and inquiries
10:11that are as tense as any action sequence.
10:14Besides confronting our heroes
10:15about whether the show's main villain race
10:16is inherently villainous,
10:18the episode also raises questions of redemption
10:20and legitimate justice.
10:22This epitomizes the particular edge
10:23that DS9 had over other Star Trek series.
10:26Duet is thus acclaimed
10:28as one of the most essential episodes of the show,
10:30if not the overall franchise.
10:32Why are you pretending to be Gul'dar Heal?
10:34Why don't you ask me something intelligent?
10:37As for instance, how did I feel
10:39when we were drawing from Bajor?
10:41The answer is I was furious.
10:42Number 12, 17 People, The West Wing.
10:46Toby, nobody, and particularly not Hoynes,
10:49would be naive enough.
10:50What I mean to say is if he's going to New Hampshire
10:52for the reason you're thinking,
10:54he would mask it with something.
10:55As ingeniously as the West Wing
10:57captures the scope of the U.S. presidency
10:59in a few settings,
11:0017 People brings it back to the core cast.
11:03While his staff spends the night punching up a speech,
11:05President Bartlett assesses his options
11:07after informing aide Toby Ziegler
11:09of his multiple sclerosis.
11:10My vision would be blurry sometimes and I'd get dizzy.
11:14During an eye exam, the doctor detected abnormal pupil responses
11:19and ordered an MRI.
11:21The radiologist found plaque on my brain and spine.
11:25I have a relapsing remitting course of MS.
11:28Never has the White House felt so small.
11:30Aaron Sorkin's script cleverly contrasts the craft of a leader's personable image
11:34with the ethics in keeping compromising secrets from the public.
11:37In 2014, designer John White launched a whole website
11:40dedicated to analyzing the complexities of this one episode.
11:44It's no secret that in an increasingly important portrait
11:46of the people behind a system,
11:4817 people stands out.
11:50I have no intention of apologizing to you, Toby.
11:53Would you mind if I ask why not?
11:55Because you're not the one with MS,
11:56a wife, three kids, and airports to close.
11:58Number 11, The Conversation, Mad About You.
12:02This is it.
12:04Really?
12:05Honey, Mabel has to learn to go to sleep on her own
12:08without us there rocking her and holding her and stuff.
12:11But already? Does she have to do it already?
12:13Well, we can wait till she's a teenager,
12:14but it's going to be much tougher on our backs.
12:16Marriage was all last for Paul and Jamie Buckman
12:19until Mad About You introduced Mabel in season 6.
12:22But it wasn't until the 9th episode
12:23that they got their wake-up call
12:25by letting the baby cry to sleep.
12:26Please don't make it up to me.
12:28It's one night of bad for, you know,
12:31I think a lifetime of good.
12:34You really believe that in your guts?
12:36With all my guts.
12:37The conversation follows this ordeal in real time
12:40and was shot in a single take
12:42outside of an apartment bedroom.
12:43The 20-minute bit initially confused
12:45and annoyed some critics,
12:47especially as it first aired without commercial breaks.
12:49Good. You know what?
12:50I'm going in there.
12:50No, Paul!
12:52We're going to undo all the good that we've already done.
12:55Where is there good?
12:55Show me the good.
12:56She's crying.
12:57I'm going out of my mind
12:58and we're going to kill each other.
12:59So where is there good?
13:01Piece of cake.
13:01Okay.
13:02The episode was otherwise praised
13:04for its relatable humor
13:05and poignant discussions about parenthood.
13:07Certainly,
13:08actress Paul Reiser
13:08and Helen Hunt
13:09were always commended.
13:10Now audiences are mad
13:11about the conversation
13:12as a triumph for both the sitcom
13:14and wider bottle storytelling.
13:16Listen to that.
13:18Oh my God.
13:20She's sleeping.
13:22She fell asleep.
13:25It's over.
13:29We did it.
13:31Huh?
13:32Yeah.
13:33Okay.
13:34That was, uh,
13:35that was not bad.
13:36That was great.
13:37Number 10.
13:38Midnight.
13:39Doctor Who.
13:39You seem to have had
13:40a failure of the entertainment system.
13:42Oh, what do we do?
13:44We've got four hours of this.
13:46Four hours of just sitting here.
13:48Tell you what.
13:50We'll have to talk to each other instead.
13:52The David Tennant era
13:53of Doctor Who
13:53was full of spectacle,
13:55yet one of its most thrilling episodes
13:57was one of its most claustrophobic.
13:59Midnight finds the Doctor
14:00enjoying a tour
14:01on the titular resort planet
14:02when his shuttle is hijacked
14:03by some mysterious,
14:05malicious entity.
14:06His companion,
14:07Donna Noble,
14:07makes only a brief appearance
14:09in this episode.
14:10The more conspicuous absence,
14:11however,
14:11is a visual of whatever it is
14:13attacking the shuttle.
14:19I don't know.
14:24It's moving.
14:31It's showing the door!
14:32While this was obviously
14:33meant to save on production costs,
14:35the episode mounts
14:36such gripping suspense
14:37on the Doctor's wits
14:38and the dynamics
14:39of his terrified fellow passengers,
14:41fans now consider Midnight
14:42to be one of the prime examples
14:44of Doctor Who's adaptability
14:45beyond the sci-fi fun.
14:48Bang!
14:49Rose Tyler, Martha Jones,
14:50Donna Noble, TARDIS!
14:52Number 9.
14:53Char D. McDennis,
14:54The Game of Games.
14:55It's always sunny in Philadelphia.
14:57You want a game
14:57that lulls you into a sense of security,
14:59but surprises you
15:00with constant rule changes?
15:01Then you want
15:02The Game of Games!
15:03This always experimental
15:12hangout sitcom
15:13has many bottle episodes,
15:14usually set in the gang's
15:15crummy bar,
15:16but Char D. McDennis,
15:18The Game of Games,
15:18especially exemplifies
15:20both the format
15:21and Always Sunny's
15:22creative comedy.
15:23The episode is titled
15:24for an elaborate board game
15:25that the gang play
15:26one particularly slow night
15:27at Patty's Pub.
15:28As nonsensical
15:29as the rules are already,
15:30the character's shameless quirks
15:32are on full display.
15:37Now, this is
15:38Mac and Charlie's flag,
15:40which as you can see
15:40is fairly badly burned.
15:42Not only does the winner
15:43get to stomp
15:44the loser's game pieces,
15:45but they also get
15:45to burn their flag up.
15:47The writing,
15:47on the other hand,
15:48stays in full control
15:49as the game gets
15:50more hysterically chaotic.
15:52Initially perplexed reviews
15:53warmed as the episode
15:54and titular game
15:55became iconic among fans.
15:57This inspired Char D. McDennis 2,
15:59Electric Boogaloo
16:00a few seasons later,
16:01but the original
16:01effectively beats
16:02the competition.
16:03You have to withstand
16:04one full minute
16:05of intense berating.
16:07Okay, that's that?
16:08Lights on?
16:08He's ready.
16:09Lights on, he said.
16:10Lights on.
16:10But it's not gonna be
16:11from us.
16:12Nope.
16:13Not from us.
16:15It's from her.
16:16Oh, oh, you're holding
16:17my hair.
16:18Number eight,
16:19Teddy Perkins, Atlanta.
16:21Hello?
16:23I'm here for the
16:24little pic.
16:27Who's that, Mr. Wonder?
16:30Anticipating an episode
16:32of Atlanta
16:33is like anticipating
16:33someone you meet
16:34through an ad.
16:35Darius Ebbs learns
16:36that the hard way
16:37when he visits
16:37the decrepit mansion
16:38of a music legend
16:39to get his piano,
16:40only to be trapped
16:41in a surreal conversation
16:42with ghoulish caretaker
16:44Teddy Perkins.
16:45The disease is very advanced
16:46and he doesn't like
16:48people seeing him
16:50that way.
16:53It's a very hard thing.
16:56I can imagine.
16:58No, you can't!
17:02You have no idea!
17:05Writer and actor
17:05Donald Glover
17:06went full method
17:07with this cross
17:08between Norman Bates
17:09and Michael Jackson.
17:10The King of Pop's
17:11transformations were bizarre
17:12and often disturbing,
17:13but also tragic.
17:14So while Teddy Perkins
17:15is full of subversive moments
17:17that fit a killer thriller
17:18as much as a dark comedy,
17:19it leaves you with
17:20much to think about.
17:21My father used to say
17:22great things
17:25come from great pain.
17:28While that's a familiar tune
17:29with the Atlanta crew,
17:30the way Darius' spin-off
17:31makes you feel
17:32is indescribable.
17:33Hey, man.
17:34Cheers, cheers.
17:35Congratulations.
17:39But for what?
17:43I choose you.
17:46Number 7.
17:47407 Proxy Authentication Required.
17:49Mr. Robot.
17:50Truth is,
17:51I'm a little confused.
17:54You came looking for me
17:55two months ago.
17:57Why'd you wait until today
17:58to make a move?
17:58Little of the drama
17:59that Mr. Robot builds
18:00behind a keyboard
18:01measures up to Elliot Alderson's
18:03Christmas with Fernando Vera.
18:05The gangster returns
18:06to hold Elliot's therapist hostage
18:07and negotiate building
18:09a criminal empire
18:10with the hacker.
18:10You let her go
18:11and then we'll talk.
18:13Remember what I said.
18:18Anything happens to her.
18:20Don't touch her!
18:21This standoff leads
18:22to an impromptu therapy session
18:24which reveals
18:25the repressed childhood trauma
18:26behind Elliot's mental illness.
18:28Who'd have pegged
18:29one of the show's
18:29campiest villains
18:30as the catalyst
18:31for such a significant breakthrough
18:33in its central character study?
18:34As Proxy Authentication Required
18:36premiered without commercials,
18:37it must be special.
18:38You don't got it in you.
18:40You don't got it in you.
18:43The episode was hugely acclaimed
19:07for its stage drama aesthetic
19:08and complexity,
19:09delaying the final season's
19:10main narrative
19:11for pure emotional resonance.
19:13If Mr. Robot
19:14is already a hidden gem,
19:15its most claustrophobic episode
19:17especially shines.
19:18True self?
19:21I don't know who that is.
19:24I don't know who that is!
19:26That's because you're still
19:27holding in all the anger
19:28and sadness.
19:31Number 6.
19:32The one where no one's ready.
19:34Friends.
19:35Why aren't you guys dressed?
19:36We have a half hour.
19:37No, four minutes ago
19:38you had a half hour.
19:39We have to be out the door
19:4020 to 8.
19:41Relax, Ross.
19:42We'll be ready.
19:43It only takes us
19:43two minutes to get dressed.
19:44But you know,
19:45I'd feel a whole lot better
19:46if you got dressed now.
19:47Okay.
19:48Does it seem like
19:49Ross Geller's friends
19:50don't care about his work
19:51in paleontology?
19:52It sure looks that way
19:53when they take their time
19:54getting dressed up
19:54for an important event
19:55at the museum.
19:56You guys,
19:56does this look like
19:57something the girlfriend
19:58of a paleontologist
19:59would wear?
20:00I don't know.
20:00You might be the first one.
20:01The one where no one's ready
20:04follows the chaos
20:05around this process
20:06in real time.
20:07From Monica's paranoia
20:08about an ex-boyfriend
20:09to Joey and Chandler's
20:10feud over a chair and clothes.
20:12The cushions are the essence
20:13of the chair.
20:14It boasts some of Friends
20:15most iconic gags.
20:16The episode aimed
20:17to tighten season 3's budget
20:19by focusing only on
20:20the core cast
20:21and Monica's apartment.
20:22Though it ironically turned out
20:23to be an especially
20:24difficult production,
20:25its popularity made
20:26bottle episodes
20:27a tradition on Friends.
20:28Even now though,
20:29no one's ready
20:30for how fun
20:31the first one is.
20:32How you look.
20:33Wow.
20:35And I still have
20:36about five seconds
20:38to spare.
20:39Aww.
20:41Number 5.
20:43The Suitcase.
20:44Mad Men.
20:45You're in a white
20:46studio,
20:47like in some limbo.
20:48There's two
20:49no-name football players
20:51holding an American
20:52tourster
20:52and a Skyway
20:53going against
20:55Mr. Joe Namath
20:56and his defender,
20:58a sexy girl
20:59holding a Samsonite.
21:01With the rest
21:01of the office
21:02catching the historic
21:03Ali Liston rematch,
21:04Don Draper
21:05and Peggy Olsen
21:06spend the night
21:06concocting a campaign
21:08for Samsonite suitcases.
21:10Little does Peggy realize,
21:11the lonely Don
21:12just wants to put off
21:13making a painful phone call.
21:14Everything
21:14to you
21:15is an opportunity.
21:17And you should be
21:18thanking me
21:18every morning
21:19when you wake up
21:19along with Jesus
21:20for giving you
21:21another day.
21:22This is where
21:23Mad Men really shows
21:24the hard work
21:25behind the advertising
21:26industry's glamorous
21:27promotion.
21:28More importantly,
21:29it shows the full
21:30brilliance of TV
21:30storytelling driven
21:31by the characters.
21:33The suitcase was hailed
21:34as the peak
21:35of dramatic writing,
21:36symbolism,
21:37and acting.
21:37Men don't exactly
21:38stop and stare
21:40in the streets.
21:41Do you want that?
21:43It's not what you
21:44were supposed to say.
21:46What do you care
21:46what I think?
21:47Everybody thinks
21:52I slept with you
21:53to get the job.
21:55It's widely considered
21:56one of the best episodes
21:57of one of the best shows
21:58of its era.
21:59It also incredibly
22:00fell halfway through
22:01Mad Men's 92 episode run,
22:03though Don and Peggy's
22:03all-nighter
22:04immediately pays off.
22:05I never thought.
22:08I'm so sorry.
22:09I...
22:10You know what?
22:11I don't know
22:12why I was with him.
22:13It was a confusing time.
22:15Stop.
22:15Stop.
22:17You don't have to explain.
22:20Number 4.
22:21The Chinese Restaurant
22:22Seinfeld
22:23Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld
22:24could capture the hassle
22:25of New York City
22:26from the smallest settings.
22:28The most memorable
22:29is the lobby
22:29of a Chinese restaurant
22:31where Jerry and his friends
22:32plan to catch dinner
22:33before a movie.
22:34Where is someone?
22:35I'm starving.
22:36I think this is him
22:37right here.
22:38Oh.
22:38Uh, is there a table ready?
22:40How many?
22:41How many?
22:41Is Tatiana coming?
22:43Well, I...
22:44I don't know.
22:45I have to call her.
22:46Tell her where we are.
22:47I'm very lucky
22:48she's even considering
22:49seeing me at all.
22:50Really?
22:50I thought things
22:51were going okay.
22:52They instead spend
22:52the evening waiting
22:53for a table.
22:54Progressing in real time,
22:56it's a situation comedy
22:57with no real situation.
22:58The Chinese restaurant
23:00sums up the concept
23:01of a show about nothing,
23:02save for impeccable dialogue
23:04and colorful characterization
23:05over a relatable farce.
23:07Who is that woman
23:08in the stripes?
23:10I don't know her.
23:11She looks so familiar.
23:14No, it's not fair
23:15that people are seated
23:15first come, first served.
23:17It should be based on
23:18who's hungriest.
23:19Many cite this episode
23:20as the moment
23:21when Seinfeld achieved
23:22greatness beyond its genre.
23:24There's more debate
23:25about whether the parking garage
23:26used the bottle episode format
23:28more creatively.
23:29The Chinese restaurant
23:30was just first up
23:31to revolutionize the formula.
23:32If there's anything
23:34you can do
23:34to get us a table,
23:36we'd really appreciate it.
23:37Oh, what is your name?
23:41No, no, I want to eat now.
23:43Yes, go see past dinner tonight.
23:45Very fresh.
23:46Here, take this.
23:47I'm starving.
23:48Number three,
23:50cooperative calligraphy,
23:51community.
23:52I'm sorry,
23:53but I need to know
23:54who took my pen.
23:55Uh, sorry,
23:57I don't see it.
23:58The meta sitcom community
24:00did bottle episodes
24:01as ingeniously
24:02as it did every other trope.
24:03The leads couldn't play
24:04a board game
24:05in remedial chaos theory
24:06without it setting up
24:07deep metaphysics
24:08and a long-term story arc.
24:10What if a ghost took the pen?
24:11Please forgive him.
24:12For what?
24:12For stealing the pen, dummy.
24:14Why would I take her pen?
24:15I don't even like having my own.
24:17It's probably under one
24:18of Pierce's cast.
24:19He uses everything
24:20to itch his legs.
24:21We're on our third DVD remote.
24:22So of course,
24:23cooperative calligraphy
24:24did its homework on its format.
24:26Pop culture enthusiast Abed
24:27can always be trusted
24:29to point out the cliches
24:30when a meeting
24:30for a diorama project
24:32turns into arguments
24:33over a missing pen.
24:34Okay, sarcasm over.
24:36You're last up, Shirley.
24:36Dump your comedically
24:37huge bag and end this.
24:38The heated,
24:39hilarious exchanges
24:40also lead to crucial revelations
24:42that develop the characters
24:43and their relationships.
24:44Fans have since called the episode
24:46a highlight
24:46in community's daring formula.
24:48Certainly,
24:49cooperative calligraphy
24:50understood the assignment
24:51in both spoofing
24:52the bottle episode
24:53and exemplifying its strengths.
24:54Why not just
24:55a ghost took the pen?
24:57Okay,
24:57I've been saying that
24:58for hours.
24:59And we should have been
25:00listening to Troy
25:01from the beginning.
25:02Guys,
25:02look in your hearts
25:03and answer this question
25:04honestly.
25:05What's more likely?
25:07That someone in this group
25:08doesn't belong in this group
25:09or ghosts?
25:11Number two,
25:13Fly,
25:13Breaking Bad.
25:14Walter White
25:15and Jesse Pinkman
25:16have to put down
25:17some formidable enemies
25:18to survive the drug trade,
25:19including a housefly.
25:20In season three,
25:36Walt is so paranoid
25:36about contaminating
25:37the product
25:38for the ruthless Gus Fring
25:39that he and Jesse
25:40spend the whole episode
25:41trying to exterminate
25:42a tiny lab intruder.
25:44I've turned the ventilation up
25:45to keep the outside out.
25:47Some Breaking Bad fans
25:49have expressed frustration
25:50with his premise
25:50and its departure
25:51from the central narrative.
25:53In fact,
25:53Fly is a crucial exploration
25:55of Walter's layered relationship
25:56with organized crime
25:57and his less scrupulous partner.
25:59Never mind the show's mastery
26:00of building suspense
26:01with even the simplest set pieces.
26:03I had to have enough
26:05to leave them.
26:07That was the whole point.
26:10None of this makes any sense
26:14if I didn't have enough.
26:16But it had to be
26:19before she found out.
26:21Now,
26:22most recognize Fly
26:23as perhaps the singular feat
26:25in Breaking Bad's writing,
26:26directing,
26:27and acting masterclass.
26:28Before we continue,
26:40be sure to subscribe
26:41to our channel
26:42and ring the bell
26:43to get notified
26:44about our latest videos.
26:45You have the option
26:46to be notified
26:47for occasional videos
26:48or all of them.
26:49If you're on your phone,
26:51make sure you go
26:51into your settings
26:52and switch on notifications.
26:54NBC's gritty
27:13homicide life on the street
27:14was never the typical
27:15case of the week procedural,
27:17but Three Men and Idina
27:18altered the very idea
27:20of TV drama
27:20by working a case
27:22entirely in an interrogation room.
27:24Was she sitting
27:24on a chair?
27:26Was she sitting
27:26on the floor?
27:28On the couch?
27:29On the couch?
27:30And where were you sitting?
27:32Were you sitting anywhere
27:33near her, maybe?
27:34Next to her on the couch?
27:36I don't remember.
27:37You remember where she was,
27:38but you don't remember
27:39where you were.
27:40You remember where you sit
27:40in your house?
27:41We are not here
27:42about where I sit.
27:43There,
27:43Detectives Bayless
27:44and Pembleton
27:45take one last shot
27:46at extracting a confession
27:47for a man accused
27:48of murdering a child.
27:50The standoff
27:50is made more suspenseful
27:51by additional interrogations
27:53of ethics,
27:54race,
27:54and other complex
27:55dilemmas in policing.
27:57Do you know
27:57what you've been saying
27:58more than anything else tonight?
27:59What one phrase
27:59you've been repeating?
28:00I didn't kill it.
28:01No, that's not it.
28:04I don't remember.
28:06You said I don't remember
28:07a hundred times
28:07in the last eight hours.
28:08I don't remember.
28:10This is when
28:11Homicide first fully explores
28:12the moral ambiguities
28:14and failures
28:14of its supposed heroes.
28:16It was also
28:16a worthy final performance
28:17for legendary stage actor
28:19Moses Gunn.
28:20Years after scoring
28:21an Emmy for writing,
28:22many still consider
28:23Three Men and Idina
28:24the standard
28:24for Bottle's
28:25storytelling in a nutshell.
28:27Did you kill
28:27Idina Watson?
28:29No.
28:32Just start talking.
28:34Just say whatever
28:34comes to your mind.
28:36What are some other
28:36captivating Bottle episodes?
28:38Join the dialogue
28:39in the comments.
28:39Well, I've read about genies,
28:41but I never thought
28:41they really...
28:43It's like something
28:44out of the Arabian Nights.
28:46Check the message
28:47in the name of the Khalifa.
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