The Baby – The episode begins with Paul Wickstead/Wicky (Greg Davies) arriving at his first cleaning of the day. Although the house appears normal enough, a brief conversation with a man working in the garden, Donald (Steve Pemberton), suggests it will be anything but. By the time Wicky realizes Donald’s unhealthy fascination with the owner, Lara (Gemma Whelan) she’s overhead the lion’s share of their conversation and Donald is long gone, leaving Wicky to make a fool of himself.
Donald will randomly show back up as if nothing happened when Wicky is directed to the Sheppard’s House to begin the cleaning. Donald resumes his earlier sexual tirade as Wicky realizes Lara has given him the wrong key. Rather than accuse her of making a mistake with the key, he decides to ask for some water and search for the key himself while inside. Wicky catches a break when he arrives at the main house and discovers Lara preoccupied on a call with her assistant. Wicky eventually overhears the two making plans for an upcoming flight, which he advises against in her pregnant state. Before that happens though, he will experience another embarrassing mishap with the wayward kitchen plumbing that leaves him soaking wet. Luckily a delivery van will soon provide him the escape he needs to begin searching for the key.
Wicky’s situation only worsens when trying to be helpful, he answers Lara’s left-behind phone and has a conversation with her even more overbearing mother, Caroline (Vicki Pepperdine). By the time their discussion has ended, he’s making Lara a cup of hot, sweet tea. Getting her to drink it is a much different task altogether and learning that Caroline is now on her way over is enough for Lara to run off to an impromptu hair appointment.
Donald will approach once again when Lara speeds off from the driveway. Donald’s learning that Caroline is now coming over only infatuates his sexual urges further. Caroline certainly isn’t happy to learn that Lara popped out to the stylist but immediately attempts to put Wicky to work in the nursery. He’ll try to explain that he’s there to tend to the Sheppard’s Hut but her attention is already turned to his wet clothes, which he eventually makes him take off so she can wash and dry them.
As Wicky awkwardly stands in the kitchen in nothing but a towel, he’ll learn more about the failed suicide. It’s not long after this that he accidentally reveals Lara’s plans to fly to Munch, which he was expressly told not to share with Caroline. This discovery sends Caroline jetting off with Lara’s passport. Before leaving she will tell him to be a man because it is a man that her daughter needs. Something about that particular rebuke and the nursery paint still sitting on the porch inspires him to paint the nursery. After slipping into Lara’s bathrobe, he tackles the task and does a decent job. Lara even appears impressed when she returns to see what he’s accomplished. That is until she realizes he’s painted the laundry room instead of the nursery.
Although Wicky is now finally able to return his attention to the Shepard’s Hut, he still can’t get in. This soon won’t matter because Lara has just learned about the missing passport. Lara not only eventually browbeats him into revealing the truth about the passport, but he’ll also reveal what he’s learned about her ex-husband. Much to his surprise, Caroline way over romanticized the story and Lara sets it right. Perhaps now in the reveal mood, Wicky also admits that he can’t get into the hut. As it turns out, he’s had the right key all along but there is a bit of a trick to opening the door.
Despite the scene in the hut not being shown not being revealed, Wicky’s reaction indicates it must be especially bad. Lara ends up cleaning the hut and when Wicky steps in to give the job his final approval, he inadvertently locks them inside. Donald is nowhere to be found when he’s actually needed but matters only get dramatically worse when Lara’s water breaks. By the time Wicky discovers the skylight and begins climbing out of it, Lara is mid-birth. He’ll slither and muscle his way through the opening, while Lara gives birth. It’s only seconds later that they are in the main house’s kitchen admiring the new life in Wicky’s arms. Thanks to Wicky Caroline will also return but she isn’t the only one. Donald’s wife, Marge (Fiona Mulvaney), who he’s been claiming died the entire episode, turns up as well to let him know that she’s leaving him. She will blame it on his inability to perform sexually.
The episode ends with Wicky returning home to PS Ruth Edwards (Zita Sattar), where they will debate their decision not to have children. Ruth apparently thinks they made the right decision.
The Cleaner Review
I wasn’t enjoying the overall baby theme of the episode as much as I was the reunion, but the symbolic birth scene in the hut tied everything together nicely for me. All in all, this was a decent episode and Wicky certainly gets his fair share of shoe leather. I honestly can’t say I was enjoying Donald’s role much either until the very end. It was nice to see his wife turn up and put him in his place. He was a bit over the top the entire episode, as were Caroline and Lara. Still, not a horrible watch and I’d give it a 5.3 out of 10.
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