Dept Q Review: Absolutely Entertaining in the Best of Ways

Dept Q Review: After DCI Carl Morck is shot in a seemingly freak accident, he is “promoted” to a new task force and handed the duty to solve previously unsolved cold cases. However, this turns out to be the challenge that he probably needed when he picks up the disappearance of Prosecutor Merritt Lingard to solve. Will it solve the shooting at Leith Park?

The series has 9 episodes, each with a runtime of around 60 minutes and is based on the book series by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Dept Q Review

It’s not every day I feel like I need to watch more after binge-watching 9 1-hour-long episodes of a TV show. Thus, imagine my surprise when Netflix Dept. Q, starring the very dapper Matthew Goode and the hilarious Alexej Manvelov, had my mind in a frenzy!

The series showcases a bunch of forgotten detectives trying to solve a disappearance/murder case from 4 years ago. The moment we realise that the prosecutor that we are following at first is actually the victim for our protagonists is when the series gets interesting, so that’s the first episode. However, there’s an intoxicating medley of things in this drama that will leave you hooked. From Carl’s personal problems with his own anger issues and his stepson to his problems at his job, things mesh together with the central mystery at hand effortlessly. There isn’t a moment when I found my attention straying because the series flows effortlessly from one thing to another.

Sure, some of it is too long, sometimes even unnecessary – that’s a given in a 9-hour show. However, it doesn’t seem boring. Merritt’s disappearance is as interesting as watching Carl lose his mind over the smallest, most insignificant things, partly because the direction is excellent and partly because the actors do a fantastic job. Matthew Goode, Leah Byrne, Alexej Manvelov, and Jamie Sives are arresting to watch as the detectives who have smelled the blood. Goode is just so great in his role, and everyone shares such a warm chemistry with one another that they almost feel like family, despite their differences.

However, what I loved the most was the mystery. Merritt’s disappearance is one of the most insane things I have watched in a while because it’s new, but because it twists and turns into so many different possibilities that it’s hard to keep track of sometimes. You think it might be something from work, or something personal… or maybe money-related. But which is it? The possibilities are endless and are also plausible. Everything feels like a motive, and the series holds on to this tense anticipation from start to end. I found myself waiting with bated breath even at the last second, wondering where the series would go from there.

However, what disappointed me was that we somehow forgot about the shooting incident and never solved it? The series makes a huge fuss about it at first, but then just gives up on it altogether for some reason. It’s a little weird, and I was waiting to see who the series would bring forth as the culprit, but somehow the series gives up on that plot.

Final Thoughts

I absolutely loved Dept. Q. It’s thoroughly entertaining and very humorous, and will leave you on edge throughout. The fantastic performances are what make it truly stand out, but the twists and turns are just the icing on the cake.

Also Read: Dept Q Ending Explained: Is Merritt Able to Escape? What’s the Mystery Behind Her Kidnapping?