There is a type of TV show episodes that I like very much – the ones when the characters are in a confined space for the entirety of the episode. They are very rare because they hard to write and pull off I think, but often the result is great.
I have three examples. The first one I saw, was the episode in Breaking Bad where Walter and Jessie were cleaning equipment because it was contaminated by a fly. They spent the whole episode in their new lab, talking about feelings, more or less like therapy. At least this is what I remember from it. At the time, I was very impressed they pulled off such an episode. It’s not surprising that Bryan chose this episode, to make it as a play.
The second one I saw a few months ago – the one in Seinfeld where they spent the full episode waiting for a table in a restaurant. They’ve used this episode to ironically criticise themselves, how the show is about nothing, but to me, this episode is one of their best. Even in this limiting setting, they were able to create good stories and keep it interesting.
The third one is a bit different from the others because it wasn’t that “confined”, but still, the chosen location is very close. The one where they spent the entire episode, searching where they parked. Of course, having such a big place as a setting, allowed for more rich stories, so this one is a bit easier to do than the others.
I know that such episodes can be considered as cheap or fillers, but to me, they are the hardest to make good because they require a lot of creativity and a good acting.