Dept. Q - Worth watch

Dept. Q 

is a British crime thriller web series available on Netflix. It has a total of nine episodes. I started watching it casually just to pass time, but it slowly pulled me completely into its world. Let’s see how it feels overall.

The story does not begin in a typical way. Detective Carl Marck and his partner Eddie go to a house where a dead body has been found. While they are examining the scene, the killer who was hiding there suddenly comes out and shoots all three officers present. Yes, three people. Even the constable Anderson, who gave the information and was guarding outside, gets shot. Eddie takes the worst hit, the bullet tears through him and exits after grazing Carl’s face and neck. Eddie becomes permanently paralyzed. Carl survives without major physical damage, but mentally he is shattered. Whenever someone talks about the shooting, he slips into depression and sometimes violently lashes out at people. That incident affects him deeply.

But that is not the main story.

Carl returns to duty because he wants to find the man who shot him. However, since he cannot officially investigate his own case, the department decides to create a special arrangement. They do not want to waste his detective skills, but they also do not want him causing problems inside the department. So the government creates a separate unit inside the police department itself as Department Q. In reality, it is basically a forgotten basement office near the public restroom area. Carl is the only person there at first.

The reason is simple. Carl never properly listens to others. Either he interrupts them, corrects everything they say, or turns every conversation into an argument. Even with his superior Moira, he behaves the same way. That attitude is exactly why they isolate him there. Still, Carl slowly turns even that miserable place into his own space.

Now comes the question, what cases will they even give him? Moira sends all important cases to higher officers upstairs. Carl only receives impossible cold cases that have remained unsolved for years. But Carl is not an ordinary officer. Even with all his attitude problems, he knows exactly how to get what he wants from Moira. The first thing he demands is an assistant because he cannot read mountains of old files alone.

That is when Akram enters.

Akram becomes Carl’s sidekick. Just speaking with Carl itself is difficult, but Akram slowly impresses him and earns respect through pure hard work and intelligence. Akram used to be a police officer in Syria, but here he works only as an assistant, not even an official officer. Even then, the way he handles situations constantly makes us go wow.

Then comes Rose. Right now she works like a stenographer in the department, but earlier she was an active detective handling crime scenes. After accidentally killing an elderly couple in a car accident, she was demoted. Since she can no longer tolerate her current job, she specifically requests to join Carl’s Department Q. Now the team is complete. They may not always get along, but this strange combination becomes the heart of the series.

Another important presence is Eddie himself. Even though he lies paralyzed in the hospital unable to move his legs, Carl and Rose regularly visit him and discuss the investigation with him. Slowly Eddie also becomes involved and starts helping them with valuable insights.

Now the actual case.

Among the many unwanted files pushed onto them, one case becomes important almost by accident because of a lie Akram casually tells. That case is the disappearance of Merritt Lingard. She is a lawyer with many enemies who wanted her dead. Yet for four years the case has gone nowhere. The file has basically been gathering dust.

Before disappearing, Merritt had gone on a ship trip with her younger brother William Lingard after losing an important case in court. William is mentally challenged and struggles to communicate properly. CCTV footage clearly shows Merritt arguing with him on the ship. But after that, there is no proof that she ever left the ship or fell into the water. That mystery itself becomes the core case.

According to Carl and Akram’s theory, Merritt may still be alive or maybe not. From there, the investigation slowly explodes into something much bigger, uncovering disturbing truths and dragging the entire department into chaos. What begins as a cold case turns into a massive rabbit hole.

By the end of all nine episodes, the biggest feeling is disappointment that it ended so quickly. The series leaves a strong impact and makes you immediately want the next season. If another season comes, it is definitely worth watching.

Before that, watch this season first. There’s a high chance you’ll enjoy it too.

Families may want to avoid this one.

See ya!