Dept Q SPOILERS Thread

[xsquared]

This thread is for those who have already seen Dept Q in its entirety and want to discuss the plot, as I know that the other thread is still getting new viewers.

OK, now that I've seen it all, we're still non
the wiser about who shot Mork, Hardy and Anderson.

I am loving Akram and want to know what he did in Syria!

Moira was talking about the man who shot Carl, ie the shooter.

Ha ha, forgot that bit! 🤣

I think he meant something altogether different. It is a hook for a subsequent series. By looking at Merritt he has confirmed that she is someone he has an as-yet-undisclosed interest in. Don't forget that it was he who dug out her case file and suggested it to Morck the Dork. He inveigled himself into the police force to do precisely that, I think.

Perhaps it relates to Merrit's mother, who disappeared at some point? Or to the huge wealth of the family, which must have some plot significance going forward.

Is he tracking down someone/something from his Syrian past?

I assume this is just your theory, or have you read the books? I don't think Merritt will be in another series. That case is done. I can't think why there would be any connection between her and his past in Syria.

Personally, I also thought he meant he knew it as in, he knew she was alive when suggesting reopening the case to Mork, even though he thought she was long gone.

Just finished this. Did anyone else find it really jarring and scary to see morck and akram proceeding through the warehouse place without guns drawn like we are so used to seeing in these cop dramas? It just seemed weird, surely detectives have some kind of weapon?

Also, why so many terrible haircuts? How come the real and fake sam haig both had the same awful flicky mullet? And dont even get me started on that young police guys hair lol. As if he would be taken seriously with that. And the decor of the head office? I guess they were going for a kind of 70s vibe. Still enjoyed it though, and as a previous poster mentioned, it fed my Matthew Goode crush that I've had since a discovery of witches

I assume this is just your theory, or have you read the books?

Yeah, just my wild speculation theory. No spoilers from readers of the books!

There was just something a bit fishy about that little moment, which suggested it had a point we weren't yet informed about.

I wasn't too worried about the lack of guns as I'm not sure if UK police officers are issued them as standard unless they're firearms officers, (I may well be wrong on this!) but I totally agree about the haircuts. When Sam and not-Sam were talking it was hard to tell them apart and that young policeman's hair was a total joke; when I first saw him and his female colleague I thought they were going to be a joke couple for some light relief.

What did jar with me was that so many people called Morck "Detective Morck". I didn't think in UK we said that, wouldn't you say "DCI Morck" or whatever?

I did love the series though and hope there will be some more. I might read the books next.

I'm used to Scots accents so I found the boy who played young Lyle really hard to listen to

his accent (and acting) was the only thing that bothered me about this whole series

This is the thing that is bugging me. What was his connection to the family that he kept it a secret. Didn’t make sense.

Ooh, interesting idea. Looking forward to future series.

I enjoyed it but the scenes on the hyperbaric chamber and the threatening of the stepson went over my threshold of comfort. I just kept thinking 4 years would damage her indescribably for the rest of her life. Couldn't believe she was out and about looking fresh three months later.
I think Carl recognised her in the lift at the end but decided (for once) not to centre himself and make her have to deal with a conversation with him.
I found Carl so obnoxious in every relationship and couldn't believe he got away with it at work. The therapist should be struck off.

Yes the prolonged torture was a bit etxreme. 6 months would've been more plausible

What was the point of keeping her for 4yrs, they didn't seem to have an end goal in place. Was it just for enjoyment?

All seemed a bit misplaced as Lyle was the one who'd done the bludgeoning in the first place. If anyone shouldve been put in there it was surely him.

I enjoyed it, but there were some ridiculous plot points.
Martin / lodger - what was the point of him? I didn't get who he was for ages - thought it was a neighbour at first.
The therapist was probably the worst of all - that would never happen in a million years and she should be struck off.
Four years in that chamber, I'd be off my nut and she was relatively 'normal' afterwards talking about going back to the island? I think she had to guess who the captors were before they let her out, but they were never going to do that anyway. Once she guessed it was Lyle and his mum they turned up the pressure.

I agree about Martin, I couldn't figure out who he was and then when I did I thought he was pointless. Unless he will have a bigger role in any future series.

As for the therapist, she irritated me beyond measure and she was totally unprofessional. As well as her conduct during the sessions, why did she think it was OK to turn up and interact with the family?

I guess Martin was just comic relief and a way of showing that Carl had to take in a lodger to be able to afford the mortgage repayments?

The actor playing Martin is the brother of Hardeep Singh Kohli who was all over tv in the 00s with his signature look of kilt and turban. I wondered why he'd disappeared over the past several years so googled and then wished I hadn't...

Dh worked it out after we realised that we had never seen Sam Haigh’s face or that of the kidnapper. We only assumed that the man Merritt was with was Sam Haigh.
I enjoyed this.
I really liked the lodger too. I thought it added to the fact that hardly anyone liked Morck and he couldn’t get along with most people.
I picked up on the caravan which Elsa lived in had diving gear too.
I found the therapist irritating.
I also liked the fact that Merritt wasn’t portrayed as all goodness and light. Most people are a blend of qualities.

Wasn't Lyle hanging around the house though and William saw him at night looking in the window not long before Merritt was abducted? I think it was specifically the cap he recognised.

Just finished it. I think I have a love/hate feeling about it. It absolutely definitely jumped the shark for me in the final episode. I mean that gunshot from Lyle looked pretty serious but suddenly they were both up on their feet again and overcoming him?

The entire Merrit kidnap plot was to do with her family and Lyle's family on Mohr. Her job and her cases didn't come into it at all, it was a simple case of mother and son psychopaths getting their revenge on the person they blamed for the death of their son and brother.

So what was the Mark Bonnar plot all about? Was it linked to the shooting of Morck and Hardy? The real Sam Haig (investigative reporter) was at the trial of Finch every day. Remind me what he was investigating, anyone?

Why did Lyle cook up his idea to take on Sam Haig's identity? What was the reason? What was the connection to Merrit? Again can anyone help me please!

When Lyle and Merrit were shagging in the hotel room, was that the only time? I thought they had been at it for a few weeks?

I see no one's been able to grasp the Scottish policeman's (Cunningham) involvement in it all, although involved he obviously was.

The therapist and Morck - preposterous, embarrassing and unneccessary.

I think the lovable Akram will have been a very nasty man in Syria.

Wasn’t the actor playing Martin rather old to still be studying for a PhD? It was never mentioned how very mature a student he was. Did he have no family?

Akram said something along the lines of who are the Goodies and Baddies in Syria are a matter of individual perception, so definitely more to be learned about him there.
Loved the Boobrie discussion and Hardy pointing out it is a mythical, shapeshifting creature - BIG HINT
Thought it was pleasingly light on the usual sexual torture of female victims. And equal nudity between the sexes.

@EveryKneeShallBow - there’s no age limit on the pursuit of knowledge. Plenty of people undertake PhDs in their fifties or sixties or once they’ve retired.

The only barriers are funding (as one can only access Government Postgraduate Loans if you begin your course before your sixtieth birthday) and finding supervisors willing to work with you, as they can be reluctant if they don’t see a direct benefit for them.

If you turn to the Mature Study and Retraining board here:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/mature_students

you’ll see how much people are craving academic endeavour - either because they missed the opportunity earlier on, or because they’ve discovered a particular intellectual / vocational focus as they’ve matured.

Maybe I’m being dense but I don’t understand the relevance of the Sam Haig who fell/was pushed from the cliff??
Please enlighten me!

Lyle impersonated him to get close to Merrit.

I agree re the threatening of the stepson, too much for me.

@CaptainMyCaptain
Do you mean he just assumed his name?