The anti-Santa!
Having saved the life of a suicidal fellow-priest, Ted gets a call from Father Buzz Cagney in Los Angeles, inviting him to work with him. Ted is excited but lacks the heart to tell Dougal, Jack and Mrs Doyle that they cannot go with him. However when Ted learns that his prospective parish is actually located in a run-down and violent part of LA he decides against going — much to the relief of the others — and resigns himself to the fact that he will probably never leave Craggy Island.
Tropes featured in the episode
- Bait-and-Switch: One of the parishoners, discussing Ted's latest sermon.Eugene: Ah Father, that sermon today. [Beat] Frankly, it bored the arse off me.
- Body Horror: Jack, as usual. This time his horrible nails.
- Credits Montage: Sees out the episode and the entire series, before returning to the parochial house as Ted and Dougal wish each other good night.
- Driven to Suicide: Father Kevin, until Ted talks him off the window ledge. And then back again when Father Kevin overhears Radiohead. The original script ended with a depressed Ted joining Kevin on a ledge as the final gag.
- Eagleland: Very much the second type. A Hollywood-style priest called Buzz Cagney, whose parish rakes in millions a year and allows him serving girls in his luxurious parochial house, tries to con Ted into being the priest in an area of LA riddled with gangs.
- Gangsterland: Where Ted nearly ends up.
- Imagine Spot: When Ted can't bring himself to tell Dougal, Mrs Doyle and Jack that they can't come to America he imagines them as a Beagal, a little girl and a singing grandad-type respectively. He finds the last example so unbelievable that he goes for a lie down.
- Literal-Minded: Ted's reaction to what Buzz says he does with $400...Buzz: You know what I do with $400? I wipe my ass with it.Ted: Good God. And can that still be used as legal tender?
- Mistaken for Gay: Buzz thinks Dougal and Ted are a couple.
- Oh, Crap!: Ted, realising he'll be sent to a parish in a violent area of Los Angeles and not a glamorous one, demands the plane stop and let him off. Buzz corrects him that the planes hasn't moved yet, but he leaves anyway.
- Pet the Dog: Ted tries very hard to cheer Father Kevin up while playing Ludo, even not-so-subtly hinting to Dougal to play along with letting him win.
- Running Gag: Ted's fluffy bottom, which even Buzz over in the States has heard about.
- Shout-Out: When Ted discusses a fictional Harrison Ford film with Dougal, the details mentioned are identical to those of Firestorm, a fictional film previously described by characters in Seinfeld.
- Status Quo Is God: Ted, who had previously got to leave Craggy Island only to be sent right back there, has another chance to leave, but does not do so.
"Night, Dougal."
"Night, Ted."
