Who is Ailsa Jennings in Dept. Q? Character explored in depth

Dept. Q is for those who are into detective shows all tangled in mysteries. It is a Nordic noir crime show that has something unsettling and yet strangely tender. It does not fear away from getting headfirst into the uncomfortable themes of mental illness, generational trauma, and moral gray zones.

Detective Carl Morck is a brilliant but typically grumpy and messy detective who is struggling both professionally and personally after a shooting incident. But he is as good as it gets when it comes to noticing things no one else notices.

Through him, we also see a refreshing take on the bond between a father and stepson. It is something knottier and more real.

The women in Dept. Q are no less. Merritt, the woman at the center of the mystery, is a fierce and unconventional lawyer who doesn’t go down without a fight. Rose is one of Morck’s team members. She is all brains and brilliance. And then there’s Moira, their boss, who is strong, but carrying her own share of internal battles. The beauty of this show is that it just lets these characters be complex as well as capable.

But among all these layered characters, there’s one name that sticks in your mind, and that's Ailsa Jennings. Who was she really? And why does her story matter so much in Dept. Q?

Let's find out.

Dept. Q: Ailsa Jennings - the mother, the manipulator, the monster in disguise

Ailsa Jennings might, on the surface, seem like just another reclusive woman tucked away in a small town. But beneath that what you’ll find is a deeply unsettling character.

Ailsa is the mother of two boys, Harry and Lyle Jennings. She doesn’t appear in the beginning and doesn't seem to be at the center of anything. But as the story progresses in Dept. Q, we realize she’s arguably the most dangerous character of all.

Back in the day, teenage Merritt Lingard was dating Harry Jennings, the older son of Ailsa. Both of them were just two lost teens in a dead-end town, dreaming of escape. In a moment of desperation, Merritt half-jokingly suggests pawning one of her estranged mother’s jewels to fund their getaway. But Harry takes it seriously.

One night, he sneaks into the Lingard house to steal that ring. He doesn’t realize William, Merritt’s younger brother, is home. Things don't go as planned. William confronts Harry, and out of nowhere, Lyle shows up. He brutally beats up William that puts him into a coma and robs him of his speech forever.

The tragedy in Dept. Q doesn’t end there. Harry is shocked but as a protective brother, he takes the blame for the whole thing. Even though it was Lyle who beat up William. Harry tries to flee, but fate had other plans for him. Harry dies and Lyle and Ailsa are left heartbroken.

Instead of mourning Harry, or helping Lyle come to terms with what happened, Ailsa does what she thinks is correct to suit her own warped logic. She is a toxic parent who refuses to see the real picture and blames it all on Merritt. She is also responsible for ruining her children's childhood by using psychological control, emotional manipulation, and years of abuse as a means to make them obey her.

Lyle, rather than a son, becomes what seems like an assistant to her in her twisted and sick plans in Dept. Q. Her maternal love is but a slow poison to her sons. Lyle, having grown up in Ailsa’s suffocating shadow, believes every word. This is a boy who was locked in rooms as punishment. A boy who feared his own mother, yet clung to her approval.

When Merritt vanishes, the town assumes she’s dead. But because of DCI Morck and the mysterious Akram Salim, we learn that she had been kidnapped and held captive for four years in a hyperbaric chamber by none other than Lyle and Ailsa.

Ailsa was the one who planted the idea in Lyle's head, watered it, and made sure it grew. Even when Lyle falters and shows signs of guilt, empathy, maybe even a desire to help Merritt, Ailsa steps in to stop him.

Ailsa Jennings in Dept. Q is far more terrifying because she believes what she’s doing is right. Her twisted sense of justice, her inability to process grief, and her suffocating grip over her son turn her into a dangerous person.

Her character is also a painful but important reflection of toxic parenting. Children raised in such environments often don’t even realize they’re being abused. Lyle isn’t innocent, but he’s also a product of years of fear and emotional conditioning.

Ultimately, Dept.Q gives us a chilling reminder that not all monsters look like monsters.

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