Dept. Q Episode 9 Explained: Welcome Home

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Dept. Q Season One Finale Recap and Review

After eight episodes of solid mystery TV comes the most important question – Did Dept. Q stick the landing? It did, with some minor bumps, but by the time the credits rolled for this ninth episode, I was lost in Radical Face’s Welcome Home, Son and wondering when the second season would be announced. The finale did what finales are supposed to do, wrap up the story and leave us wanting more, and it did so whilst giving all the main and second tier characters their moment. Thank you, Scott Frank, it has been an absolute pleasure to cover your show.

The Q squad has now zeroed in on Lyle Jennings as the primary suspect in the disappearance of Merritt Lingard. His file read like a serial killer primer – animal cruelty at age eight, stalking at age 12, suspected fire starting at age 14 (we know this is not true based on Harry’s account). Both Lyle and Harry were abused by their mother Ailsa. But, as young Lyle said in his video interview at Godhaven, he thought he and his brother deserved what their mother did. 

The video interview was chilling not just because of what Lyle said there, but because this young man with a tenuous grasp of reality eventually became his victim Merritt’s lover. And this is where we begin our deep dive – on Lyle as Sam and Merritt’s relationship. 

We know they were lovers, but do we know how long they were lovers? If we base off what we saw on the show alone, well, one night. Let’s go back to Episode Four. Morck got Liam Taylor to admit that he and Merritt were lovers. According to Liam, they were involved for only a month, and it was a year before Merritt’s disappearance. It was Liam who told Morck that Merritt used the name Lila Graham to check in at the Prince’s Garden hotel, that she had a credit card under that name. Liam knew Morck, had worked with him before, he would have known that Morck would check the information he gave, especially since he gave the name under which it could be checked. He wouldn’t have lied to Morck. Or would he?

Now after Morck harassed the assistant manager at the Prince’s Garden into giving him Merritt as Lila Graham’s hotel records, Akram, who was reading it, said that Merritt used the same hotel room six times in the two months before she disappeared. Then this conversation happened, I am only including the relevant excerpts:

Akram: ‘What is an authorized guest?’

Rose: ‘Someone authorized to sign for room service, bar tab, whatever.’

Akram:’ Why would she do that?’

Morck: ‘Cause she was never here.’

Akram: ‘She’s on the computer.’

Morck: ‘It’s Lila Graham’s name on the computer. It’s Liam Taylor’s signature on any evidence that puts Merritt in the room.’

Akram: ‘Except I’m looking at the record of the last time she was here, and that is not Liam Taylor’s name.’

Morck: ‘Who the f is Sam Haig?’

This conversation implied a couple of things: that Liam Taylor was still sleeping with Merritt within two months before she disappeared, and that Sam Haig stayed with Merritt just once at the Prince’s Garden. 

How do we reconcile what Liam told Morck with what was implied in the conversation outside the Prince’s Garden? I can think of one way and it is rather convoluted so I am going with the simplest explanation, this is one of those minor bumps, and we will have to move past it to get to the next part, Sam Haig.

Is it possible that Merritt and Lyle-Sam met in another hotel? Sure, but I would have assumed there would have been at least one reference to that, and there isn’t. The hurdle that brought the Q squad to the realisation that there were two Sam Haigs was the fact that he could not have been at the same place at the same time. 

We have our timeline:

September 24, Friday, night

🔎Sam Haig was with Paul Evans’s wife at The Spivey Inn.

🔎Lyle Jennings as Sam was with Merritt Lingard at the Prince’s Garden.

September 25, Saturday, morning

🔎Merritt told Lyle-Sam that she was going to Mhòr to see her father.

September 26, Sunday, afternoon

🔎Sam Haig was killed by Lyle Jennings at the Crag.

September 27, Monday, morning

🔎Sam Haig’s body was found by Paul Evans.

🔎Merritt was abducted by Lyle and Ailsa whilst aboard the ferry on the way to Mhòr.

Did I check which was the most recent year that corresponds to these dates and days? Yes, of course, 2021, four years ago, and major props to the writing staff for the detailed work. Now what was the point of going through the trouble of nailing, as much as possible, all this information?

Well, I wanted to explore a question that Dept. Q itself highlighted in Episode Three but never really answered – why, after 12 years, did Merritt suddenly decide to go see her father? We briefly touched on this in the Episode Four recap, that the trip to Mhòr may have been for William. Perhaps, when Merritt came home and found William banging his head against the wall with a drawing of their father’s boat and a photo of the siblings as teens, that was not the first time that happened. Perhaps, when Claire texted Merritt, Merritt already knew what that was about without Claire having to say anything. Perhaps William had been asking to see their father. After all in flashbacks, though Merritt and Jamie had a testy relationship, William and Jamie seemed to get along well enough.  

Perhaps that was that, but I would like to add one more possibility that is tied to how Lyle was able to burrow his way into her life in such a short time – Merritt was lonely. She was at a vulnerable point. She had spent years chasing success and has done very, very well, but all of a sudden, she had to confront the possibility of corruption in her department. Her witness was viciously assaulted. That weighed on her. She was able to carry the weight of her past all these years, but with the weight of a more recent sin, that opened her to doubt, and that doubt led to trying something she has not really done since Harry – she opened herself to someone.  

Would the Merritt that Claire and Stephen Burns described have invited a relative stranger to come meet her brother? That seemed unlikely. Lyle’s prep work on Merritt unbalanced her. Lyle learned how to do the initial approach from Sam, how to get close to someone to investigate them, but the rest was all him. This was not specifically confirmed in the series, but those threatening calls, texts, and emails have got to have come from him. I also believe that it was Lyle who told Robert McDonald, Graham Finch’s lawyer, about Kirsty Atkins. He was messing with Merritt’s life, her work, her mind, softening her up with hit upon hit upon hit long before he even got in touch. 

Jamie Lingard’s face was amongst those Merritt saw as she lay dying in the hyperbaric chamber, a torturous death that Ailsa and Lyle arranged for her. But even before that, even before she was kidnapped, even before her captors forced her to relieve every sin for four years, she had already reached the point when she was ready to see her father again. So, when she told Moira that she was going to Mhòr to spend time with her father, that they’ve had conversations but there was more to be said, it felt right as part of her healing.

Yes, Merritt lived. She was freed. The good guys won. The Q squad with their urinal-lined office were rock stars. The episode ended with a song and a smile and it was glorious. But now, the journey. 

Rose found an L. Jennings who lived in Longay, right across from Mhòr, and who worked for the ferry. Once the driver’s license confirmed that L. Jennings was Lyle Jennings, this would be the team’s first direct link between Merritt and Lyle. Having just seen the video that spoke eloquently of Lyle’s psychosis, Hardy declared that Merritt was dead. 

This has bugged me a bit since Episode Three, but I love this show so much and this is just a nitpick with love – Why didn’t Morck and crew investigate the ferry workers? It seemed like such an obvious place to start after they had confirmed that Merritt had indeed been taken in the ferry. There were cameras all over the place and she just disappeared. Yes, they thought the abduction was a crime of opportunity – no one could have known that William would toss his hat into the air, get caught by the wind, get shuffled down the parking bay, and Merritt would go down to retrieve it – but who else but someone who worked at the ferry would know where the cameras and the blind spots were?

Also, in Episode Four, when Rose went to Hardy partly to complain about her Mhòr assignment, Hardy advised her to focus on Harry Jennings – his family, his friends, any connections. Rose was so thorough as an investigator that she found a laundromat receipt amongst Merritt’s things that led her to Kirsty Atkins, but she somehow missed Harry having a brother with a criminal record? That she did not want to hang around the Jennings property was understandable, given all the hazardous waste signs, but it seemed odd that she didn’t do a basic background check on the Jennings family outside of talking to Constable Cunningham and his son Colin when she noted some of the oddness herself, like Merritt returning to Mhòr for Harry’s funeral, the same boy who beat her brother into a coma. 

Could these be a couple more of those minor storytelling bumps? Maybe, but I have an explanation as a Dept. Q stan – Dept. Q has been consistent in showing how its investigators could be wrong about things, could be good, very good indeed, but miss or misread things. Akram’s ‘Where I come from, when facts are being so clearly ignored, it’s never because of incompetence’ line from Episode Five was excellent, but we never saw any indication that the investigation into Sam Haig’s death was purposely bungled. Hardy, himself a brilliant investigator, posited the theory that Merritt’s disappearance was connected to her money; it wasn’t. Granted, these were theories rather than demonstrations of not enough effort, so the Dept. Q stan in me simply shifts to my next explanation – the number of episodes necessitated not following through with the obvious. If Morck and Akram went through the ferry workers list and connected Lyle Jennings to Harry Jennings to William and Merritt Lingard, and executed a proper search of the Jennings property, we would have been done by Episode Four. Maybe that would have been fine, but the nine episodes gave us more time to develop these characters, more time with these brilliant actors, more time to set up what should be a multiple season run, please, Netflix, give us this. If succeeding seasons are only four to six episodes long, I’d be okay with that. I just can’t find it in me to think the season went on for too long, not when I have enjoyed and appreciated its every moment. 

Whilst the Q squad was waiting to confirm their theory about Lyle Jennings, Constable Cunnningham went to see Ailsa Jennings. He received a record of the 999 call that Merritt was able to make during her escape attempt; it was traced back to Ailsa’s phone. Cunningham asked if Lyle was around; based on their conversation it looked like the Constable warned Lyle off the island. And for a reason. Cunningham could not shake what he heard from the 999 call, not even after Ailsa’s explanation that she fell, and he decided to investigate. He found Merritt in the hyperbaric chamber, and Lyle, the boy who lied to him four years ago. 

Lyle had told Cunningham that Merritt accidentally fell overboard. Lyle had called it poetic justice, mirroring how Harry died. Cunningham kept it quiet, because he thought what was done was done, and both the Lingard and Jennings families have suffered enough. Perhaps Cunningham carried guilt as well, for his part in Harry’s death. 

Lyle told Cunningham to walk away. When next he came back, Merritt would be gone, along with Lyle (and perhaps Ailsa). As soon as Cunningham said he could not do that, not this time, Lyle hit him with a hammer again and again, brutally killing him. 

Back with the Q squad, Claire took William in for an interview. It was through this that more of the tragic story came out. Harry never attacked William, Lyle did. William was home doing homework when Harry executed his burglary. William heard the suspicious sounds, took a stick and hit the intruder on the head with it. He was surprised when he saw it was Harry, and tried to help him up. Lyle came up from behind him and just repeatedly hit him. Harry had to tackle Lyle to get him to stop, but by that time, William was already very seriously wounded in the head. 

William, despite being in distress, was able to identify Lyle as the man with the hat, the man he saw on the ferry and at the house. Morck and Akram rushed to Mhòr, at least, rushed as quickly as the ferry would allow them (Moira refused Morck’s requests to call the Coastguard, a helicopter, or a boat). That neither Rose nor his son Colin had been able to contact Cunningham, Morck initially thought as a good thing; he would not know they were coming. Morck was now convinced Cunningham deliberately misled them when they went to Mhòr partly to investigate Harry Jennings.

Whilst Morck and Akram headed to Mhòr, Hardy and Rose studied Lyle’s file. They were already inside the Jennings property when Rose called to tell Morck about how, at the age of 15, Lyle coerced another boy into the decompression chamber. Lyle increased the pressure to see if the boy would lose consciousness. It was possible that he did the same thing to Merritt. Morck was surprised because he was under the impression that Rose had searched the buildings. Rose said she only looked into one of them (this was Ailsa’s trailer) as the other buildings were under a hazardous material warning and were closed off. When did the hazardous warning come up? Rose had to call Colin for that information – four years ago, right around the time that Merritt disappeared. Akram pointed to a nearly shredded logo on another side of the property, the same cormorant logo that William drew. 

Inside, the hyperbaric chamber was heating up due to the increased pressure. Merritt had stripped down to her underwear and stood beneath the shower to counter the effects a little. Lyle and Ailsa were busy packing. They turned everything off except for the pressure, plunging Merritt into darkness and removing her sole source of small comfort, the water. Lyle even laid dust covers over the controls. 

In a final act of cruelty, Lyle told Merritt that it would be impossible for her to break the window. He thought she would want to break it, to cause a sudden depressurization and kill herself. Instead, she would suffocate to death from extreme high pressure. Lyle had now fully adopted his mother’s views about Merritt. He thought she came back for Harry’s funeral because she was guilty and she knew it. He even recited, word for word, what Merritt said after Graham Finch was acquitted. ‘I firmly believe that those who commit violent crime don’t ever truly get away with it.’

Morck and Akram started their search of the buildings without backup. They found Cunningham’s police car, and his body stuffed in the boot. I was raised by CSI so Akram touching the plastic that covered Cunningham’s body to confirm his identity without gloves made me cringe, but they were in a hurry, they needed to find Lyle as soon as possible, I will let this go. They found a room with a small monitor and saw Merritt, alive but weak. The hyperbaric chamber that had been her prison for the past four years was nearby, and they confirmed she was alive through a window, but they could not figure out how to get her out.

Hardy had thankfully been researching the Jennings company and the hyperbaric chamber. They could not just open the chamber, they needed to stabilize the pressure first, then either the Navy or the Coastguard could get her out with a hyperbaric stretcher, a portable version of the chamber she was in. The window was short – 15 minutes. Morck and Akram were still looking for the lever that controlled the pressure when Lyle came in with a gun.

Part of Morck’s trauma was the guilt that the bullet that hit him at Leith Park went through Hardy first. Hardy’s body slowed the bullet and saved his life. This time, it was Morck who stepped in and took the bullet for Akram. It hit him on the shoulder, and both Morck and Akram fell to the ground. Then, Lyle came closer for another shot.

The way this scene was edited, it almost looked like Merritt summoning the last of her strength to yell woke Akram up, but I am not entirely certain this was the intent. Regardless, it was one more demonstration of Merritt’s active participation in her survival. Akram performed a swift and very accurate knife toss, with a pocket knife, which hit Lyle’s neck, then grabbed his gun and shot him.

I hope Dept. Q becomes so popular that we’d have official merchandise, because I really want an ‘I am Akram’ shirt. It was Akram who entered the hyperbaric chamber after the pressure had been turned down, and introduced himself to Merritt. There were a couple of men in shadows behind him, my assumption was that whoever they called, Navy or Coast Guard, had already arrived with the hyperbaric stretcher. Moira arrived in a helicopter with William; the next face Merritt saw through that stretcher’s window was her brother’s.

Ailsa, who was still inside her trailer when Morck and Akram arrived, was able to leave whilst they were searching the buildings for Merritt. As she was about to drive off the ferry, however, she saw the police waiting; DCs Wilson and Clark were there. Ailsa shot herself up the chin instead of surrendering.   

Three months later, and Merritt was at the station to say her thanks. She had already met the Q squad, except Morck, and thanked Moira, whom she said she was told was the one who pushed for the reopening of her case. Hmm, if you haven’t read my Episode Five recap that focused on institutional corruption, please do so; I briefly explored the possibility of Moira specifically pushing to resolve Merritt’s case. 

Merritt went down the cold case squad office, empty at that time, and found her case board still up. Three months later? I will still forgive this, Show! There was a lingering shot of Merritt standing by the door with the fading signage Shower Quarters. That was the humble team that saved her life, headquartered at a section of the building most employees did not even know existed. 

Moira told Merritt that Morck took some time off, but Morck was right there; he and Merritt almost bumped into each other outside the elevator. Merritt did not recognise him. Remember that we got a scene in Episode One that showed Merritt did not like watching herself on TV. It was completely believable that she avoided all coverage of her kidnapping case, and never found out what Morck looked like. She would have been way too disoriented to remember him from that day she was rescued. Merritt walking past him, Morck looking at her back for a few moments before getting in the elevator, that was a perfect ending for them. There was not anything they could have said to each other at this point that would have elevated the show even more. It was also in keeping with Morck’s personality that he might not like talking to the victim once he has done his job. But, can we have Morck and Merritt scenes next season? It would be amazing to see their interaction when Merritt was back in prosecutor mode and Morck was being, well, Morck. 

The walk down to the basement was a walk of pride now. The Q squad was now a hotshot squad that solved a four-year-old missing person’s case. And, when Hardy came in with crutches, a cop who fought to get back to his feet, Moira greeted him warmly. Morck could not investigate his own shooting, but it looked like Moira was at least considering having Hardy take a look at the still open Leith Park investigation.

What a season. With any show, if we look hard enough, we are bound to find a few bumps, but minute details tend to fade in the face of a mystery that is consistently compelling. Dept. Q is one of the best shows Netflix has had in recent years. So, tell your friends, tell your family, tell your social network, and let’s hope that a renewal is announced soon. 

Thank you so much for joining me on this fun mystery ride! I so appreciate the time you spend here, the very kind messages, the help and support. This is not the end; once I’ve gotten some sleep and caught up with some work, we’ll see what we can do about making the wait for Dept. Q season two a bit more bearable. Please stick around for the Strays and hope to see you next season!

Rating: A

Strays

🔎Congratulations to Carlos Rafael Rivera for the beautiful, fitting, haunting, hopeful, lingering-long-past-the-end-credits-have-rolled music of Dept. Q!

🔎The Q boys were talking over Rose, and Hardy’s wife Donna called them out on it. Good for her!

🔎The faces Merritt saw when she was struggling to stay awake were young Harry, young Lyle, young Merritt, her father, and her mother.

🔎When Morck and Akram first arrived at the Jennings property and Morck tried to enter the trailer, Ailsa was inside with a gun aimed at him.

🔎Leith Park Case Update: DCI Logan Bruce told Moira there was solid connection between the stabbing victim Archie Allen and PC Anderson; the daughter who supposedly called in the wellness check did not exist. When Moira asked how he got this new information, Bruce did not respond. Moira probably knew the information came from Morck, just like their other leads. 

Moira was working through her fear of spiders at the same time that she was looking into the Leith Park case file. Maybe something about that case scared her? When she decided to consult Hardy, it felt like she was facing something she feared.

🔎There was this funny transition of Moira telling Morck in her office to eff off, to Akram saying ‘Thank you’ on the phone. 

🔎Akram: ‘For many people, the truth is simply what it needs to be.’

🔎About Sam Haig: Sam went to see Lyle to apologise for what he did to him in Godhaven, and to tell him that he was writing about their time there. It was at this meeting Lyle asked him how he investigated people without getting caught. Sam gave Lyle his mobile number and told him about Cullen Crag. 

🔎About Sam Haig’s murder: Sam was getting into his car when he saw Lyle walking up the steps to the Crag. Sam stayed out of sight as he followed him. Lyle surprised him and hit him on the face with a rock. Lyle took his phone, keys, and bag, and dragged his body up the Crag. Lyle put climbing chalk on his palms and attached a chalk bag to his pants to sell the idea that he was free climbing when he fell. Then he tossed the still alive Sam down. 

There was a trail of blood, however, as Rose mentioned to Hardy in Episode Seven, the day that Paul Evans found Sam Haig’s body, it was pouring rain. The trail of blood was likely washed off.    

🔎Akram’s wife died in Syria because she operated on the wrong person. His youngest daughter Mina wants to be a TikTok influencer. 

🔎Morck squeezed through a wire fence whilst Akram simply pushed the gate open. Dept. Q does subtle humour very well. 

🔎Morck came home to find Dr. Irving there with Jasper and Martin, and some tennis balls. 

🔎Lord Advocate Stephen Burns’s sin was preventing Merritt from calling Kirsty Atkins as a witness. Morck went to his office, drank his liquor, and told him he would not report what happened during the Graham Finch trial; he did what any father in his position would do. However, Morck had a few demands: that he directly be given the budget that was originally allocated to his department, that Akram be fast tracked to Detective Inspector, and that he receive a new car.

🔎I hope Morck uses some of that budget to do something about the stairs for Hardy.

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