A bottle is a narrow-necked container primarily used to hold liquids and semiliquids, with a close-fitting cap that helps protect against spills, evaporation, or contamination. It may be made of glass, plastic, or other materials. By extension, it can also refer to the amount of liquid in a bottle or, metaphorically, to something suppressed or bottled up. A person who has a habit of bottling up his or her emotions is said to be “on the bottle.”
The term was probably first coined in cockney rhyming slang in the mid-20th century, where it refers to someone who is on the verge of having an arse attack. It is often associated with alcohol and drugs, and may be a result of drinking too much, depression, or anxiety disorders. The phrase is also a common part of slang for an improvised stabbing weapon, with a bottle of some sort (often broken) being used as the pointy end.
A TV show that is considered a bottle episode is one that is filmed on a single standing set with only a few main cast members, and in which the action takes place in a confined space over a shorter period of time than in a standard episode of a show. It’s a way for producers to save money and to allow other episodes in a season to have more elaborate sets, bigger special effects, or more actors in major roles. It is a controversial category, and many people have different opinions about which shows fit it.
There are other categories of TV episodes, including suitcase, arc, and sex drive, but the bottle episode is generally seen as the most useful to categorize TV shows for discussion and analysis. It is especially useful because it allows viewers to focus on what is being portrayed on the screen, rather than how much a particular episode cost or how well-acted it was.
The precise definition of a bottle episode will vary, as it can be difficult to pin down exactly which factors make an episode count and which ones don’t. But in general, the strictest definition is an episode that doesn’t require new sets or filming on location, has fewer than the usual number of cast members, and has no guest stars in leading roles.
The following is a list of common types of bottles, as defined on this website. The information here is based on various references, and is intended to be a comprehensive reference for bottle morphology. This page is a work in progress, and the information found here should be considered preliminary until further revisions are completed. Please contact the author for questions and suggestions. This page is copyrighted, and only limited use of it for educational purposes is permitted. All other use is prohibited without the express written permission of the author. Thank you for your cooperation!
