The Reliable Witness – As the episode opens, Pickard’s arborists prune trees in front of Charlotte Twist and Iain Frankland’s (Dominic Mafham) practice. Iain complains about the noise while shutting the window. Charlotte suggests he take the weekend off. He claims to be booked before rushing out before his next session begins. As Charlotte leaves the practice, Ross Pickard (Neil Morrissey) tells Tony Donner (Bluey Robinson) that the “weirdo,” Nathan Dix (Joshua James), is back. Tony looks around to see a man standing on the sidewalk. Ross and Nathan watch Daisy Philips (Sophie Melville) approach the Practice.
DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) plays the organ when the power goes out. Astrid Fischer (Anamaria Marinca) calls to inform him of an impending delivery. He agrees to go to her flat in exchange for Marzipan.
Iain reminds Daisy of it being her final session. She hesitantly admits to being ready for love before he switches off the camera. Outside, Ross watches as Daisy walks away from the Practice. Elsewhere, Max deals with Astrid’s furniture delivery.
Letitia (Esme Scarborough) finds Daisy crouched in her room. Daisy assures her that she is fine. Letitia suggests they talk when she returns from Bath.
Upon arriving at the office, Iain demands Ross move the chip box truck because it is too close to his car. Ross says it is time for lunch. Ross tells Tony that he is going to put up fliers around the neighborhood. Inside the office, Iain steps away from a video session with Khalid Hassan (Esh Alladi). Reappearing, Iain’s head is bleeding causing Khalid to panic.
DS Layla Walsh (Vanessa Emme) fills Max in on the victim, Iain. Ashley Wilton (Sophie Stone) suggests a lamp was utilized to bludgeon Iain. Layla says the police received a complaint from Khalid who denies witnessing the assault. She points out that the assailant searched the drawers but it doesn’t appear anything was taken.
Later, Max interviews Charlotte when DC Connor Pollock (Peter Bankole) reveals a “Rot In Hell” letter posted to Iain. Charlotte suggests it was Iain’s client, Nathan who got progressively worse after his meds were stopped. She adds that Nathan was arrested for trying to access the office without authorization.
Layla and Max inform Martha Frankland (Charlotte Emmerson) of Iain being murdered. Shocked, Martha claims to have been at home all day. She says Emma Frankland (Gala Wise) possibly went for a run after getting up late. Holding up Nathan’s photo, Max asks if she can identify him. She denies knowing his name but is aware of a trespasser. He shows her family photo with “Rot In Hell” on the back. Looking at the same photo on the fireplace mantel, she questions if the assailant has been inside their home. She says it is her profile photo. She voices concern about being stalked when Emma approaches and inquires about Iain.
DC Jess Lombard (Lucy Phelps) informs Max that Nathan was last staying at a Shepherd’s Bush hotel. Max says Iain was killed between 11:30 and 11:55 when Pickard’s arborists were on lunch. He tells them that the workers reportedly saw a man who fit Nathan’s description lingering around the day before. Later, Max and Layla video chat with Iain’s OCD client, Khalid in front of his flat. Khalid assures them that Iain would never interrupt a therapy session until it was an emergency. He cannot identify Nathan’s photo. Max receives a call from Jess regarding Nathan staying with his grandmother in Belgravia. Visiting the address, Max and Layla find Nathan and his grandmother. Max points out that Nathan has an injury. The grandmother says it is from cutting. Nathan denies sending hate mail before asking if Iain blamed him. He pleads to speak with Iain. Max informs him of Iain’s death. Nathan screams.
The grandmother claims she and Nathan were together all day. She explains their daily routine which includes a trip to Bannerman Health. After searching Nathan’s room, Max drops his gym bag with freshly laundered clothing in a chair. Mrs. Dix says all sweaty attire is washed after workouts. Nathan admits to knowing it was wrong to visit Iain last summer but only wanted to apologize for making him mad. Mrs. Dix adds that he was arrested for harassment. He explains how he slipped in with other clients and waited until Iaian’s session ended. Ferguson (Robert Pickavance) escorts Nathan to his room.
Max tells Jess and Pollock that Nathan’s parents punished him by locking him in a cellar. The parents deemed the 6-year-old’s punishment, “House Arrest.” He says when Mrs. Dix helped Nathan get his own apartment, he stopped taking his medicine. Layla tells them that Bannerman Health’s facial recognition security confirms Nathan and Mrs. Dix’s visit. Jess says Iain’s only in-person therapy session was with Daisy Philips who isn’t answering her phone. Charlotte calls the police station to request authorization to access client files from the crime scene.
Charlotte suggests Martha and Iain had issues with Emma. She describes Iain as an “alpha,” he was very sure of himself.
Letitia, Jess, and Layla find an unconscious Daisy on a sofa. Pills and a note – “I’m sorry Spike. I wish I could have waited” – are on the nearby table. Later, EMTs put Daisy on a gurney in the ambulance. Layla informs Letitia that Daisy is breathing on her own. Letitia claims Daisy saved money to ensure she got the best treatment. She tells them that Daisy was raised in foster care where she endured some bad things. She says Daisy’s therapy was nearing an end and she met Spike.
Max informs Charlotte of Daisy’s attempted suicide. Charlotte claims Iain was delighted with Daisy’s progress. At the police station, Layla and Max view Daisy’s therapy tape. Jess suggests Daisy doesn’t have the strength to bludgeon Iain. Max assures her that it would be possible if Iain was caught off guard. He says the motive could be related to impending discharge from therapy. Layla describes her as “optimistic” like Letitia said. Pollock discovers a therapy video with a reflection of Ross in a glass photo frame. Ross is staring inside the office during one of Charlotte’s therapy sessions.
Jess and Pollock arrive at the crime scene to find Tony working alone. Tony tells them that Ross is at Arthur’s Café. Pollock finds Ross having a meal. Back at the crime scene, Tony claims he and Ross were on lunch when Iain was attacked. Jess asks who was pruning trees before lunch. He says, “Ross.” Back at Arthur’s Café, Pollock shows Ross his reflection in the video. Ross sarcastically asks if he is supposed to be blindfolded. Jess says it could be “voyeurism.” Ross claims to have heard Charlotte calling Iain a “lying bas**rd” about an hour before he was killed.
Charlotte tells Max that she and Iain had an agreement if one of them dies, the other takes their clients. Max points out that Iain’s client list was twice that of hers. He asks if Iain’s rates are higher. She claims her rate is “client variable.” He asks if Iain’s clients continue to pay the higher rate. She says for the time being. She admits to arguing with Iain after he took one of her referrals. She says he boasted of being better suited for the case. She describes Iain as a “greedy egotistical bully” with a “God complex.” She claims to have been home searching real estate agents when Iain was killed. She admits her plan was to leave the practice if Iain didn’t die.
Emma is sobbing in the tub. Martha tidies up her bedroom when she discovers their family photo with “I Hope You Die” written on the back.
Max arrives home to find Astrid on the sofa. He thanks her for dealing with the electrician. She gives him a box of marzipan before leaving. He views Daisy’s therapy video in which she talks about fleeing Petershill. She and Spike stayed in an abandoned caravan which she describes as a “sanctuary.” Max’s power goes out when Ashley calls to inform him that the murder weapon is the lamp. She suggests the murder was not planned. She says foreign blood was detected on the head wound.
During a phone call, Max describes the electrical service as “botched.” Later, Emma arrives home to find Max and Layla there. Seeing the photo with “I Hope You Die,” she accuses Martha of calling the police because Iain isn’t there to tell her what to do. At the police station, Emma says sending the card improved her mood. She admits to despising Iain for having an affair with her 16-year-old friend.
Emma Frankland tells the authorities that he ended it immediately. He told her he was grateful that she’d saved him from himself. Emma claims he begged her not to tell her mom. He swore he’d never do anything like that again. As far as Emma knows, he never did so she kept his secret. Layla Walsh asks when she started sending the hate mail. Emma thinks it was around six months ago after they had a fight about her anger issues, but she only sent three in all. She never sent one because he ended up killing himself first. Emma insists she didn’t kill him or hire an assassin.
She isn’t stupid enough to send out a calling card before murdering someone. When Max asks about her friend, Emma calls the woman her ex-friend and reveals that she shagged her father. Later, Layla tells Max that Emma’s friend is named Mandy Cho. She left about 18 months ago and now lives in Australia. DC Jess Lombard tells them that Daisy is off their list because the toxicology suggests she overdosed before Iain was murdered. DC Connor Pollock informs them of a domestic burglary at 22 Havelock Street while the owners were away yesterday. CCTV footage shows the suspect dressed as a Rush Order driver. Connor mentions Ross Pickard before revealing his sidekick Tony Donner has a conviction.
Ross Pickard is brought in for questioning and asks about David Slinn. Max tells him that Slinn has an alibi since he was robbing a house down the road at the time. Ross interrupts to say he wouldn’t raise a hand to anyone. Jess asks him what he did for roughly a grand a month. Ross says he only passed on anything that might be useful. Max accuses him of robbing 50 Havelock Street only to find Mr. Frankland working the bank holiday. Ross insists he was on lunch break. He knew Mr. Frankland was working because they had words about his car earlier. Ross tells them to ask Tony who will back his story.
When Tony is questioned, he insists he knew nothing about it. He got wasted and nicked a car when he was 19, but he knows he is a good person. Connor asks him about being at the food trucks with Ross around the time Mr. Frankland was murdered. Tony calls that a lie because the food trucks aren’t there on a bank holiday. He brought his own food in and ate it by the river. Then, Ross says he got his days confused but he didn’t murder anyone. Max asks where he was yesterday. Ross refuses to comment. Later, Max suggests checking the CCTV by the river although Layla believes that could be very time-consuming. The suspects are allowed to go for now.
Max watches Tony tell Ross he hopes he goes down. Tony gives his vest back and says he’d rather work in the sewers than work for Ross. Max takes an urgent call from Ashley who has the results from the foreign blood on the victim’s head wound. There is a match to Nathan Dix. When they raid his house, they find evidence that he might’ve grabbed a knife before fleeing. Martha apologizes to Emma and admits he should’ve given her the benefit of the doubt. Emma says Martha never questioned whether Iain could’ve been wrong, but Martha is adamant he knew better than she did. Martha says she needs her. Emma believes it is too late.
She reminds Martha that she put her faith in one man and it left her with a bunch of fake memories and a nut job for a daughter. Connor informs Max that Jess and Layla are following up with a police sighting. Max tries to get information from Mrs. Dix who insists she was with Nathan all day. After she tells Max about being at the gym with Nathan, Max tells Connor to check the gym’s CCTV cameras. Then, Mrs. Dix says Nathan might’ve had open wounds from self-harming although those wounds were bandaged. After they go swimming, she always removes the wet bandages and redresses the wounds at home. Ferguson interrupts to say there was a deep laceration.
When they returned, the bandage was gone and Nathan said he’d been bad. Ferguson says Nathan is a good boy who had bad things done to him. He believes Nathan is only capable of hurting himself. At the station, Connor tells Max that Mrs. Dix attended her pilates class and Nathan slipped out the service door. He was picked up on CCTV in the lane behind the gym with a bandage on. He returns the same way 45 minutes later and goes for a swim. A camera also picked him up on Quay Street 20 minutes before the call was made to report Frankland’s attack. The video shows Nathan, who still has his bandage on, walking past Khalid Hasan before Hasan gets into a taxi.
When they approach Khalid, he says he was feeling so much better so he was planning to surprise Iain by attending his session in person. There were guys doing work on Havelock Street and creating a lot of dust. Khalid panicked and ran away. He didn’t tell them previously because it didn’t seem important. After Max shows him a picture of Nathan, Khalid confirms he ran into him. Max gives everyone an update back at the station. Connor reveals someone named Spike has been calling Daisy Philips who is making progress. The calls were traced to a burner phone. According to her therapy tapes, she claims to have lost touch with Spike years ago.
A frustrated Max returns home to find that his lights aren’t working. He is confronted by Nathan who says he went to the police station but was worried he’d be arrested. Therefore, he just followed him back there. While Nathan is distracted, Max calls Layla so she can listen to their conversation. She learns Nathan claiming he did not hurt Iain. Nathan says he wouldn’t hurt him because he loved him. While Max talks to him about how his blood got on Iain, Layla rushes out so she can help. Nathan wanted to tell Iain that he was back on his meds and he could start seeing him again. He went yesterday and the day before as well.
Nathan explains that he went in and there was no one around. He went up and saw Iain sitting in his chair calling out to him. Iain had hurt his head so Nathan took off his bandage. Nathan reveals that Iain gave him a talisman and knew about house arrest. Nathan believes he saved Iain’s life so he saved his. He threw the bandage in with the dirty towels but thought the amulet would stop him from getting caught. Layla hears Nathan take the phone and end the call. Max tries to convince Nathan to put the knife down. Nathan lets Max see the amulet that was in Iain’s hand. He sees a picture of Daisy and says she was so happy to see him. Nathan says she just kept hugging him before officers storm the boat and Max grabs the knife.
Max tells Nathan that he believes him. Then, he thanks Layla for being there and picking up the phone. Max shows Layla the carabiner that Nathan took and suggests Iain must’ve pulled it off the attacker. It is the kind used by climbers and tree surgeons. Ross is brought in for another interview. Layla gets a call from the hospital confirming Daisy is out of danger. Connor shows them a video of Daisy leaving her session with Iain and the tree surgeons packing up for the day. Tony approaches her and they hug. They wonder if Tony is Spike. They try to find Tony. When they enter his home, they find an envelope for them with what appears to be an SD card in it.
There is also a note that says, “He deserved it.” They watch the videos on the SD card and see that Iain was using unconventional techniques to try to get Daisy to overcome her intimacy phobia. Max tells the team to get a car ready because he knows where he is. They find Tony with Daisy and arrest him. Tony claims he wants to confess. He says prison convinced him that there was only one person in his life who mattered. She was gone from the home when he got out, but he knew he’d eventually find her. He couldn’t believe it when he saw her, but she was in bits because Iain raped her. Layla knows what Iain did and it is not Daisy’s fault.
All Daisy wanted was the tape back so Tony went to get it. He just lost it. Tony is glad he is dead. He says he’ll do his time, but he will never stop loving Daisy. She calls him Spike and admits he is what has been missing all this time. Martha apologizes to Emma who knows she should’ve told her about Mandy when it happened. Charlotte says Iain was responsible for his actions. Ross tells Jess he is glad this proves he isn’t a murderer. She reminds him he is still a thief. Jess goes back to Max to tell him that his mate Davie Slinn sang like a diva. Ross was holding the ladder while Slinn did the job on Havelock Street. He’s been linked to three other jobs in the area too.
They discuss whether Tony’s predicament is fair. Max gives them money for drinks even though he is going to pass. Later, Max joins Astrid so they can watch an old movie together. He wonders if he should book a motel, but Astrid tells him it is fine. Max notices that Astrid gets a call from someone named Richard. She steps out to take the call.
The Chelsea Detective Review
While this was genuinely a decent episode of The Chelsea Detective, the pace and runtime are not complementary. Truthfully, the runtime means that the episodes are always going to be incredibly drug out, slow, and tedious. The same content could’ve been covered in 50 minutes or less and it would’ve been far more impactful.
On the plus side, Joshua James did a good job of portraying the troubled Nathan Dix. The investigation and subsequent arrest were pretty standard for a crime drama and that includes the many twists and turns along the way. The performances are good enough as usual, but no one is given the opportunity to really shine.
That could be different if the show would focus on Max’s personal life a lot more. After all, there is an hour and a half to juggle here and a lot of it should be dedicated to other things besides the long-winded, grueling investigations. Truthfully, there isn’t much to set this episode apart from others. The Chelsea Detective is just a bloated copy of Father Brown, The Sister Boniface Mysteries, and others. The primary difference is that The Chelsea Detective overstays its welcome so its issues are often much harder to ignore.
The episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Chelsea Detective are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here.
