The Plague (Father Ted)

"The Plague" is the twelfth episode of *Father Ted* overall and the sixth in the second series. It marks the second of three appearances by Jim Norton as Bishop Len Brennan.

The episode opens with a fake title sequence parodying the show itself, where "Ted" is replaced by "Ben." Dougal watches this on television, calling the character Brendan an "eejit," while Ted mocks Ben as "a big thicko." The real credits then roll. Later, three people explore a forest at night; a snapping sound is heard, and their flashlight reveals an unconscious, nearly naked Jack.

Back at the Parochial House, Dougal acquires a pet rabbit he names Sampras, citing "that whole tennis-rabbit connection." Meanwhile, Jack has taken to sleepwalking naked, alarming a friend of Bishop Brennan. The Bishop demands new security measures and plans a visit. However, Brennan has a phobia of rabbits, stemming from a bad experience in a lift. Ted and Dougal try to hide Sampras, but fail, and more rabbits mysteriously appear in the house.

Desperate, Ted and Dougal attempt to stash the rabbits at a greyhound track and offer them to Father Larry Duff, who now owns twelve Rottweilers (Larry is then bitten and dragged out of sight). They also ask local psychopath Tom to "look after" them—meaning he wants to kill them, starting with beheading. None of these plans work. When the Bishop arrives, Ted shows off Jack's security: a cage, barbed wire, straitjacket pyjamas, a tracking device, and cameras. Brennan notices a rabbit hutch (Ted claims it's for growing lettuce), rabbit droppings (Ted calls it caviar), and Mrs. Doyle carrying water and lettuce (Ted drinks the water and eats the lettuce). The Bishop goes to bed.

Ted realizes Dougal left the rabbits in the spare bedroom where Brennan is sleeping. After distracting the Bishop, they find the rabbits gone, suspecting they followed Jack due to a scent. While Ted is distracted, Jack escapes his restraints, and the rabbits follow. Ted spots a rabbit entering the spare bedroom, and he and Dougal sneak in to retrieve them before the Bishop wakes. They are too late: Brennan wakes, turns on the light, and sees himself surrounded by rabbits, with a naked Jack beside him in bed. Ted claims it's a "bad dream," and the Bishop lies back down, only to wake up screaming in horror as the episode ends.