eve-christmas_1024x576Is it a wonderful life for Eve on her first Christmas?

Emma Reeves’s first Christmas special for Eve maintains the blend of humour and drama that the series demonstrated so well in its first season. Beginning with what appears to be a parallel world version of our heroes, things turn out – as you might expect – to be rather more complicated than that. Along the way, Reeves incorporates tropes from A Christmas Carol, It’s A Wonderful Life, and many more familiar films of the season.

Unlike some Christmas specials, this is an integral part of the ongoing storyline. If you’re a fan of the show, you certainly need to see it – as a number of hints are given about the direction of season two, and certain things tied off from the first year.

As ever, the episode is built around a strong performance from Poppy Lee Friar, who at one stage has to return to the Eve we met in the first episode. There are also great moments for Oliver Woollford and Eubha Akilade, although it does seem a bit odd that a teenager is better at some of the necessary computer skills than two apparent experts!

The importance of family is at the heart of this series – whether people are blood relatives or not is irrelevant. This certainly bodes well for the second series coming soon.

Verdict: A highly enjoyable half hour. 9/10

Paul Simpson