Every Inside No. 9 Episode Ranked From Worst To Best
15. Sardines
Plot: Some guests at an engagement party play a claustrophobic game of Sardines, in which many terrible secrets and hidden truths are unearthed.
Location: A bedroom in a country house.
The first ever episode was very much a sign of things to come.
A fabulous cast? Check. A fully-realized story world? Check. Great jokes? Check. A haunting finale? Check. A fantastic script? Double check.
Sardines triumphs as a superbly-written, hysterically funny and terrifically-acted domestic comedy that, despite mostly being set in a cramped wardrobe, still gets a huge amount out of this limited setting.
Looking back on it, Sardines also has some issues. It doesn't feel quite as tightly-written as later episodes do and the third act twist isn't built-up to enough, but given that this was the first episode, such flaws are understandable. Besides, this remains a remarkably assured and confident debut for Inside No. 9.