The girls are dreading a big exam and jump at a dubious opportunity to get out of it, especially as it involves spending time with Sexy Priest Father Peter.
Tropes
- Bait-and-Switch: The episode opens with Erin in tears as she stares at a photograph of her grandfather, talking about how she can't believe he's gone forever and that she shouldn't have to sit the exam the girls are desperately studying for. It turns out she's talking about the dog her grandfather's holding in the picture, Toto.
- Berserk Button: Don't mention his bingo rival Maureen Malarkey around Granda Joe.
- Dog Got Sent to a Farm: Inverted Trope. Mary gave away their pet dog, and to prevent Erin from protesting over it, said the dog had been hit by a car.
- Ethereal Choir: Played for Laughs. This can be heard when Michelle shows Clare the top shelf penny candy she got for being a "celebrity".
- Faking the Dead: To cover for the fact that she's given the dog away, Mary tells everyone Toto was hit by a car, and goes so far as to bury an empty cardboard box in the garden.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Name-dropped by Erin in reference to Mary lying about Toto's death; because she lied about it to everyone, and gave the dog away to someone her father despises, she is unable to do anything about Erin and her friends lying about the weeping statue.Erin: Let me put it this way. I have locked my mother in a cage designed by her own art. Oh, she has been well and truly hoist by her own petard.
Michelle: Could you put it another way? I didn't understand a word of that.
Erin: Sort of blackmailing her. - Hot for Preacher: The whole crew (save Clare and Sister Michael) are quite taken with Father Peter. When they first lay eyes on him, they all stop, stare, Eating the Eye Candy.Michelle: [gobsmacked] Fuck. Me.
Orla: I like his shiny hair.
James: So do I. I really like his shiny hair. - I Can Explain: Inverted; Erin begins to make excuses for what she thinks is the reveal of her lie about the weeping statue, only to discover that the box she'd dug up is empty, inadvertently confirming her story as true.Erin: Listen, I can... [looks down into empty box] No, actually, I can't. I can't explain.
- Mass "Oh, Crap!": After a sleepover that should have been spent revising, Michelle opens the curtains—revealing daylight.Clare: Sweet suffering Jesus, it's the morning already! What are we gonna do?
- Must Have Caffeine: Clare chugs two dozen energy drinks to stay up studying, and ends up a jittery basketcase.
- Personalized Pledge: When Erin talks about how she saw her dead dog resurrected and leading her to the chapel, her mom Mary makes her swear on a framed portrait of Dolly Parton that she's telling her the truth.Mary: If you are lying, Erin, so help me, Jesus...
Erin: I'm not lying!
Mary: Swear. Swear on Dolly. - Prayer Is a Last Resort: Upon following a dog to a church, Clare prays to Mary in desperation to pass the history exam. The other girls join in, accepting that it can't hurt, and that's when they see the "miracle".
- Remember the New Guy?: Erin's beloved dog Toto has never been seen or mentioned before this episode.
- Rewatch Bonus: Clare's a lesbian. When this episode was filmed, her actor, Nicola Coughlan, knew, but the other actors did not. In the rapid pacing of a sitcom episode it's easy to overlook how Clare seems confused and vaguely annoyed by her friends' infatuation with Peter, but in hindsight it's obvious.
- Sins of Our Fathers: Michelle blames James for how much history they have to study.Michelle: If your lot had stopped invading us for five fucking minutes, there'd be a lot less to wade through! English prick.
