Dept Q

It’s just halfway through the year, and I can single-handedly say that Netflix has come out with yet another excellent murder mystery (the first being Adolescence), that takes a different approach in terms of storytelling and also showcases some of the finest acting of Matthew Goode’s career.

Literally in the first two minutes of the episode, we see the protagonist, DCI Carl Morck, getting shot. His partner is shot and paralyzed, and an officer is killed.  He comes back to work much later, where everyone hates him and he hates them back with equal, if not more intensity. He is emotionally scarred from the shooting and isn’t interested in work. His boss, Moira Jacobson, gives him a whole new department to lead which is part of a new budget increase given by the leadership, mainly to get rid of him from the main floor.

He tells her that he needs help looking at files and is given the help of Akram Salim, who works in IT and has a disturbing and mysterious past of his own. Moira tells him that he needs to come up with a case that they can present to the top bosses so that the budget gets sanctioned. The case he chooses is actually one that Akram tells him to, which is regarding the disappearance of Merritt Lingard, a top lawyer whose last case was regarding a murder.

Based on Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen’s novel Dept Q, has also been adapted into many films. This show is different in comparison to many dramas that we see, especially British drama. It not only deals with murder and a kidnapping but also deals with mental issues, which are hard to talk about, especially as cops. It can be tough for anyone, especially for Cal Morck, who can’t stop blaming himself for the shooting of his partner and the death of the other officer.

Scott Frank’s shows are not only emotionally charged but also packed with substance. (Queens Gambit and Godless were particularly exceptional).