Father Ted (TV Series) The Plague (1996) User Reviews

water - feck!

[dwf · 10/10 · 7 June 2006]

One of the very best of this sublime series.

Father Ted is to my mind the finest comedy produced in the British Isles since probably Fawlty Towers. The stand-out character for me is Father Jack and he gets much to do and say in this. It also has Len Brennan, which is a plus.

The plot revolves around Jack's nocturnal perambulation and the offence caused (eldery priests should not roam naked at night), Dougal's new pet and it's renowned breeding habits and Len's rabbit phobia.

Dougal has fun finding a good name and decides on 'Father Jack Hackett'. Jack's response when offered water to drink is priceless.

Pure laughter.

One of the best, I seem to keep saying that, but this one is a scream.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 19 December 2020]

The Plague is another of my top three episodes, surreal, bawdy humour, with laughs galore.

A madcap story, Father Jack is walking around in the nude at night, Dougal has a new rabbit, called Sampras.

Don't call me Len!!!! Bishop Brennan was perhaps the only serious character in the show, brilliant actor, even he isn't able to deal with The Craggy Island regulars, and get away unscathed.

The whole fear of rabbits scenario is a so funny. The writing is incredible.

It's a joy to rewatch.

surreal laughs

[claudecat · 6/10 · 8 October 2007]

This is my favorite "Father Ted" episode, of the few that I've seen, because it really seems to break new sitcom ground by adding a heavy dose of surrealism. The credits are different than usual, as the characters watch a TV show that is suspiciously like "Father Ted", and laugh at the idiocy of the characters. The main storyline concerns Father Dougal's acquisition of a pet rabbit--unfortunately on the day a rabbit-fearing Bishop arrives.

The silliness of the characters, which can sometimes make for predictable plot lines, works very well when combined with such unexplained events as a mysterious plague of rabbits, because the priests are just woolly-headed enough to make their way in an illogical, unreal world without too much inner adjustment. I laughed a lot at the photography, as the characters are inundated with bunnies. You really can't get much cuter imagery than piles of rabbits. "Father Ted" generally seems mostly to be a rather gentle comedy, despite its subversive attitude toward religion, but this particular episode is unusual and brave, in its own way.