It takes a particular type of tenacious human being to doggedly pursue clues long after things have stalled, and Netflix‘s latest crime thriller, “Dept Q,” based on the book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen and adapted for television by “The Queen’s Gambit” creator Scott Frank, revolves around a brilliant but vexing detective. Detective Chief Inspector Carl Morck (a brilliant Matthew Goode) is talented, sarcastic and wholly unlikable. Following a horrific incident that destroys what’s left of his emotional stability, he is assigned to a high-profile cold case that forces him to confront his inadequacies. Highly disturbing and thrilling, “Dept. Q” is both a mystery and a psychological examination of how personal pain points seep into our psyches and bleed out when least expected.
“Dept. Q” opens on a seemingly ordinary day in Edinburgh, Scotland. Carl and his partner, Detective Chief Inspector James Hardy (Jamie Sives), speak to a young police officer before entering a house for a routine wellness check. Showcased through the perspective of the patrol cop’s body camera, the audience quickly realizes this check-in isn’t quite as straightforward as the men had initially anticipated. In the living room, an older man has been stabbed to death. As Carl berates the rookie about checking the other room, a gunman comes in firing, leaving all three men in a pool of blood.
Elsewhere in the city, Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), a prosecutor, argues her latest court case. A wealthy shipping magnate is accused of murdering his wife, and Merritt feels she has all the evidence to get him convicted. However, as the trial progresses, Merritt can sense the jury losing confidence in her argument. Additionally, she’s being inundated with cruel emails and texts threatening her life and the case. Despite these menacing warnings, Merritt, who lives an hour outside of the city and cares for her mentally disabled brother William (Tom Bulpett), is not one to ask for help.
Flashforwarding four months, Carl returns to work. He’s healed physically, but his mental health is frayed. Viewers learn the rookie cop is dead, and Hardy remains paralyzed as a result of the shooting. Moreover, Carl’s colleagues at the police precinct aren’t exactly thrilled with his return. Tired of his brash attitude and terrible bedside manner, his boss Detective Chief Superintendent Moira Jacobson (Katie Dickie), exiles him to the basement, making him the sole member of a newly formed government task force, Department Q. Desperate to distract the public from an ever-worsening clearance rate, Carl is tasked with solving the disappearance of a high-profile public servant who vanished four years prior.
From here, “Dept. Q” slices between Carl and Merritt’s storylines. Carl quickly becomes fixated, determined to solve a seemingly unsolvable crime. Instead of confronting his feelings about his near-death experience, he lashes out at everyone, including coworkers and potential witnesses. In that same vein, the threats against Merritt grow increasingly disturbing and intense, even after the accused murderer is acquitted.
While Merritt is determined to act as a lone wolf, Carl unwittingly teams up with Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov), a Syrian immigrant who works in the precinct’s IT department and has secrets of his own, and Detective Constable Rose Dickson (Leah Byrne), a young cadet who had been previously sidelined. The unlikely trio begins working backward, reexamining the missing person’s case and trying to determine what avenues and signs were previously overlooked. “Dept. Q” is engrossing because its pace and narrative structure portray the detail and patience needed to bring an investigation full circle.
Additionally, because the show sheds light on Carl and Merritt’s personal lives, the audience is privy to the haunting nature of this type of work. Though overlong at times, the nine-episode series acts like a complex maze, unfurling the mystery behind the missing person, the web of lies surrounding the shooting that injured and emotionally scarred Carl and who is terrorizing Merritt.
While Merritt retreats inward, increasingly paranoid and wary of everyone, including her colleagues and even her brother’s caregiver, Carl is vicious and brash, bulldozing his way forward. In contrast, Manvelov’s Akram has a calm and unassuming viciousness as he often strikes without warning, throwing witnesses and suspects off-kilter.
“Dept. Q” is deeply intense and complex. Its twists and turns don’t always pay off, but overall, the series is a riveting watch. Merritt is forced to confront a past she thought she’d outrun, which in turn leads her to examine how her choices have affected her brother. Also, as Carl and his team draw closer to solving the mystery, they begin to reconcile the personal and emotional cost of the investigation. Dark with neo-noir elements, the series’ central mysteries are riveting, but its characters make it a standout.
“Dept. Q” is now streaming on Netflix.