Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Dept. Q.Dept. Qwove together a very satisfying mystery and search for a missing person throughout its nine episodes, but there is one unresolved plot point that I still have questions about. The series begins with an intense opening sequence that leaves its main character, Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), close to death, resulting in him being demoted to a new cold cases department.Dept. Q’s Edinburgh detective, Morck, is struggling to emotionally recover from being shot as he takes on the case of Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie), a young lawyer who disappeared four years earlier.
Though the investigation into his own shooting moves very slowly over the course of the season,Morck and his team quickly begin to make important discoveries concerning Merritt’s disappearance.They go through a whole list of potential suspects and witnesses, and eventually, they are able to find Merritt herself inDept. Q’s ending. Despite leaving a few threads loose that could be explored in a future season, one ofDept. Q’s charactersnever got any ending at all, making me question what became of them.
What Happened to Dr. Fiona Wallace?
This Dept. Q Character Just Disappeared
Morck and his team investigate several different suspects in their search for Merritt Lingard, ruling each one out as they go. While some, like Sam’s (Steven Miller) rock-climbing friends, are always assumed to be innocent and others, like Merritt’s boss, have committed an unrelated crime, their stories are all definitively wrapped up.The only character who never gets a full resolution is Dr. Fiona Wallace (Michelle Duncan), Merritt’s brother’s caretaker,who serves as his legal guardian.
Dr. Wallace is introduced early in the season, while Morck attempts to look into who might have financially benefited from Merritt’s disappearance.Dept. Qreveals that Merritt and William’s (Tom Bulpett) mother had a fair amount of money in her family that got passed down to the children after her death. Because of William’s attack and mental condition, his money was overseen by his guardian, Merritt, but after she went missingDr. Wallace moved William into her facility and became William’s legal guardian in order to access his money.
Even if only very briefly, it would have been nice to see the other patients also be rescued and Dr. Wallace and her staff arrested for their actions.
Dept. Qlays out what Morck believes her plan to have been, but, frustratingly, audiences never actually see what happens to Dr. Wallace. While it can be assumed that she truly did use William for his money rather than caring about his well-being, especially given that Rose (Leah Byrne) and Akram (Alexej Manvelov) find all her patients sedated, it’s strange thatDept. Qnever shows the aftermath of that. Even if only very briefly, it would have been nice to see the other patients also be rescued and Dr. Wallace and her staff arrested for their actions.
At Least The Team Got William Out
Merritt’s Brother Was Saved From Dr. Wallace
Despite Dr. Wallace’s ultimate fate being left unresolved, at least the series did see William get rescued.Merritt’s brother had been placed there completely against his willand was being taken advantage of. Especially because he has aphasia and is unable to communicate his own wishes, I was glad to see Morck, his team, and William’s previous carer, Claire Marsh (Shirley Henderson), attempt to truly understand William and his needs.
After learning he is being sedated by Dr. Wallace, Morck brings William back to Claire, who genuinely seems to care for him like a son. This allowed William to feel safe for the first time in years. Part of what makes Dr. Wallace’s actions so terrible is that they could have had a long-term adverse effect on her patients, so it is good that Morck, Akram, and Rose rescued him when they did. What’s even better is thatDept. Q’s ending finally sees William have the reunion that he truly deserves.
Both Merritt and William went through a lot both as teenagers and adults, soDept. Qending with them being reunited is very heartwarming, even if the series does leave a few questions unanswered.
The series never reveals whether William and Merritt are able to get justice for Dr. Wallace’s actions, but it does not entirely even matter, because their reunion after four years provides the series with the happy ending it needs. Both Merritt and William went through a lot both as teenagers and adults, soDept. Qending with them being reunited is very heartwarming, even if the series does leave a few questions unanswered.
