Dept. Q episode 2 picks up where the first episode left off, and now we get a closer look at the present day Merritt and the very wild living conditions she's been living in for the past four years. The name Kirsty Atkins is highlighted at the start, indicating that she may be an important part to Merritt's story as DCI Carl Morck begins to investigate. Here's a recap of what happens in the second episode of the Netflix series. Spoilers below.
The mystery begins to unfold
Though reluctant to take on Merritt's case at the start since he thinks there's slim chances she's alive, Akram ends up saving his butt and telling their boss Moira that she's the first case they've chosen to investigate. Morck has to go with it now, and so they begin to look for answers. The first person to ask? Merritt's brother, William?
The two reluctant partners of sorts, at least Carl is the reluctant one, visit the institution where William has been placed following the disapperance of his sister. The woman in charge doesn't let them see him, and lies about William having no visitors. Though that's not true. Claire, who was the housekeeper and took care of William, visits him once a week. And so, Carl and Akram pay her a visit.
She doesn't have much information for them or any leads, stating that Merritt was a very private person. Because of course she was. That's typical in crime dramas! The woman leading the institute William is in clearly lied about Claire for some reason, which makes her suspicious. Another person who's also suspicious is Stephen Burns, Merritt's former boss. He pops up to ask questions and see what the department is doing. He's there for the press conference as the police department announces they're opening up Merritt's case once again. But still. He's sus to me.
We don't see their faces, but the prosecutor's kidnappers are a man and woman, who see this news on TV. William also sees his sister's image on the television and breaks out of the institute. Throughout the episode, we see the kidnappers wanting Merritt to figure out why they're holding her captive.
Dept. Q holds a press conference
She thinks it's because of a young woman named Kirsty Atkins who is serving time though needed help, and she didn't do that. It isn't about Kirsty, though it's important to show Merritt's character. She may not have been a bad person, though she could have been a better one and clearly has made multiple people angry with her.
Speaking of the press conference, Carl's PTSD shows up when the reporters start asking him questions about his own shooting, and the poor guy just does not look good. His co-workers investigating still haven't gotten closer to an answer there. When he's finally able to walk out, Akram helps him calm down and it seems the two will start to get along in their own way. Also as a side note, Carl has a teen son, Jasper, who is giving him trouble and Carl feels maybe it would be better for Jasper to go back to living with his mother.
Be sure to check out all of our episodic recaps of the series, here. Dept. Q is now streaming on Netflix.