‘Dept. Q’ review: Netflix cop show should be more arresting than it is

In the bowels of an Edinburgh police station, a mystery is unfolding. Detective Carl Morck (played by Matthew Goode) has returned to the force after surviving an on-the-job shooting that left his partner paralysed and a young cop dead, and has been moved downstairs to head up a new department that solves cold cases. At first, it sounds like a good gig – big budgets, the chance to choose his cases – but the reality of the situation in Dept. Q is soon revealed to be much more bleak.

See, his boss Moira Jacobson (Kate Dickie) has siphoned off all the funds for new TVs and computers for her team, meaning Morck’s new office is basically a glorified bathroom in the basement. He also has to learn to soften his harsh tendencies as more misfits join him in his mission.

Grappling with the aftermath of the shooting, Morck and the motley crew that make up his small team land on the case of Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie). The former high-flying lawyer has been missing for four years after disappearing from a ferry in the middle of the sea without a trace. Her disabled brother was the only potential witness to what happened to her.

As with all good crime shows though, there’s the underlying sense that Dept. Q isn’t just about that one solitary case. Every strange story that comes into our periphery feels like it could be connected, such as the identity of Morck’s mysterious shooter. Pieces of the puzzle come together via investigative discoveries and flashbacks to Lingard’s last months, creating a web that’s complex but just gripping enough to be able to follow.

Dept. Q could be the next big crime thriller series, if not for a couple of major flaws. The dialogue – and the delivery of it – often feels wooden and stiff. The suspicious nature of the show excels at making everything and everyone seem eerie. There’s IT worker Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov) who suddenly joins the team and often resorts to the more brutal tactics he picked up on the force in Syria while Lord Advocate Stephen Burns (a steely Mark Bonnar) feels like he’s teed up as the secret shady villain from his first appearance. It makes it hard to root for anyone, be that Lingard and her dark predicament or Morck on his journey to recovery.

The intrigue is enough to keep you watching but it never reaches the addictive heights you might hope for, especially when compared to writer/director Scott Frank’s previous Netflix hit, The Queen’s Gambit.

You won’t spend much time reliving your hours in the dingy basement with Morck after the credits roll. But the nine episodes still have most of the ingredients of a worthwhile watch woven into them, whether you’re a crime junkie or not.

‘Dept. Q’ is streaming on Netflix now

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