10 Brilliant TV Bottle Episodes

10) Community – Cooperative Calligraphy

In case you’re still not sure what a bottle episode is exactly, we recommend you seek out this episode of Community, where the characters themselves are fully aware of their situation, openly declaring that “We’re stuck in a bottle episode!” The show has always been extremely self aware with its unique brand of humor, but “Cooperative Calligraphy” takes this to a whole new level.

The aim is simple. The gang need to find Annie’s missing pen and no one is allowed to leave the library until they do. While this may seem somewhat insignificant in the grand scheme of things, this basic premise reveals more about each of the main characters than perhaps they themselves wanted to know, all while remaining hilariously bizarre throughout.

Abed sums up the story perfectly, offering a uniquely succinct description of bottle episodes in general while he’s at it:

I hate bottle episodes. They’re wall-to-wall facial expressions and emotional nuance. I might as well sit in a corner with a bucket on my head.

Bonus points to Abed for the disturbing revelation that he keeps track of everyone’s menstrual cycles.