Dept. Q Ending Explained: Who Shot Morck?
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Who kidnapped Merritt? Why were Morck and Hardy shot? And will there be a Dept. Q Season 2? These are the biggest questions running through Dept. Q.
In this feature, we're answering everything that happened in the ending to Netflix's latest zeitgeist-capturing crime drama.
The first season sees DCI Morck (Matthew Goode) and his hastily slapped together team crack their first case wide open. With the massively positive reception (a 94% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes), it's likely this won't be the last season either.
Matthew Goode stars in Dept. Q
Matthew Goode stars in Dept. Q
Netflix
Be warned: this article contains major spoilers, including pivotal character or plot details. Proceed at your own risk.
What Happened at the End of Dept. Q?
Detectives Morck and Akram track down kidnapped solicitor Merritt, discovering her locked in a pressurised chamber and forced to listen to recordings of her own voice. Lyle surprises the pair, shooting Morck in the shoulder. Akram responds by shooting Lyle in the face, killing him.
Morck and Akram depressurize Merritt's chamber without killing her as Hardy follows the action over the phone. Merritt is removed from the chamber and escorted to safety. Meanwhile, Ailsa is cornered by police and shoots herself in her car.
Finally, Department Q gets a sorely needed budget boost, Akram gets a well-deserved promotion, and Morck finally gets a nicer car.
Will There Be a Dept. Q Season 2?
Dept. Q Season 2 has not currently been confirmed. However, the first season sets it up nicely. The final scene sees Morck return to his dank basement and get started on another cold case, feeding into a possible Dept. Q Season 2. Hardy's out of hospital, albeit on crutches, and Department Q gets the gears started on the next case.
Why was Morck shot in Dept. Q?
It's not answered definitively in the show. However, Morck's theory is that the shooting was committed by two criminals, who lured police to the scene as a trap with the aim of killing the young officer.
Who Kidnapped Merritt in Dept. Q?
Lyle Jennings kidnaps Merritt in Dept. Q. He poses as another man, Sam Haig, before killing the real Haig and trapping Merritt in a hyperbaric chamber for four years. This is located the grounds of the Jennings' shipping company, Shorebird Ocean Systems. Her disappearance forms the pervading mystery in Dept. Q Season 1.
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