When a show decides to do a bottle episode, it’s taking a bit of an artistic risk. A bottle episode is a single, standalone episode that takes place primarily in one setting and involves mostly dialogue between a single main character or duo of characters. This style of episode doesn’t work so well in a live-action setting, but it can be a compelling choice for animated shows.
Bottle episodes are a growing trend in the streaming era. With many series now being written and filmed as full seasons of eight episodes, it’s easy for each episode to feel a little too similar to the last, making it harder for an individual story to stand out from the crowd. A bottle episode allows a show to break away from its usual formula and give audiences something fresh to sink their teeth into.
A bottle episode can be anything from a dramatic character story to a lighthearted joke about parenting. Some shows that make regular use of the technique include Girls, One Man’s Trash, and Almost Famous. The term can also be used to describe an episode that’s shot on a smaller set than usual or a single-location story.
The science of bottle episodes is complex and fascinating. Glass is a nonequilibrium material, meaning it’s not in its lowest-energy state, which would be the liquid or crystal states. It’s also an amorphous solid, which means it doesn’t have a well-defined structure and instead relies on disordered atoms to create its unique properties.
As a result, the chemical composition of glass is infinitely varied. There are more than 350,000 types of known workable glass available in the world today, with new kinds being developed all the time. Scientists believe that understanding the fundamental properties of ideal glass could lead to materials that are bendier, more transparent, or less likely to break.
During bottle feeding, the nipple orifice can be a source of friction between baby and parent as air enters through the nipple hole to mix with the milk. This constant air infiltration mixes with the milk and causes air-swallowing, a common cause of gassing in babies while drinking bottles.
To prevent this, try tidling the baby’s mouth to encourage an open mouth and tucking their chin up onto the bottle nipple, aiming it toward the palate. You can also try a burp mid-feed, which will allow the milk to escape more easily.
A bottle’s finish is the upper part of the neck, which can be split into distinct parts by a ring or collar, or the lower portion of a two-part neck (see Plate 2). See the Bottle Finishes page for more details on finish definitions and part names. The definitions on this page and the Glossary are linked back to frequently throughout this article for convenience.
