Latest news with #MerrittLingard
Elle
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Elle
Netflix's 'Dept Q' Ending, Explained — And How It Perfectly Sets The Scene For Season Two
Netflix's newest whodunnit, Dept. Q, tells the story of Detective Carl Morck (Downton Abbey's Matthew Goode), a reckless-but-ingenious investigator who has recently returned to work after being shot by an unknown assailant. The nine-episode series, which debuted on the platform on May 29, tells the story of Detective Morck in the wake of his attack being assigned to lead a newly-assembled cold case unit. With a Mötley Crüe of unlikely peers, Detective Morck is tasked with his unit's first investigation: the mysterious disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie) several years earlier. FIND OUT MORE ON ELLE COLLECTIVE But what actually happened to Merritt Lingard? And what exactly does the ending of Dept. Q tell us about the potential for a second season? The first season of Dept. Q opens with Morck having been shot while investigating a crime, and while the series never directly answers the question of who shot Morck or why they did, he does begin to piece together a theory of his own as the series progresses. Morck believes that the shooting was committed by two criminals who were working to distract from the real crime, the killing of the young police officer. Morck hypotheses that the killer had no reason to return to the scene of the crime nor to flee while Morck and Hardy (Jamie Sives) were still alive — unless it was all a ruse to cloak their real motive. The police, per Morck's suspicions, were lured to the scene of the crime as a trap, acting on a report from a nonexistent daughter of the victim. When Morck poses this theory to his team, he finds it's not met with total disdain and instead, at the end of the series, we see Constable Jacobson (Kate Dickie) assign Hardy to run down the facts, paving the way perhaps for a potential second season. When we first learn of Merritt Lingard's disappearance, we learn that while on a ferry with her disabled brother William (Tom Bulpett), she went missing. What what remains unclear is whether she fell overboard or whether she was pushed. Lingard was spotted having some sort of disagreement with her brother before she vanished; is he somehow involved in her disappearance? Morck instructs his new assistant Akram (Alexej Manvelov) to investigate every possible eventuality. Akram is an IT expert assigned to Department Q to keep him out of Jacobson's hair, but he's also a Syrian expat with a mysterious past — one that makes him a serious asset to the newly formed department. Akram argues the facts from the beginning; that Lingard's body never washed up on any shore, and that she was a high-powered solicitor who could have easily made enemies. Morck then begins uncovering clues: the first being a man wearing a mysterious hat with a bird emblazoned on it, drawn by William Lingard. Through conversations with the Lingards' housekeeper, Claire (Shirley Henderson), and Merritt's boss, Lord Advocate Stephen Burns (Mark Bonnar), the Department Q team becomes convinced that Merritt Lingard was, in actual fact, kidnapped, not knocked overboard. In the hunt for Lingard, Morck and Dickson uncover a crucial clue — she was having a relationship with a now-deceased journalist, Sam Haig (Steven Miller), who approached her about corruption in her department. But the detectives quickly hit a snag, struggling to pin down Haig's movements in the days before his death. They then discover that Haig was having a separate affair at the same time as his dalliance with Lingard (with his friend's wife, no less), which leads them to conclude that he couldn't have been in two places at once, and therefore the 'Haig' that Lingard was seeing was a actually some sort of catfish. Yet all of this somehow manages to tie into the question of how Merritt's brother, William, suffered his life-changing injury. In flashbacks, throughout the series we see young Merritt's relationship with Harry Jennings (Fraser Saunders), the local teenager who would later be accused of beating William into a nonverbal state during a robbery gone wrong. But in the final episodes of Dept. Q, we learn that Harry's antisocial brother Lyle was actually the one who beat William after following him that night. Merritt had sewn the seed for Harry and Lyle's aborted robbery-turned-assault after telling her boyfriend about her mother's jewellery and how it could be the key to them escaping the island. Harry died trying to escape from the police — a death that Lyle and his mother blamed on Merritt. Department Q eventually discovers a relationship between Sam Haig and Lyle Jennings. The pair knew each other as children at an institution for troubled boys, and Jennings latched onto Haig, even calling him by his brother's name. The pair reconnected as adults — and Jennings killed Haig by throwing him from his favourite climbing spot. Jennings then assumed Haig's identity, started a relationship with Lingard and, ultimately, kidnapped her, holding her on the grounds of the Jennings' shipping company, Shorebird Ocean Systems. In a beautiful full-circle way, Department Q comes to the salvation of Merritt Lingard. Morck and Akram then run into a problem: after finding Lyle's mother's address, they realise that they don't know how to depressurise the chamber without killing Lingard. As Hardy explains over the phone how to use the controls, the pair are surprised by takes a bullet in the shoulder for Akram, who then dispatches Lyle Jennings with the help of his own mysterious combat training. Ailsa Jennings flees the scene and shoots herself after being confronted by a police cordon, before Lingard is safely removed from the chamber. We might close the series with Morck returning to work — case closed — but there's plenty more where that came from. We still don't know who shot Morck, and with his partner gaining in strength every day, the Department has a full team assembled and ready to solve more mysteries. Dept. Q was based on a book series by Danish crime fiction author Jussi Adler-Olsen. There are actually 10 books in the series, which follows former homicide detective Carl Mørck, who is put in charge of a cold case unit called Department Q, which suggests that there's plenty more where this came from... Dept. Q is now streaming on Netflix. ELLE Collective is a new community of fashion, beauty and culture lovers. For access to exclusive content, events, inspiring advice from our Editors and industry experts, as well the opportunity to meet designers, thought-leaders and stylists, become a member today HERE. Naomi May is a freelance writer and editor with an emphasis on popular culture, lifestyle and politics. After graduating with a First Class Honours from City University's prestigious Journalism course, Naomi joined the Evening Standard as its Fashion and Beauty Writer, working across both the newspaper and website. She is now the Acting News Editor at ELLE UK and has written features for the likes of The Guardian, Vogue, Vice and Refinery29, among many others.
Scotsman
30-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Inside the "strange and weird" world of Dept. Q with Edinburgh's Chloe Pirrie
Surreal, strange, weird... what happens when you set a Scandi noir crime drama in Scotland. Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... 'Extraordinary moments, surreal, strange things…' Attempting to describe her favourite part of filming new Netflix drama Dept. Q when we speak ahead of its launch, Chloe Pirrie is immediately tied up in avoiding spoilers, such is the extraordinary turn of events that befall her character. 'There are moments, but I can't say what they were because it'll give it away,' she says, 'strange, weird things…' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad An adaptation of the novels of Danish author, Jussi Adler-Olsen by acclaimed showrunner Scott Frank (The Queen's Gambit), written with Chandni Lakhani, Stephen Greenhorn and Colette Kane, the nine-part Netflix drama launches this week. Following the tale of Merritt Lingard, a high-flying lawyer played by Pirrie whose fate becomes intertwined with that of detective Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), who has been kicked downstairs to head up a new cold case department after an investigation went awry leaving his partner paralysed (Jamie Sives), the tense thriller sees them both pushed to their limits. Also starring are Alexej Manvelov (Jack Ryan, Top Dog), Kate Dickie, Kelly Macdonald (Line of Duty, Operation Mincemeat) and Leah Byrne (Call The Midwife, Nightsleeper) and an ensemble cast featuring many Scottish actors. Pirrie is a familiar face from TV and film, appearing in last year's Canadian horror film Kryptic, The Crown, Netflix's The Queen's Gambit, Emma, War & Peace, BBC's miniseries thriller The Victim and as Emily Bronte in Sally Wainwright's To Walk Invisible. Chloe Pirrie stars as Merritt Lingard in Dept. Q, filmed in Edinburgh. | Netflix Raised in Edinburgh, the daughter of a physiotherapist and a lawyer, Pirrie started acting at school in The Cherry Orchard and went on to study at Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. After a career launching appearance in Scott Graham's award-winning indie feature film Shell with Iain De Caestecker and Kate Dickie in 2010, she was named Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards and a Screen International Star of Tomorrow. She soon landed roles in BBC2 Cold War spy thriller The Game alongside Brian Cox, Sky Atlantic's crime series The Last Panthers with Samantha Morton and John Hurt, Oscar-nominated comedy drama Youth with Michael Caine and Rachel Weisz and black comedy road movie Burn, Burn Burn. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad At the start of the series Pirrie's Merritt Lingard is a prosecutor at the top of her game, fighting for justice and described by some as a 'blunt instrument'. Brought up on Mull by an absent father, when her brother suffers a brain injury she becomes his protector and following the biggest case of her career, decides to make a change, with dramatic consequences. 'Merritt operates on a basis of not needing to be liked, doesn't have many friends and is a bit of a mystery to the people around her,' says Pirrie. 'She has very successfully compartmentalised her life in terms of her past and current work situation but is starting to struggle under the pressure of the case she's prosecuting. 'We're seeing somebody who is maybe not as in control as they're used to being. Chloe Pirrie and Mark Bonnar as lawyers in Dept. Q, Netflix's Scottish adaptation of Jussi-Alder Olsen's Scandi Noir series. | Netflix 'This case is more high profile but is coming with baggage she hasn't anticipated. Obstacles start to emerge that she doesn't understand and the frustration is starting to get under her skin. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Alongside this she is receiving anonymous threatening messages.' In terms of preparing for the part of Merritt, the lawyer element was straightforward as Pirrie has experience of playing a lawyer from The Victim in 2019. 'That was less of a thriller and more about depicting and anatomising someone's trial, so that gave me a lot. I did a lot of research for that and you become a bit more acquainted with the differences in the Scottish legal system and I went to the WS society and Signet Library where my dad works and got a bit of insight of the culture and expectations in that legal world. 'Also I watched a lot of murder trial documentaries where you learn so much about how a profession works and I just love doing that kind of research. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And for Merritt, she's somebody who has quite a different background from others in that profession so it was understanding what might be most challenging for her and those encountering someone who does things differently or doesn't conform.' For Merritt, a belief that those who commit a crime don't ever truly get away with it and that through justice, conscience or karma, the universe will see them ultimately punished, helps sustain her on the wild ride on which her life takes her. Chloe Pirrie at the premiere of Under The Banner Of Heaven in Hollywood, California, 2022. |'This may be one of Merritt's blindspots,' says Pirrie. 'She's very hyperfocused on the right thing when it applies to others but has so successfully buried things as she's evolved that I don't think she ever turns the lens on herself. We learn more about that later in the show. It's interesting playing someone who isn't interested in self-reflection. We see that in scenes I have with Mark Bonnar, and her colleagues, where she's butting heads because she is unwilling to listen, and that serves her in some ways but not in others.' Does Pirrie think it's true, that people ultimately get punished? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't know. I'd like to think so. Maybe the gentler version is 'what's for you won't go by you', but I don't know if that is entirely true. You obviously trust in the justice system as much as you can, but we all know it has limitations and is always trying to adapt. It depends what justice means to you I suppose.' Originally a Scandi noir thriller, Scott Frank has transposed the story to a Scottish setting with Edinburgh locations, institutions and fictional characters up front and centre. 'The show does that so successfully, Scott did a fantastic job. Being an American, it's amazing how somebody can assimilate and locate, very specifically, people and qualities and with excellent performances and the right cast, bring something to life that felt very specific to me. For the Edinburgh born and raised actor this was a homecoming. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Because I'm from Edinburgh, it was really cool seeing it on screen, and a full circle moment as I've never worked here before. It was quite magical from that point of view. I just loved that.' Now based in North London, Pirrie's career has taken her all over for work, from Calgary to Prague, but once back in the capital for Dept. Q she enjoyed getting reacquainted. 'Chips and sauce, chips and cheese,' were top of the agenda, as well as catching up with family and friends. 'I had an apartment and it was really nice to spend more time in Edinburgh. I brought my car and my dog and had the freedom of returning as an adult with my own life. It was like discovering the city again, finding new places I hadn't known growing up like The Secret Herb Garden and there are so many restaurants because the food scene's gone insane. I really enjoyed going to old favourite places but also discovering new ones.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And the cast were amazing, some of whom I've worked with before and some who are new. It was great to see all these amazing Scottish actors together.' Chloe Pirrie | Photographer: Josh Shinner Stylist: Fabio Immediato Make-up: Amanda Grossman Hair: Davide Barbieri Now 37, if Pirrie reflects on her career, what would she say to her younger self? 'That it doesn't really get any easier but you're also doing way better than you think you are in terms of how you are navigating it. I'd say continue to try to not compare yourself to others as much as possible. I would tell her you are going to have the fortune to work with some really amazing people so savour the really amazing moments on set - that is the most important thing I think. 'Increasingly the industry is very noisy, there are so many extraneous things, but always return to the work because that's what is important, the time between action and cut. Keep focusing on that, because that's always where I felt 'oh I know how to do this', so keep feeling that way.' What sort of things make the industry 'noisy'? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Things to do with publicity and knowledge about how things are made, which can make it really daunting. When I graduated a certain naivety was possible because whenever I didn't get a job I didn't know how to look up who got it but now there's an overwhelm of information. 'Being able to go into rooms, do an audition, leave and that would be that, was an amazing privilege. It's so rare to go into a room and meet someone in person, which is mad, because your interaction with another actor is such a personal thing. I'd tell my younger self soak up those opportunities to work in a room with people, whether you get the job or not.' Pirrie has worked with the show's acclaimed runner Scott Frank before, on The Queen's Gambit, in which she played Anya Taylor-Joy's birth mother. What insight did this give her into how Frank works? 'The Queen's Gambit was a wonderful job and what happened with the series blowing up was so rewarding. Scott creates an environment that is so special; he's so in control but also very freeing. That's a really amazing quality in a director. The quality of attention on set from everyone there is something you feel like you're part of and that's created by him. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'With The Queen's Gambit I was terrified because it was the first time I'd done an American accent and the first thing I had to do was improvise a load of stuff but it was so supportive. You feel like you're able to do your best work and can also fail and it doesn't matter. He's the best in that sense as a director. So stepping into this which is a role much more on my shoulders I suppose I did feel a lot of anxiety but he'd asked me to do it and I knew I was in safe hands.' Playing everything from heiresses and Mormon wives to petrol station assistants, the particular circumstances that befall Lingard make this role a unique experience for Pirrie and led to some of her favourite on set moments. 'I liked the emotional intensity of it. I have played people in a similar state for a short time - not the same circumstance - but not in such a protracted way. It's such a strange situation… 'And we spent a day on a ferry from Thurso and that was really cool because I'd never been that far north and it was a beautiful experience, to be doing your job on a little ferry travelling, and also the drive up there is really stunning, you pinch yourself. People pay a fortune to do this as tourists and I'm getting to go for my job. There were lots of moments like that. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'There was also my first day on set walking around Edinburgh and the first thing I did was sit in Princes Street Gardens where I spent so many Saturdays as a teenager. It was quite extraordinary to do that and really full circle.' Chloe Pirrie attends the Vogue x Netflix BAFTA Television Awards 2024 in London. | Getty Images Which roles or people she's worked with have been pivotal in her career? 'Well Shell was my first big job, it was a leading part, and was a really formative experience with Scott Graham. It was my first time being able to play somebody the camera follows through every scene. I had to throw myself into it and didn't really know what I was doing. It was purely on instinct and you're figuring out technique as you go. 'And I would say playing Emily [Bronte] was really big for me, because it was such a freeing thing. Emily's somebody who's surprising to people and working with Sally Wainwright and that cast was amazing so I really cherish that job a lot. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Then The Queen's Gambit I loved for the way it worked. That part was quite small but important, and that's something I love about Scott, that there are no small parts. Even if someone's got one line, there's nothing perfunctory or accidental in the way he works, and that's amazing to be around. 'Under The Banner of Heaven [in 2022, in which Pirrie played a Scottish woman who has married into a fundamentalist Mormon family from Utah who commit a series of murders] which I did a few years ago, was amazing but different because I was playing someone profoundly not free, so that was also a really interesting experience from that point of view. Next up for Pirrie, after a well-earned week in the sun in Greece, is season four of Industry, the HBO hit about a group of junior traders at the London office of a city firm, now expanding its scope to follow the characters in the US. 'I did a little bit in season 3 and I'm reprising that. Industry is really fun, such a different thing. That's something I love about my job, that all sets are the same but also profoundly different and how the energy of a show really translates and how what is required of you can be really different. Industry means playing highly competent people which is hard because there's nowhere to put the vulnerability, you have to hold that together. It's really interesting, highly competent people who are melting down from the inside out is a really niche thing, and Industry definitely runs that concept to its absolute extreme. And then I don't know what I'm doing,' she says and smiles. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Pirrie is content to take each role as it comes, and doesn't think too far ahead about parts she'd like to play. 'I try to take it as it arrives towards me as much as possible. And when you receive a script that makes you sit up and be forward and hoover up whatever it is, you give it everything you have, regardless of the outcome.' As for genres, she has a surprising penchant, as yet to be explored. 'Ok, so one of my favourite genres is submarine movies. I have a real thing about submarines and I would love to do one of those. And I can ride horses fairly competently - I learnt as a kid - and I've never got to do it because it's often something men do in things, go off into battle. So I'm waiting for that moment where someone says 'could you do that on a horse?' and I'll say 'Absolutely!' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I actually made a short film recently that I'm editing now, that's a little bit about when I was young and working at a stables and imagining a life where I continued to do that. Maybe I'm creating opportunities for myself somehow, but I'd love to use that skill in some way. And it would be fun to learn to climb, swim in a particular way, dive, do stunt driving, to really push it.' In the meantime what Pirrie wants most is to be able to talk about Dept. Q without worrying about spoilers, which brings us full circle back to those 'extraordinary moments, surreal, strange things…'
