I, an Undeniable Wimp, Stayed Up to 2 A.M. Just to See How This New Netflix Thriller Ends

Please let there be a season 2

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Published Jul 3, 2025

courtesy of Netflix

I’m a total wimp when it comes to thrillers. What I categorize as “deeply frightening” others might call “mildly scary.” Case in point, I completely chickened out of watching Stranger Things after just two episodes. So I think it really says something that despite the fact that I was terrified through most of the second half of the new Netflix thriller Dept. Q, I also could not stop watching. So much so, that I stayed up to 2 a.m. just to see how it ends. And, boy oh boy, was it worth the sleep deprivation.

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The Scottish mystery series follows detective Carl Morck (played by Matthew Goode) as he returns to work following an incident in which a young police officer was killed and his partner was paralyzed by a masked shooter. The prickly but undeniably clever detective gets put in charge of a new department specifically tasked with solving cold cases. The “department” turns out to be just Carl; Akram Salim, a mysterious member of the tech team with curiously impressive police skills; and Rose Dickson, an overeager junior detective looking to prove herself after a bout of PTSD.

It’s a rag-tag group working with extremely limited resources from their derelict “office”—located in what used to be a locker room in the basement of the police station (the titular Department Q)—trying to solve mysteries that haven’t been touched in years. And if that isn’t a recipe for seriously entertaining TV, I don’t know what is.

courtesy of Netflix

The story flips between Carl and his team attempting to solve the case of a missing woman from four years prior, the rest of the police team attempting to solve the shooting of Carl’s partner and the story of the missing woman herself. All are packed with quirky characters that feel just as fleshed out and interesting as the main crew. Seriously, I thrilled at seeing the strangely glamorous Dr. Fiona Wallace and her disquietingly calm confrontations with Carl, and was deeply saddened when another side character met their untimely end later in the season.

Early in the season I almost felt that there were too many characters, and doubted how we’d possibly have the time to make them feel like meaningful parts of the story. Carl’s teenage stepson, for example, was a role I initially felt could easily have been cut, but later proved to be a far more interesting foil to his stepdad than I expected. The team behind Dept. Q somehow manages to land the plane, making the populous cast come together very nicely.

courtesy of Netflix

I will note, this mystery is dark. It does not shy away from violence and torture, and had someone described it in greater detail to me, rather than just showing me the trailer, I likely would have declared it out of my comfort zone and never given it a chance. But I am very glad I did—the characters are just so compelling and the mystery felt complex while still allowing me to play along at guessing who were the baddies and how they’d done it.

Season one ends with some questions answered, but many left unresolved, giving an easy in for a second season. Dept. Q has yet to be officially renewed, but I’m very much hoping for a second go-round with Carl, Akram and Rose to see what this unconventional team can achieve...and whether or not they’ll crack the case in time for a happy ending.

Dept. Q is streaming now on Netflix.

Abby Hepworth

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Covers fashion, trends and all things running
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