Binge & Purge: Dept. Q

                                                

My wife and I sat down to watch the police thriller Dept. Q on Netflix earlier in the week. Neither of us were focused on it. We scrolled on our phones. She prepped a crafting assignment for her preschoolers. I obsessed on page formatting for my latest manuscript. She looked at me and said, "This show isn't grabbing me. Let's shut it off." A couple of days later, she suggested we try it again. This time, we agreed to set our phones aside and concentrate on the series. We are so glad we did because Dept. Q is a gem. 

Adapted from a series of novels by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen, Dept. Q stars Matthew Goode as DCI Carl Morck, a brilliant, brooding detective haunted by the tragic shooting that killed a young officer and left his partner paralyzed. This adaptation transports the setting from Denmark to Scotland but maintains many of the elements of Scandi-noir (especially the flawed protagonist of Morck). The first episode presents Morck's return to work, PTSD and survivor's guilt in tow. We see his not a people person at all, one who seems to go out of his way to alienate everyone in his circle, including the department-assigned therapist, Rachel Irving (Kelly McDonald). Morck is another in a long line of "cops on the edge," but Goode's performance is so damn compelling that he feels fresh. I spent much of the binge just watching what Goode communicate a wide array of emotions with just his eyes. He says so much without uttering a word. 

Morck is assigned to new cold case department set up by his boss and her boss for public relations purposes. He reluctantly brings a former Syrian police officer named Akram (a superb Alexej Manelov) and DC named Rose (Leah Byrne) who carries her own trauma. The three of them decide to investigate the disappearance of a prosecutor named Merritt Lingard four years earlier. What unfolds is the usual path of clues, red herrings, dead ends, and flashbacks. This is a procedural thriller, after all, so it stands we will follow this trio on the case.

What elevates Dept. Q, aside from the remarkable performances, is the way it draws us close to the characters with sardonic dark humor. The dry banter offsets the darkness of the mystery. There are some really wonderful character moments, too. Like the best of this genre, we don't just get engrossed in figuring out the mystery, we connect with the characters. I loved watching the relationships develop between Morck and his new team. He is a man who doesn't seem to trust himself to lead others after what happened to his partner. It's fascinating to watch these broken individuals seek justice for others as a way to mend themselves. Dept. Q presents all this with keen insight, sharp insight, and a wicked sense of humor. 

But here's the thing. We wouldn't have been as invested had we not made the conscious choice to put our phones down and give the show our full attention. So much of binge-watching is coupled with doom scrolling or scanning social media. So many times I watch something while distracted and it always lessens the experience. When I allow myself to put that distraction aside and engage with what I'm watching, I end up exhilarated by the likes of Ted Lasso, Shrinking, or Barry. 

And Dept. Q. I highly recommend it. Especially with your phone face down and out of view.