Ep 6. The Plague

Father Ted is an Irish sitcom that aired from 1995-1998. The show follows the daily lives and misadventures of Father Ted Crilly, Father Dougal McGuire, and Father Jack Hackett in their parish of Craggy Island.

In season 2 episode 6 titled "The Plague," Father Ted, Father Dougal, and Mrs. Doyle are all excited to have a weekend away from the island as they have been invited to stay at a luxurious spa hotel. However, their joy is short-lived when they discover that a case of what appears to be the bubonic plague has been reported on Craggy Island.

The trio goes through a range of emotions when they realize the hotel they were supposed to stay at has the same name as the place where the reported case was found. Though they are initially suspicious and apprehensive about their weekend away, they eventually decide to go, since they were assured that the hotel with the same name is not the same one that they were invited to.

However, their trip takes a turn for the worse when, upon arrival at the hotel, they find themselves in the midst of a mock-presentation of a murder mystery. Despite the absurdity, the friends decide to join in on the fun. They were assigned characters and given specific roles to play. However, Ted and Dougal immediately find themselves out of their depth and threatened by the severity of the game when one of their fellow guests is actually killed.

Soon after this, the hotel is put under quarantine; there is no way in or out, and the friends are stuck with the other guests and crew. They all become increasingly paranoid and ludicrous as the hotel manager, trying his best to keep everyone calm, insists the case being mistaken for the bubonic plague. Thus, it is only a matter of time before everything spirals out of control.

As the murder mystery game continues, the guests start to become more and more eager to get to the end. The format of the game is not conducive to continue as they end up blurring the lines between the pretend and the real. The race heats up, and things escalate quickly as the guests try to work out who killed their fellow participant. Amidst the murder, the hotel's chef is suspected of poisoning the spread of food that night. With this theory gaining ground, the atmosphere becomes unbearable, with guests now raging among themselves, frustrated with the lack of food and the lack of communication with the outside world, the true misanthropic attitudes of the individuals come to the fore.

Throughout the chaos, Father Ted tries to calm everyone down and solve the mystery. However, unaware that the scenario has been hijacked by a deranged madman who has decided to use the situation to get revenge on those who have wronged him in the past, Ted is also forced to carry out physical tests to prove their innocence.

Despite the darkness of the situation, the episode is peppered with plenty of funny moments. It's an episode that tries to make light of the current hysteria created by the pandemic/coronavirus but reminds us of how quickly things can escalate. In keeping with the show's humor, it's done so in a way that doesn't make light of the actual epidemic but still subtly underlines the importance of remaining calm and not to panic.

"The Plague" is one of Father Ted's best episodes that effortlessly combines the sinister with the absurd. The episode is hilarious, but it is also a reminder of the strength of humanity, despite the madness that surrounds it.