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Inside No. 9 is a British television series created by writers and actors Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith. This dark comedy and thriller series first premiered in 2014 and has been highly acclaimed for its unique storytelling, unexpected twists, and diverse themes.

Each episode features a standalone story with different characters, plots, and themes, but they all take place in a setting related to the number "9," such as a No. 9 apartment, dressing room, or box, making this a signature element of the show. It was even officially concluded in its ninth season this year.

The series boasts a wide range of styles, encompassing comedy, thriller, suspense, horror, and tragedy. Some episodes are lighthearted and humorous, while others are chilling or thought-provoking. Almost every episode concludes with an unexpected twist, which is one of the reasons I enjoy it so much.

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The Sardines Game is a party game similar to hide-and-seek, commonly played at family gatherings in the UK. The rules are as follows: one player hides first, while the others take turns searching for them. When a player finds the person hiding, they join them in the same hiding spot. This continues until all players have found and joined the group, eventually squeezing together in one spot, resembling sardines in a can, which is where the game gets its name. In this episode, it takes place during an engagement party held at Villa No. 9. Following the rules of the game, the guests enter the wardrobe one after another and begin chatting. Through their conversations, a shocking crime gradually comes to light: the owner of the estate, who is also the father of the bride-to-be Rebecca, is a pedophile. He had previously made Rebecca bring her classmates (young boys) home to play this game, using it as an opportunity to commit abuse. Carl (Rebecca's brother), John(He hasn't bathed since he was a young boy.), and young Pip were among the victims.

As almost all the guests crowd into the wardrobe, the door is locked from the outside by Pip, who is disguised as Ian, a colleague of the groom-to-be. Pip pours gasoline on the carpet and sings the eerie nursery rhyme, "The Song of the Sardines." Inside the wardrobe, panic erupts.

The participants hiding in the wardrobe include perpetrators, accomplices, and victims from the past. Pip's act of burning them all together has thus sparked controversy. Pip might be no longer concerned with whether others are innocent; he is solely focused on avenging himself against the father. Alternatively, he may believe that the silence and cowardice of other victims enabled the father’s unchecked cruelty, which he sees as a crime in itself. Either way, we can see the devastating impact childhood abuse can have on a person's inner world.

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A Quiet Night In tells a humorous yet dark story in the style of a silent film.

The story takes place in a luxurious modern house, where two clumsy burglars, Eddie and Ray, break in, intending to steal a priceless painting. However, the night is full of unexpected events, and their plan continually falls apart.

At first, they discover that the homeowners—a wealthy couple in the middle of a heated argument—are still at home, contrary to their expectations. The burglars have no choice but to tiptoe around while stealing the painting, creating a tense yet comical game of cat and mouse. After finally managing to take the painting, they replace it with a napkin and hang it back on the wall—the so-called masterpiece turns out to be a blank piece of paper, a detail that sets up the ultimate irony of the story.

When the couple finishes arguing and returns to the house, the real painting is accidentally locked inside the suitcase of the wife. Unbeknownst to everyone, the wife is actually a man in drag, forced to maintain the disguise by her husband to conceal his true sexual orientation. She places the suitcase key in her pocket and goes to take a bath. Eddie sneaks into the bedroom to steal the key but, in the process, discovers her true identity. Just as the “wife” emerges from the bathroom, Eddie hides under the bed panically, where he stumbles upon a gender-neutral inflatable doll. This reveals that, while the "wife" has sacrificed herself to dress in drag for love, "her" original sexual orientation remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, the husband downstairs wrestles with his emotions and initially contemplates suicide but ultimately decides against it. However, he notices a shattered photo frame of the couple (unintentionally broken by the burglars) and, consumed by rage, shoots the "wife." At this point, a man posing as a deaf and mute cleaner arrives, offering his services. The husband uses tomato sauce to cover the bloodstains and lets him in to clean.

The story reaches its climax on the balcony. Hearing a noise outside, the husband steps out, just as the burglars attempt to drop the suitcase containing the real painting from the second floor. The suitcase accidentally hits the husband, killing him instantly, before falling into the pool, where the painting sinks to the bottom.

The ending is steeped in dark humor. In fact, the deaf cleaner is another thief. He takes the opportunity to shoot both Eddie and Ray, then smugly steals the "napkin masterpiece" hanging on the wall. Meanwhile, the real painting remains forever lost at the bottom of the pool...

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This episode stands out for its unique filming style, using surveillance footage to show us four different spaces. The main character, Andy, works as a phone counselor, offering emotional support. Because of this, he deals with an overwhelming amount of negativity every day. Despite his colleagues warning him not to get too emotionally involved, Andy's strong sense of empathy makes it hard for him to shake off the calls.

One day, he receives a call from a woman named Chloe, who is contemplating suicide. Andy does his best to comfort her, but she ultimately decides to end her life. This leaves Andy devastated, so much so that during the next call—from an elderly woman looking for her lost cat—he becomes impatient and treats her quite rudely. What Andy doesn't see coming is that the elderly woman takes her own life because of his harsh response. Her grandson, seeking revenge, gets a job at the same company and ends up killing Andy. To make things even worse, it turns out the suicidal woman, Chloe, was actually part of a cruel prank orchestrated by their twisted boss. The boss's twisted behavior is also rooted in the toll of listening to others day after day. In Andy's final call, the boss explains that he has always been the one listening to others, but no one has ever been there to listen to him.

Like other episodes of Inside No. 9, this one continues the show's love for twists. Toward the end, I kept guessing which company employee Chloe might turn out to be, and the reveal was nothing short of brilliant. In addition, it explores themes of humanity, empathy, and mental health, highlighting an important lesson: no one can continuously bear the weight of others' negative emotions, not even as part of their job.

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This episode is incredibly unique. To surprise the UK audience, the official team even tweeted in advance that the originally scheduled fifth episode would be replaced with a quiz show. And the teaser poster is also quite subtle in its expression. At first, viewers were easily fooled because none of the familiar faces appeared in the episode. However, as it progressed, something felt off—this was definitely no ordinary quiz show. This was unmistakably Inside No. 9!

It is set against the backdrop of a quiz show called "3×3," featuring three teams of contestants. Each team consists of three members: the first team is made up of members from the same choir, the second is seemingly an ordinary family of three, and the third is a couple with a complicated relationship.

As the game progresses, the mother and daughter from the second team stand out with an uncanny level of coordination. Katherine, the daughter, seems to have telepathic abilities. Things get heated in the final round when the two clash over how to spend the prize money—Katherine wants to travel and be free, but her mother insists on using the money to build a basement to keep her locked up. Therefore, in the final question, Katherine deliberately gives her mother the wrong answer. Furious, her mother snaps, saying she should have "destroyed" Katherine at birth—a weird choice of words for talking about a person. Katherine then uses her telekinetic powers to trap her mom in a glass chamber and crushes her head. Given that the mom is a clinical researcher, it’s heavily implied that Katherine might actually be some kind of experiment, which explains her powers.

The style of this one is similar to Stranger Things, which is also about supernatural phenomena and superpower. I am always a big fan of this kind, no wonder I like 3 by 3 so much.

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Started with a classic suspicious vibe of Inside NO.9, the tense plot eventually goes to a profound ending concerning death.

The narrative structure of the story unfolds through 12 significant "days" in Christine's life, with each scene representing a pivotal moment. These "days" are separated by months or even years, and this jump narration creates a sense of tension for the audience. However, by the end, everything is explained.

These 12 days include Christine's romantic relationship, marriage, childbirth, family issues, loss, work, and friendships. Through these fragments, we essentially witness Christine's entire life. As the "days" pass, Christine's memories become increasingly disjointed, and the scenes grow more surreal. She begins to see mysterious shadows and hears strange sounds, as if being reminded of something she has forgotten.

And the fact is that Christine actually died in a car accident on the very first day of the story. The seemingly continuous 12 days are merely a rapid reflection of her life flashing before her eyes in her final moments. This concept is strikingly similar to the Chinese term zoumadeng (走马灯), which refers to a phenomenon where a person sees a montage of their most unforgettable and significant life moments right before death.

In the final scene, Christine realizes that she has died, and her family and friends are mourning her at the site of the car accident. She walks toward the light.