The Birthday

Eleanor is leaving hints that it will soon be a landmark birthday for her. Sarah just feigns ignorance, like she knows nothing.

As she tells Clare that Eleanor has never revealed her true age. So no one really is supposed to know how old she really is.

However Sarah does have a surprise birthday party lined up for her mother. She has secretly invited her aged friends and told them all to keep quiet about it.

Only after talking with Clare, Eleanor has a mistaken suspicion that her daughter might be carrying on with another man.

The first series finishes with another took genteel episode. There really is not much story to this. There is a nice cameo from Paul Brooke as the mistaken suitor for Sarah.

Eleanor's birthday is fast approaching and Sarah has a surprise party planned, the task at hand is hiding it from Eleanor and her team of aged spies. All her friends are secretly invited, but Eleanor strives to find out what's going on, getting her wires crossed as far as Sarah's concerned.

I like this episode, it benefits from the wider cast, some interesting characters in Paul and Harry. At times some episodes feel a little limited, this feels a little larger somehow.

A nice way to round the first series off, it has some funny moments, some well delivered misunderstandings, and as a viewer you can't help but enjoy seeing Eleanor kept slightly in the dark. Not belly laugh viewing, but a nice combination of humour and sensitivity. 8/10