Dept. Q: This major change to Merritt’s character from the book reshaped the Netflix show

Dept. Q is a slow burner that makes you dig deep into each character in the show. It is about cold cases that were buried, forgotten, or maybe even intentionally ignored.

It starts with prosecutor Merritt, who is sharp and absolutely good at what she does. She sets herself apart from the usual legal crowd by being bold, driven, and totally unafraid to ruffle feathers if it means doing what she believes is right.

But just when we think the story is going to follow her lead, the show swerves and drops us into the world of DCI Carl Morck. And we're suddenly exploring a man scarred by trauma, both physically and emotionally, and determined to restart his career.

Dept. Q is about people. Messy, complex, broken, brilliant people. We get Carl’s battle with PTSD and guilt over the ambush that left his partner paralyzed, along with Akram’s mysterious presence. This show builds a web of character-driven tension.

But one character who stands out is Merritt. She is kidnapped, kept in a gas chamber, and still somehow held onto her will to fight.

In the original books by Jussi Adler-Olsen, however, Merritt isn’t a prosecutor. She’s a politician. That’s a change the Netflix show decided to make. Yet, despite the career change, her journey stays intact. Chloe Pirrie, who plays Merritt in Dept. Q, even shared her thoughts with Cosmopolitan UK.

And that’s what we’re about to get into.

Dept. Q: Merritt’s profession change reshaped the Netflix show

In the original book Mercy, Merritt isn’t a prosecutor at all. She’s a politician. And it changes a bit more than just her job title.

If the show had stuck to her being a politician, her entire network would’ve looked different. The bond she shares with other legal professionals, like how she gets involved with investigative reporter Sam Haig, probably wouldn’t exist. Sam is a guarded reporter who crosses paths with her because of their shared orbit around criminal cases.

But if she were a politician in the show, that relationship, along with many of the narrative threads connected to it, would likely have been rewritten or gone entirely. She would've had different allies, a different kind of public persona, and maybe even a different kind of danger trailing her.

But the core of her story wouldn’t change. No matter her profession, Merritt is a woman who’s made enemies by doing the right thing in a dirty world. So the ghosts of her past would still haunt her.

Even Chloe Pirrie, who plays Merritt in Dept. Q, touches on that. Speaking to Cosmopolitan UK, she says:

"Ultimately, she's a person whose past catches up with her. In really, the most hideous terrifying way, that the human brain could imagine. Which is something Scott is so good at, that thing of crafting a story where you torture the characters in various ways, with their darkest secrets and fears."

Pirrie also adds about her character in Dept. Q:

"She just goes through so much. Scott said it himself, everything he writes, he says, 'it's kind of about family.' And I think family is at the heart of the show. And so something that helps to heal those wounds which are very much connected to family, I want that for her."

Merritt's relationship with her brother is everything to her. She’s protective of him as he is the only person she loves. So when she suddenly vanishes and people start wondering if she might’ve run away, it doesn’t add up. She would never abandon him.

You see it with DCI Carl Morck too. His relationship with his stepson may be complicated but it’s sincere. He wants to be there for him. And even in the middle of murder cases and cold files, that need to protect his family never goes away.

So Dept. Q might have changed Merritt’s profession, but the heart of her story remains intact. This still remains a tale about haunted people and buried truths.

Trending

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more updates and detailed coverage.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback