Dept. Q: What Sam Haig has to do with Merritt Lingard's past

Netflix's new crime thriller series Dept. Q dropped on May 29, 2025. Created by Scott Frank and Chandni Lakhani, this Mathew Goode and Kelly Macdonald-starring series has created a steady buzz among the viewers. It boasts of an 8.3/10 rating on IMDb, and 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.

The plot delves into the tumultuous life of a former detective, Carl, who is struggling to move on from a traumatic incident that left his partner paralysed and a police officer dead. After he recovers, he is assigned to Department Q, a cold case unit set up as a PR move. Carl slowly builds a small team of outcasts with whom he investigates the case of a missing prosecutor, Merritt Lingard. What initially looked like a missing case unravels a web of lies and betrayals.

While investigating Merritt Lingard's case, the Dept. Q comes across several connections of the prosecutor — most notably that of a young man called Sam Haig, which proves instrumental in cracking the case.

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Who is Sam Haig, and what happened between him and Merritt as shown in Dept. Q?

Initially, the team found out that Merritt Lingard was having an affair with a young man called Sam Haig. The surveillance footage showed the two meeting at a hotel just two days before her disappearance.

The affair, however, was a mirage. The investigators soon found out that the real Sam Haig, a journalist visiting Edinburgh to write about his youth at Godhaven, died under mysterious circumstances even before Merritt's disappearance. Lyle Jennings forged Sam Haig's identity to gain Merritt's trust.

Lyle and Sam shared a dark past. Both spent time at a correctional facility in Godhaven. Lyle, who idolized his older brother Harry, introduced himself to Sam as his brother's look-alike. They reunited as adults, but their paths diverged violently. Lyle murdered Sam at a rock climbing centre, staging it as an accident and using chalk to cover his crimes.

By forging Sam's identity, Lyle came closer to Merritt and learnt about her plan to return to Mhor via ferry. He seized the opportunity and kidnapped her. His motive? He believed that Merritt was at fault for his brother Harry's death decades ago.

Merritt and Harry were childhood sweethearts, and they decided to steal Merritt's mother's jewelry to provide for their escape. Merritt's brother William tried to stop Harry from stealing the valuables, and amidst the chaos, Lyle came to his rescue and brutally beat up William. However, their mission failed as Harry jumped from the ferry during a police chase, which eventually led to his death.

Thus, even decades later, Lyle's revenge did not burn out, and he planned Merritt's abduction.

How did Dept. Q team solve Merritt Lingard's case?

Merritt Lingard's case eventually led the Dept. Q team to an abandoned warehouse of the Shoebird Oceans Systems. There, they uncovered the horrifying hyperbaric chamber where Merritt was held hostage.

In a harrowing final confrontation, Akram was shot in the shoulder while saving Merritt, however, he fought back bravely and killed Lyle. On the other hand, when Ailsa found herself trapped, she committed suicide.

Thus, the true Sam Haig was an innocent casualty whose identity enabled Lyle Jennings to execute an obsessive, vengeful plan against prosecutor Merritt Lingard. However, his death opened a gateway into the Jennings family's dark history and helped the team rescue Merritt.

All nine episodes of Dept. Q are available to stream on Netflix

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Also read: Dept. Q: Akram starts off quiet, but there’s way more to him than meets the eye

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