"The Daily Telegraph" described the episode as displaying "an exhilarating flair for rapid change of comic gear" and commented positively on the scene in which pilgrims descend on the Meldrews' home. Rupert Smith in "The Guardian" called the episode "a satisfying ending to a series that never went out of its way to be cheerful", referring in particular to the open-ended scene of Margaret dropping the paracetamol into the glass. However, "The Independent"s Robert Hanks criticised the transitions into the flashbacks for being "clumsily signalled" and said that the direction and score of the paracetamol scene was not equal to the quality of the writing and acting.