As the 3rd episode of The Chelsea Detective begins, we see the arena as a Chelsea game continues. Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) leaves the game with his friend Carsten Hughes (Karl Collins) and visits a nearby pub. Steve O’Hara (Che Walker) encourages Siobhan (Sarah Smart) to eat. Once he leaves, he goes to work at Cooper’s Building Supplies as we hear a news report about fights after the game. When his boss approaches, they talk about the game and the possibility of drunks coming through later. Steve receives an envelope containing money. Later that night, he walks around the facility and checks the locks. Back in the guard’s booth, the security camera feeds stop working so he goes out to look around. While he looks around, a knife drops to the ground.

After the intro, Max is shown on the boat while Carsten sleeps nearby. Siobhan checks her phone only to find no messages waiting for her. When the boss, Artie (Craig Blake), arrives at Cooper’s Building Supplies, he is surprised not to see Steve around. Max makes Carsten a drink and they talk about the game briefly before he rushes out the door. Siobhan tries to call Steve because she is worried about him. Two workers find him dead at Cooper’s. Once Max and DS Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry) arrive, Ashley Wilton (Sophie Stone) tells them that the victim’s name is Steve O’Hara. He was likely killed between 1 AM and 4 AM although it is difficult to be precise. Ashley shows them the knife and drugs that were found lying next to him on the ground.

She says there was a mobile phone and Steve likely wouldn’t have lasted more than a few minutes. She hasn’t spotted any obvious defense injuries. Max theorizes about what could’ve happened before Ashley shows him an ID that was found in his jacket. Max says Brinston Close. Max tells Priya they will do the next of kin while Connor and Jess can work on the crime scene and witnesses. Max and Priya visit the O’Hara residence where the nurse warns them it is a bad time. He lets them in regardless. They tell Siobhan about the stabbing before asking whether there is anyone who might’ve wanted to harm Steve. Max takes the nurse elsewhere and learns his name is Paulo Mendez (Ricardo Castro). He wasn’t with Siobhan last night because he only works days.

He left around seven when Steve left for work. Siobhan is asked about the drugs found at the scene, but she says nobody would’ve hurt Steve. She insists he was a hero as Priya looks at Steve’s local hero award sitting on the mantle nearby. She goes on to say he was her hero. She says no several times as Paulo reminds them that she is unwell. They go back to Cooper’s where they talk to the boss who says Steve was the night security guard. He is asked why Steve would leave the premises. He tells them that Steve and Siobhan only live five minutes away and she has cancer. Steve would sometimes visit her when things were quiet and he regularly turned a blind eye to it. Artie confirms they have CCTV cameras before he is asked where he was last night.

Artie says he was at home with family. When asked about the hero certificate, he says that Steve chased a bunch of kids that were selling drugs and made a citizen’s arrest on them. He was very anti-drug. At the station, Priya tells everyone that the attack took place midway between Cooper’s and where Steve lived in Brinston Close. Max wants to validate that Steve often popped home when it was not busy at work. DC Jess Lombard (Lucy Phelps) checked out the local hero thing and found out that Steve chased and caught a gang of teenagers with cocaine. One kid, Finn Davidson, got nicked. Priya wants to follow up with Artie Sylvester. She wants background checks run on Paulo Mendez.

At home, Paulo tells Siobhan he has made up something a bit stronger than usual because she has had a shock and he thinks she needs it. While the police search Cooper’s, Artie gets a phone call that he ignores. Instead, he sends a message telling them to back off for now. The money Steve received from Artie is found and counted. Next, Priya and Max meet with Ashley who tells them about the entry point in the lower abdomen. It likely traveled up through the organs and into the aorta. The angle convinces Ashley that the assailant was very close to the victim at the time.

She shows them how it works before saying there is an injury on the side of his head caused by a blunt instrument that hasn’t been recovered. When asked by Max, Ashley confirms there were no defensive injuries. It was likely someone Steve knew. Ashley says the murder weapon had the dimensions of an ordinary kitchen knife like the one they found at the scene. The blood splatter would’ve been significant. Then, she shows them the keys and wallet that were found at the scene. Although the wallet didn’t contain any money, they found 500 pounds in cash in the portacabin. Max wonders if the suspect panicked before leaving the knife and drugs at the scene.

Priya says that is assuming Steve was buying instead of selling, but he didn’t seem to like drugs at all. Max finds the collection of tattoos interesting although he has never seen the appeal of them. Priya says she doesn’t know. When Max asks whether she has, Priya admits she doesn’t think that is any of his business. Max rides his bike to the scene where he finds a memorial for Steve. A raggedy man arrives to leave flowers at the memorial. Max snaps a picture of the tattoo on the man’s arm. He asks the man whether he was a friend. When the man sees the cops nearby, he decides to rush away from the scene. Max checks the card he left. He finds a note inside saying, “You kept the faith, Steve. We don’t forget you.”

Priya and Nitin (Davood Ghadami) manage to get their baby to fall asleep. She wants to finish painting this weekend because decorating is her thing. After they talk about the color, Priya gets a text with the picture Max took of the stranger’s tattoo. In the morning, Max learns his boat has a plumbing problem when trying to brush his teeth. Ashley’s call interrupts so she can give him information about the initial findings from the crime scene. She says there is nothing exciting to report although the drugs were a mix of heroin and fentanyl. The surrounding area is tricky since it is a waste ground. Astrid (Anamaria Marinca) arrives outside causing Max to hurry up and end the conversation with Ashley.

Astrid says she thought she’d pop in. She asks for a glass of water, but the plumbing problem makes it difficult for Max to give her one. He admits he can’t give her water before she says they need to talk about the business of selling the flat. She gives him brochures from some of the real estate agents while arguing Max buries his head in the sand. She goes on to say they need to move forward to make it seem better before she leaves. Next, Finn Davison (Jack Cooper Stimpson) is brought down to the station with his attorney for an interview. Once Max arrives, DC Connor Pollock (Peter Bankole) gives him a file full of information about Finn. When Max and Priya enter the interview room, Finn complains they’ve been waiting for hours.

In the other room, Jess tells Connor she reckons mommy and daddy paid for his brief. When Finn is asked about Steve, he calls him an interfering idiot who assaulted him in the street in front of his friends and got an award for it. They tell Finn about Steve’s death and ask whether he can explain his social media posts calling Steve a fat idiot and saying good riddance. Finn says that was on a private account. Another from a couple of weeks ago tells Steve to watch his back. Finn is asked whether he is familiar with the 1998 Malicious Communications Act. He asks if that is a thing. Max questions where he was the night before last between 10 PM and 4 AM. Finn claims he was at the Chelsea game with friends who will vouch for him. After the game, some of them went to 404 and spent half the night there.

Besides popping out for a smoke a few times, Finn insists he did not leave. He explains he was only out of the club for half an hour or ten minutes. They keep pushing until Finn says he seriously hopes they don’t think he killed this man. Once they step into the other room, Max says he wants to check out the 404 Club Finn was talking about. Priya and Connor joke about Max knowing nothing about the club. Max wants his alibi confirmed so he asks them to check his social media posts and the others too. They’re interrupted with Max is told he is wanted in the interview room. When Priya and Max go back, Finn admits he popped out of the club around 2:30 and they’ll see that on the CCTV footage.

He went to his girlfriend’s flat to see if she wanted to join them. He knows it was a stupid thing to do. He is only telling them because he thinks it is important to be honest with talking to the police. The next day, she dumped him by text. Finn promises this has nothing to do with Steve. He reminds them that Steve broke his nose because he was a maniac. Since Finn said she broke up with him via text, Max tries to convince him to let them analyze his phone. Finn gives him the phone as the interview ends. Max tells Priya you have to love the entitled, overprivileged offspring of the Chelsea elite. They join Jess who says the local hero scheme was started by someone named Ricky Hopkinson.

His wife’s name is Diana and they live in Cranfield Gardens. Artie said Steve had a day job working at the Chelsea Nursery which is owned by Diana. Connor tells them that the CCTV cameras from Cooper’s were switched off at 3 AM on the night of the murder. They suspect Steve turned it off before he went home to see Siobhan. When Connor mentions the 500 pounds in cash they found, Max recommends he talk to Artie again since there is something he isn’t telling them. Max says Ricky Hopkinson (Nigel Lindsay) is what they used to call a well-known local businessman. Connor meets with Artie to tell him about the CCTV being turned off at 3 AM. Artie claims that was typical of Steve since he thought it was safe to pop home when the CCTV was turned off although he never checked.

Connor asks how he knew to turn it back on when he was spotted on camera at 7:58 in the portacabin. Once Connor asks why Steve would have 500 pounds in cash, Artie says he has no idea. He says Steve might not have been the sharpest knife in the box, but he was a lovely man. Then, he confesses he might’ve covered for him too many times when he went to see Siobhan. Max and Priya visit Diana (Rebecca Front) and Ricky. Diana tells one of the workers to go to the front and only let people in who are genuinely interested in gardens. After sitting down, Ricky and Diana learn they’re investigating the death of a local man. Diana remembers Steve as the man who caught those teenagers with drugs.

Ricky claims they hardly knew him, but his wife reminds him they felt sorry for him and gave him work at the nursery. They have no idea why anyone would want to harm Steve. Diana says they worked late trying to get ready for the opening day. Ricky tells his wife they’re not asking for an alibi because they’re not suspects. He insists they were here all night and never left home. Moments later, Olivia Arnold (Frances Barber) arrives outside and steals all of the pamphlets for the garden. Ricky admits he started local hero because of Steve and the fact the police don’t have the resources to keep up with everything. When Max asks what his line of business is today, he says it is import, export, and strategic investments.

Ricky promises everything is aboveboard. He reaches his hand out to shake Max’s and we see a distinct tattoo on his arm. He leaves and Olivia enters to complain about the ghastly people using opening day to advertise their overpriced garden center. She reveals she volunteered to take photos for the best-tended herbaceous border prize. Olivia and Priya convince Max to be another judge before Olivia asks how his boat is. She agrees to pop around tomorrow night as she leaves. Priya tells Max how charming his aunt is. Ricky asks Diana what that was all about. She doesn’t know but complains that is what comes with giving people like Steve jobs.

At the station, Connor says he didn’t get anything from Artie. Max wonders if anyone believes anything Artie says. Connor has also found some interesting CCTV footage from around the O’Hara flat. They watch the CCTV footage which shows Steve confronting someone and pushing them against the wall. The boy runs away. Max says we all know who that is and Priya agrees. While sitting outside, Max and Priya talk about palliative care and how the caregiver can get close to their patient. They confront Paulo when he steps out. They show him the footage and explain it was the day before the murder. Priya asks what they were arguing about. Paulo admits he didn’t approve of what Steve was doing which was to buy drugs illegally to supplement the pain relief.

Siobhan listens from the window as Paulo explains he was giving her heroin. He claims he was at home with his partner on the night before last. They go inside to ask Siobhan about Steve coming home from work to check on her, but she says he never did that. She asks whether they’re suggesting that Steve was doing something wrong. Siobhan suggests he might’ve chased down someone he saw selling drugs, but it isn’t her job to work out what happened. She admits it isn’t going to bring him back anyway. At the office, Connor checks on Jess who reveals she had a date tonight. When Connor argues he’ll understand, Jess asks who said it was a guy. Jess goes back further into the CCTV footage and finds Paulo meeting with someone and possibly exchanging something.

Connor shows her a list of all registered UK nurses and Paulo isn’t on that list. Jess gets a message on her phone before admitting it was a promising bloke after all. At work, Artie hears something and decides to go investigate. When Priya and Max arrive, they find that the gate isn’t chained. Artie is attacked by the man who left flowers at Steve’s memorial. Max catches up with Artie and removes the wood from on top of him. At the police station, he tells the others that the man was the same one he saw at the crime scene. Connor is asked to see if Artie is well enough for an interview. Jess confirms that Finn’s alibi checks out. Since there is no way he could’ve been near the scene of the crime, his picture is removed from the board.

Artie has already discharged himself meaning he is well enough to talk to them. Max and Jess interview Paulo about the meeting they found on CCTV. Paulo says cancer is hard and people don’t always die peacefully in their sleep. Max believes he hated seeing her suffer so he asks what he was up to. Once Connor and Priya approach Artie, he makes it clear he doesn’t want to press charges. He reveals it was Steve’s friend Taffy Clarke (Dermot Keaney). Paulo tells the detectives that Steve was furious, but Siobhan asked him to do it and even gave him the name of the dealer. He claims he didn’t want to get anyone into trouble, but Jess believes it has something to do with the fact he isn’t registered.

Paulo explains he is a qualified nurse in Brazil so he is just waiting for his UK license to come through. Max accuses him of breaking the law, but Paulo says he is fulfilling a need since people don’t want to care for terminally ill patients. Artie claims Taffy harassing him for a job. He refused because Taffy is a drunk and he barely knew him. He doesn’t know Taffy’s second name. Connor doesn’t believe him and accuses Artie of selling drugs with Taffy and Steve, but Artie says it had nothing to do with drugs. Artie eventually admits that he and Steve were selling excess stock for cash. He thinks Taffy found out and wanted to use it to twist his arm. Siobhan knew nothing about it. As for Taffy, Artie isn’t sure where they can find him.

Since Taffy did some work at the posh garden with Steve, they might be able to help there. Paulo tells Max and Jess that he was at home with his partner although they’ve already talked to him. When he is asked about the dealer, he writes down Marac Ata. Paulo says he better get back to Siobhan now, but Max isn’t going to let that happen. He claims nursing is better off without him if that is his idea of care. After the interview, Max gets a phone call and agrees to meet someone. He asks Jess to follow up on the Marac Ata lead. He mentions Taffy’s name to her too. Jess shows him Paulo’s bank records that just came in. They show that he has been paid regularly by CHAPS payment. Once he sees where the money came from, he says he is going to go buy some plants.

While riding with Priya, Max asks whether she thinks Artie’s building scam is unrelated to the murder. He gave them some names to check out, but she’d be surprised if anything turned up. They arrive at the nursery and begin asking for Diana. Meanwhile, Connor and Jess meet with Marac Ata (Cengiz Dervis) who leaves with them. Diana tells Max and Priya that most people hardly knew Steve. She admits Taffy worked here from time to time, but he was unreliable so they had to let him go. Moments later, Diana retrieves Taffy Clarke’s information on the computer system for them. Max snaps a picture while saying he remembers when the Chelsea Nursery was a flower stall off Kings Road. He asks Diana what she knows about Siobhan. They show her a picture of Paulo and ask whether she knows him.

Max explains that Paulo has been on her payroll for the last six months. Diana claims it is a gesture so they shouldn’t read too much into it. She says her husband is barely involved in the business. Diana begins to worry they suspect her of attacking Steve O’Hara herself. Marac is brought to the station and shown the footage of the exchange between himself and Paulo on May 23rd. They think he understands English and that this isn’t his first time in a police station. He asks to see the footage again before saying it could’ve been anyone. Marac denies knowing Paulo while questioning whether he is someone they can trust. Jess tells him about Steve O’Hara and the situation involving his wife. He is also asked where he was on Saturday night.

After accusing them of just rounding up the foreign guy, Marac says he was home as usual. He can’t prove that because he lives alone and doesn’t stay up all night making phone calls, but he allows them to take his phone to see if they can find any connection between himself and Steve or Paulo. Once that ends, Jess and Connor regroup with Max and Priya. They aren’t sure they’ll find anything on the phone and they still haven’t found Taffy. They followed up on the stuff with Artie and do not think there is any connection to the murder. As for the Hopkinson couple, they’re waiting to hear from fraud since there is a web of interlinked companies that they’ve been trying to disentangle for a while. Max tells them they need to score some goals before he returns to the boat where he goes over the evidence.

Then, he receives an email containing the Ricky Hopkinson fraud report, but Olivia arrives before he gets the chance to open it. As they share a drink, Max asks if she remembers the photos she sent him from the open gardens day. Once he asks if she has more from a similar angle, she says yes and hands him her camera. He begins looking through the pictures while Olivia pulls out a paper about his flat being sold. Max insists he isn’t selling. Olivia tells him that as you get older you learn it is better to be together than on your own. Although Jane drove her mad, Olivia still missed her when she was gone. They agree that he and Astrid were right for each other, but Max says they’re not anymore. Diana begins packing stuff into a bag. Siobhan tries to call Taffy only for his phone to die when he tries to answer it.

Taffy takes a drink of alcohol and leaves his phone on the bench. When Ricky finds his wife outside burning stuff in a barrel, she tells him she is cleaning up his mess as usual. Later that night, Max sends Astrid the picture of the ad to ask what it is. He sits down to look through the evidence and notices the tattoo. He zooms in on the tattoo and uses a photo editing program to uncover a different tattoo under Ricky’s. The next day, he meets with Carsten who is busy teaching a girls’ soccer team. Carsten admits he didn’t put much money away during his best days so he is coaching the girls for less money now. Max wants to ask him about Chelsea tattoos. When he shows Carsten the tattoo in question, he is told it means you’re a member of the Chelsea Headhunters which are violent, racist thugs. There weren’t many black players back then. Carsten admits many members had respectable jobs. The soccer practice ends shortly after that.

At the station, Max tells the others that Ricky, Steve, and Taffy are all linked to the nursery and the Chelsea Headhunters. Connor is surprised to hear that Max spoke to Carsten Hughes who was his idol when he was a kid. After that, Priya and Max meet with Siobhan to say they’re pursuing various leads. They ask whether she has friends around to support her. Siobhan asks why she would want friends when Steve was her friend. When asked about the Headhunters, Siobhan doesn’t give them a clear answer. Then, she is asked about Taffy Clarke. Siobhan reveals his name is Brennon Clarke. She tells them she is going on because she is ill. Priya admits to Max that it is hard to put pressure on someone in that position. Max wonders if she is using her illness to dodge their questions.

Priya theorizes that Steve met with someone in the middle of the night who sold him drugs and that person killed him. Max asks about her flat which she owns jointly with Nitin and what they’d do if they had to split up. Priya says she has never thought about it. Max says you don’t think about these things although they do happen. He says you can solve murders, but he isn’t sure about relationships. They visit the St. Anthony’s Refuge in hopes of tracking down Brennon. Once they find him, he says they give him a bed at the hostel. He explains that they started calling him Taffy after an away match in Cardiff when things got lively and someone ended up in the hospital.

He knows Steve, but he wouldn’t know if he was in the Headhunters. Steve got dragged into some stuff at work by Artie who is a bad lot. They suspect that is the reason Taffy attacked Artie and sent him to the hospital. They learn about Siobhan trying to get in touch with Taffy after Steve died although he had lost his phone and job. Priya asks where he was on the night Steve died. He insists Steve was his friend. After the game, Taffy got into a scrap and ended up spending the night in Fulham nick. He blames it on the drink and suggests this is why he comes to church to pray. Later, Max talks to Astrid about putting the flat in the Chelsea Gazette after she said she wouldn’t do anything. She claims it was a mistake.

She thinks they have to do something since he is still paying half the mortgage and the rent on the boat. An agent tries to rent or sell one of the boats nearby as Astrid reveals she found a new flat down by the stadium. She says they need a plan. Max says they had a plan when they exchanged vows on it, but she argues they’re going to need a plan B. Once she leaves, Max does inside and turns on the music to bother the estate agent. Later, he finds an article about hunting the Headhunters twenty years after Copenhagen. After finding out that hooligans marred the final game in Copenhagen, he contacts Priya. He says he found something about a Leeds family looking for answers after the Istanbul violence.

He sends her the picture from the report and asks whether she sees any familiar faces. Priya responds by saying she got it before the call ends. Priya jokes with Nitin while Max continues looking through photos. The next day, they pick up Ricky while Jess and Connor bring in someone else. Ricky is placed in the lobby at the station while Jess confirms Connor is ready. Max gives her the word to go for it. Connor enters with Marac who looks at Ricky for a bit. They watch on CCTV as Marac sits down next to Ricky who he seems to recognize. In the interview room, Max tells Ricky they want to talk to him about the battle of Copenhagen.

He is shown a picture of himself with Steve many years ago despite saying they only met a few months back. When he denies knowing Marac Ata, he is warned that he could be in trouble for withholding information and wasting police time. They talk to him about his violent history and doing time inside when Max was on the fraud squad, but Ricky says it was a stitch-up. He has questions to answer the fraud squad now, but they want to know about the Headhunters and Steve. Ricky claims they were just kids back then. He says he felt sorry for Steve who he describes as being a hanger-on. Ricky paid for Siobhan’s care and wouldn’t have a motive to kill him. He can’t believe Steve ever got Siobhan Taylor. Max is surprised to hear that last night.

Connor asks Ricky to sign out at the station while Max and Priya rush to see Siobhan. Connor asks Ricky whether the fans used to make monkey noises when Carsten Hughes and other black players were playing. Ricky asks if he can go and does. Marac follows him out. Max asks Siobhan about the match in Istanbul in 2000. There were two fans stabbed to death and a third fatality that emerged later. It was her brother Vince Taylor. Priya notices that a knife is missing from the kitchen. Max claims the English firms agrees to sink their differences and went to the final in Copenhagen to take revenge. Steve, Taffy, and Ricky from the Chelsea group were there. She is shown the picture with her sitting to the left. Max says a fight broke out with a gang of Galatasaray supporters.

One of the men was Marac Ata who has walked with a limp ever since. Ricky got a swim while Marac tries to find a way to enter his property. Siobhan says Ricky was responsible for beating Ata while Steve was beaten so badly that he was in the hospital for weeks. As a result, they could never have children. She is sitting on Ricky’s knee in the picture because she loved him. She knew she couldn’t have him so she had to settle for Steve. When asked how she found Marac, Siobhan says they knew the gangs that killed Vince and they tracked them. Ata, who was the ringleader, showed up in London selling drugs in autumn. It was her idea to kill Ata and she would’ve done it herself if she had the strength. She confesses she waited 20 years and planned the whole thing but should’ve known Steve would mess it up.

As for the Taffy, he wouldn’t help. He let her down like everyone else. Ata stands at the edge of the pool as Ricky swims laps. Diana sees him and rushes to call the police. Max arrests Siobhan for conspiracy to murder Marac Ata, but she admits she doesn’t care. Diana runs outside to try to stop Ata who is busy holding Ricky’s head underwater. Connor and the others arrive in time to stop and arrest Ata. Ricky screams he should’ve finished him off when he had the chance and he is the innocent victim here. Max isn’t sure about that since his friends in the fraud squad have issued a warrant for his arrest. Later, Max says Ata will use a self-defense argument for Steve, but Priya says that won’t work for the attempted murder of Ricky.

She says once a thug always a thug before they agree that Connor did well. Priya feels sorry for Siobhan weirdly enough. She can’t believe it is such a mess over a game of football although Max says some people think football is a matter of life and death. When Priya finally returns home, she finds that the room has already been painted. Max talks to Astrid on the phone about moving before he spots Carsten on the deck of his boat. They agree to share a drink and celebrate a strong finish to Chelsea’s season.

 

The Chelsea Detective Review

I’ve said it all along and I’ll say it again, The Chelsea Detective is just far too long. The runtime is excessive without any good reason whatsoever. Midway through, I found myself looking elsewhere for something to occupy my mind and keep me entertained. The episode was a bit messy with the show trying to tackle so many different subjects, including racism, hooliganism, cancer, revenge, and so on.

If I hadn’t watched it at a snail’s pace, I likely would’ve been confused before the episode was over. The character relationships don’t always feel organic especially those outside of the investigations. The detectives don’t do a lot of investigating since most things are uncovered through conversations besides Ashley’s scenes. The episode had a lot of red herrings that ended up going nowhere although they did help drag it out to an hour and a half.

On the other hand, the scenery is great because it really shows off the beauty of the area. I am always hesitant to watch The Chelsea Detective because it takes a few hours just to recap. That is likely the biggest issue of all. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of The Chelsea Detective can be found on Reel Mockery here. Learn how to support Reel Mockery by following this link.