‘The Chelsea Detective’ Recap: ‘A Chelsea Education’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the season finale of ‘The Chelsea Detective’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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It is genuinely fascinating how many diverse views there are out there when it comes to grief and how we process it. For instance, there are those who believe that grief is nothing more than a challenge, one that can be easily conquered if one faces it head on and they do so with impunity and seem to come out of the other side no worse for the wear. But at the same time, there are others who see grief as a sign of weakness, the kind that should be shoved aside so that life can continue along and of course, there are people who simply see it as another event in life, one that you experience and process in the simplest of fashion and move on.
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But what’s amazing is that the diversity of how we perceive grief, doesn’t end there. For there are some who are utterly devastated by it and spend years languishing within its grasp before finally processing what hurt them so and really, the diverse nature of grief serves to remind us… that it is a supremely personal experience. One that we cannot judge or make demands of since everyone will go through it differently. But there is one particular type of grief that we haven’t discussed that should in fact, give all of us pause. For those that seemingly don’t process it in the slightest or experience violent mood swings when confronted with it, do require that someone step in and help them. Because they are struggling to handle waves of emotions and that can lead to disaster, as evidenced by the season one finale of The Chelsea Detective.

For ‘A Chelsea Education’ explored in great detail, the dangers of unchecked grief by presenting Max and Priya and their intrepid team… with another stunning and complex case. For this time around, a well-liked and morally sound educator named Oliver Cowie was violently murdered in his home, with an object from his own study that went missing and well… unlike the previous case, there were no ugly secrets to unwrap regarding Oliver. Because he stood up for students, he did his best to support his coworkers and really his only flaw was that he was a touch too tough on his wife and daughter and demanded they respect his career over any of their dreams. But even that, wasn’t grounds for murder, just tears and frustrations, and some rebelling from Oliver’s daughter, Flo.

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In fact, it didn’t matter which lead the team explored, nothing bad turned up, truly stumping everyone and leaving them to wonder how on earth this crime took place and well… slowly but surely, Max started to wonder if conventional thought was the problem here, and when Max really looked at the clues and realized they hadn’t considered one particular party… it hit him that Flo’s best friend Petal was responsible. For she had recently lost her mother and wasn’t processing her pain and being hit with the possibility that Flo was going to move to Japan, since that was in the works courtesy of Oliver’s position… broke her. To the point where she visited Oliver that night to demand that she lose no more and well… when things didn’t go her way, she snapped and made it clear to all of us, that those who cannot process the pain of losing someone… can and will have their emotions explode, and they need a support network to keep that at bay.
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But while that made for a powerful lesson on the dangers of burying our grief and never processing it in the slightest, there were more incredible moments present within this episode. For this story also took the time to show us some serious growth when it comes to Max and Priya. For DS Shamsie finally figured out how to juggle being a mother, and a wife, and a police detective and made sure that her husband received the support he gave her, strengthening their relationship. As for Max… well he finally learned how to move on from Astrid and how to close those wounds so he could finally find his own way forward. and it was just so satisfying to see these two put some longstanding issues to rest at last and grow before our eyes. Because they are wonderful people that deserve peace, and this should give them some measure of it.

If anything, this was just… the perfect end to the perfect season. Because what better way to close out an unconventional crime drama than with an incredibly unconventional case. One that felt shockingly real and relatable since we’ve all felt or will feel, the rage and unrestrained emotion that Petal experienced here. Because whether you process grief fast or slow… that kind of pain makes an appearance. And the show deserves a round of applause for giving us a case this deep and this intelligent and for once again, bringing up an issue that we don’t think about all that often. Since this kind of grief is grabbing hold of someone right now and skewing their view upon the world, and hurting them badly, and hopefully this story reminds us to just… check in on folks that we know are hurting, to ensure their pain doesn’t consume them, and to remind them… that they are not alone.  

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