Scorchin' Summer Streamin' 26 - Dept. Q - Season One

From the writer and director of The Queen's Gambit, Matthew Goode stars as DCI Carl Morck - a brash, but brilliant detective leading a cold case unit in Edinburgh. 

Dept. Q , a nine-part crime procedural series, created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani, based on the book series Department Q by Danish writer Jussi Adler-Olsen. 

Another May 2025 series I missed when it originally streamed on Netflix.

Last August, it was renewed for a second season. Thank gosh, cause hot damn, season one was Scottish fire!

Top-rated detective Carl Morck is returning to police work. He has recently been involved in an ambush shooting, in which he was badly wounded, his colleague and friend James Hardy was paralysed and a young uniformed police officer was killed. 

Morck receives a muted welcome since his colleagues generally regard him as arrogant and asocial (which he is). Morck is also required (against his will) to attend therapy sessions for the after-effects of the shooting.

The Scottish government has decided to temporarily concentrate on unsolved crimes, believing that successful outcomes will generate good headlines that improve public opinion regarding the police force. Morck's hard-pressed and under-resourced commander, Moira Jacobson, is offered a substantial budget to set up a new unsolved crimes unit. 

Preferring to use most of the budget for her own department and current cases, she assigns Morck as the sole officer dealing with a large number of cold cases. Morck is given a semi-derelict basement office/bathroom to work in, the former Shower Quarters of the police station, thus the Q in the series title.

Civilian employee Akram Salim, a Syrian former policeman looking for more challenging work, quietly insinuates himself into Morck's basement and is tasked with organising case files. 

While doing that, he suggests investigating the missing Crown Office solicitor Merritt Lingard. Joined by a recovering Hardy and young constable Rose Dickson, the misfit team begin looking into Lingard's disappearance – the main case investigated during the first season of the series.

This season was totally addictive. A number of people recommended this to me, so now is my time to finally catch up!

If like me you are late to the Dept. Q party. Do NOT read on.....

In the ninth (and final episode) a video of the deeply disturbed Lyle's youth counselling sessions reveals that his unstable mother often locked her sons in the chamber. 

Cunningham, who always believed that Lyle killed Merritt, finds her and is furious to discover they have kept her in a hyperbaric chamber for four years. 

When Cunningham says he cannot let this go, Lyle bludgeons him to death. Dept. Q questions William, who identifies Lyle both as his attacker and the man in the cap. 

The real Sam found Lyle to make amends, but Lyle killed him, staged his death as a climbing accident, and assumed his identity. 

Lyle and his mother abandon Merritt in the chamber with rising pressure, but Carl and Akram return to Mhòr and search the Jennings' property. Finding Cunningham's body and the chamber, they are ambushed by Lyle, and Carl is shot protecting Akram, who disarms and kills Lyle. 

Merritt is rescued and reunited with William, while Ailsa shoots herself to escape police on the ferry.

Three months later: In return for his silence on Burns' corruption, Carl blackmails him into increased funding for Dept. Q, a new car, and making Akram an official detective. 

Carl meets Merritt, choosing not to reveal his identity to her. James returns to work, now walking on crutches, as Moira considers assigning him to the still unsolved Leith Park shooting.

So bring on season two. I haven't watched many Scottish series before, but this was fire! Tomorrow Palm Royale wraps its disappointing second season, while Power: Force concludes Tommy's Power tale. Then Sunday, Landman wraps its brilliant second season. With more Demi Moore, this season has had it all. Great!

See you soon besties.