If there is one of our favorite TV shows going on, we never want to miss even a single frame. Each and every dialog, every sound matters; especially when it has come to a point of, or nearing its end. No wonder all the credit goes to the actors, who manage to keep us glued to our couches till the very end. Although we never give it a serious thought, the arrangement of the story and its unraveling to the audience is quite carefully planned on the small screen too. There are certain episodes when we feel that the story didn't move ahead at all. Some appear to be utter nonsense or boring. And suddenly, in the next episode comes a twist, and we are back to our seats! This―a dull or not-much-happening period―is deliberately planned for, before giving a turn to the series, so that the desired impact is achieved. So, it is not always that they didn't find a better tale. Part of this back-end planning constitutes what is known as a Bottle Episode. It is easier to describe what a bottle episode means by giving its attributes. A Bottle Episode generally... ● is shot on an existing set, or around it. ● includes only the regular cast; no guest appearances or non-regular cast members are seen. ● involves no new location or special effects. ● features few or all the main characters. ● requires minimal costs, as no new sets are built, and no expenses for outdoor locations are incurred. ● usually requires a strong and substantial script - let's say, a scene/conversation that unravels a different side of the character/s. An example would be the Friends episode The One Where No One's Ready, as it is called. There is a scene where all the six are at Monica and Rachel's place. Ross has asked everyone to be ready for the event at the museum, but no one is ready, and they are running late. The emotional backdrop is different for each one of them. Monica does not know how to handle a voice message from her ex-boyfriend; Joey and Chandler are going haywire, with irrelevant arguments over a chair; Phoebe and Rachel are trying to find clothes to wear for the event. Confined totally to their apartment, the episode catches and combines details from every character very nicely. There is an interesting story behind this word. As weird as it may sound, you may be guessing at some probable chronicles related to it, but it is rather simple. As is commonly believed, the term originated on the set of the Star Trek series of the 1960s. The crew members then gave the name ship-in-a-bottle to the episodes shot on the Starship Enterprise. So, the name bottle episode. Filmed at only one location due to economic constraints, it also became associated with the term single-location episodes. Bottle episodes are banked upon when there are budgetary constraints, and when the production has to save for future cliffhanger episodes or for special guest appearances. Besides this, there also is another reason for a bottle episode - to create a dramatic effect that involves, for instance, confrontation between two significant characters. In either case, working out a bottle episode successfully remains largely in the hands of the scriptwriter and the actors. Since there are less distractions now with a confined location, the script and dialogs need to have the strength to maintain, or in fact, uplift the tempo of the show. This is no less than a challenge for the entire production team. They are sometimes also asked to hold this dramatic feel until the end of the season, as required. In order to achieve a magnanimous end to the season, bottle episodes seem to work out well with a tight budget. However, it is not always the case. They can be shot at more than one location too, and may not always be cheap. That also suggests that these episodes are not 'not good'. After all the charm lies in the script. Nevertheless, it is not always a budget issue; some writers do create a bottle episode just for the sake of it. "The Chinese Restaurant" of Seinfeld was not at all a cheap sequence. In fact, it was as expensive as any other regular episode, as there was spending on a new set.