🥔 Welcome back, Couch Potatoes! 🥔

Buckle up, Couch Potatoes! Episode 8 of Rocket is a loaded tot tray of psychological horror, family vendetta, and jaw-dropping reveals. Jen and Ray break down every crispy layer, from Carl’s fever-dream shootout to Merritt’s suffocating captivity in the hyperbaric chamber.

Here’s what’s sizzling:

🔫 Carl’s Dream Sequence: Carl’s psyche takes center stage in a vivid garage showdown with Caroline Kerr. In this dream, he interrogates Caroline about her testimony and even pulls a gun on Charlie Bell—only to shoot him and jolt awake. Carl’s subconscious is piecing together the case, interrogating witnesses, and reliving trauma as he sleeps. His final, exhausted “You gotta be kidding me” on waking up says it all—he’s trapped in a mental hamster wheel, running the case over and over with no escape.

😱 Merritt’s Captivity: Dragged back to the hyperbaric chamber, Merritt faces twisted “care,” gaslighting, and the theft of her beloved necklace. Her captors weaponize her routine and memory, keeping her on the edge of reality. The chamber isn’t just a prison—it’s a tool of psychological warfare, designed to break her mind as much as her body.

🧘‍♂️ Tai Chi & Teen Angst: Martin and Jasper’s slow-motion tai chi brings comic relief and a rare moment of family warmth. Carl tries to give Jasper the “safe sex” talk, which Jasper dodges in typical teen fashion—but hey, he tried! This slice-of-life scene grounds Carl, reminding us of what’s at stake beyond the case.

🛏️ Hallucinations & Flashbacks: Merritt’s mind fractures under pressure, conjuring Sam for comfort and torment. Flashbacks reveal the tangled roots of trauma, an ill-conceived teenage heist, and the vendetta that put her in the chamber. The necklace becomes a lifeline to her past and identity.

🕵️‍♂️ Dept Q’s Detective Dungeon: Carl, Rose, and Akram hit dead ends and dark humor in their basement bunker (a.k.a. Dept. Q), piecing together the puzzle with coffee, sarcasm, and a lot of staring at toilets. The ambiguity around Sam Haig—was he Merritt’s protector or betrayer?—ramps up the paranoia.

👥 Doppelgänger Bombshell: The investigation cracks open: Sam Haig wasn’t always Sam—Lyle Jennings (Harry’s brother), has been impersonating him. The ultimate betrayal: Merritt’s lover and captor are one and the same.

👩‍👦‍👦 The Family Vendetta: Ailsa and Lyle’s twisted revenge plot comes roaring into the light. Merritt refuses to apologize for Harry’s death, standing defiant even as the hyperbaric chamber closes in.

🏫 Godhaven’s Dark Legacy: Dept Q discovers Godhaven isn’t just a reform school—it’s a finishing school for sociopaths. Sam taught Lyle how to manipulate, but Lyle took it to the next level, turning trauma into weaponry.

🧩 The Final Pieces: The team finally connects the dots: Godhaven, Room 401, the stolen identity, and evil that spans generations.

• Carl’s dream sequence is a deep dive into his fractured psyche, showing how the case is consuming him even in sleep.
• Family drama, trauma, and obsession collide in the hyperbaric chamber.
• The Sam/Lyle twist is a bombshell—serving up betrayal with a side of existential dread.
• Even in the darkest moments, there’s room for awkward humor and heart.

Jen: 5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔 Ray: 5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

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🥔 Welcome back, Couch Potatoes! 🥔

Dept. Q’s seventh helping is a crispy casserole of pain, pluck, and pure potato grit! Merritt survives the ultimate spud-powered torture chamber as she’s forced to channel her inner dentist with a pair of pliers (hold onto your tots—this is not for the faint of starch!). Meanwhile, Carl and Akram are tag-teaming suspects with existential-cop flair, Rose is pepper-spraying her way through love triangles, and the old woman’s wig takes flight in a moment of pure tater drama.

Here’s what’s sizzling in this tot-tally twisted episode:

🚗 Tag-Team Tactics: Carl and Akram roll up in their little red car (parking: zero, intimidation: 100), flipping the script on Steven Burns with existential banter and psychological chess. Akram’s “restraint” is the perfect foil to Carl’s sledgehammer style—tension so thick you could cut it with a potato peeler.

🦷 The Pliers & The Pain: Merritt’s infected tooth made worse by tooth squeeze from life in the chamber garners her no sympathy. Instead, she is forced to extract her own molar with a pair of pliers. It’s raw, squelchy, blood-and-tears survival horror. Her agony is matched only by the ghosts of her past—flashbacks to her family, her mother’s necklace, and the ache of abandonment. Trauma is layered like a perfect potato gratin.

🍊 Orange Peels & Rebellion: Merritt’s orange peels provide cover for her rebellion—a symbol of her plotting, and a little zest in her otherwise flavorless captivity.

⛳ Golf Clubs & Power Plays: Carl swings for intimidation points at the country club, tossing a golf club out the window and threatening Graham Finch and his lawyer. Akram’s dry wit keeps things crispy, while the plot thickens with every veiled threat.

🎥 Confession Booth Crunch: A grainy video from Sam Haig’s past reveals a lifelong affair with sociopathic behavior, trauma, violence, and secrets—Dept. Q’s recipe for emotional stew.

👩‍🎤 Rose’s Detective Glow-Up: Rose is a spud on a mission, grilling Paul Evans about his tangled ties to Sam Haig and Chloe. Armed with pepper spray, brass knuckles, and a “don’t-mess-with-my-tots” attitude, she peels back layers of lies and love triangles beneath the starkness of the Crag.

👨‍👦 Trauma Club, Tater Edition: Carl and Jasper’s “trauma club” heart-to-heart is a masterclass in vulnerability and father-son feels. “No one joins voluntarily, fella”—pass the tissues and the tots.

🦸‍♀️ Merritt’s MacGyver Moment: Armed with pliers and pure grit, Merritt sabotages her chamber, knocks out her captor (wig reveal: iconic!), and army-crawls for freedom—only to be yanked back into darkness. The tension is suffocating, the symbolism even richer.

Dept. Q serves up a near-perfect platter of suspense, emotional depth, and spud-powered survival. Every character gets a golden moment, from Merritt’s blood-soaked resilience to Carl’s mug-on-the-puzzle sass. The chamber scenes are claustrophobic and crispy, the dialogue is salted with gallows humor, and the plot twists will have you clutching your tots.

Jen: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨ Ray: 5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

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🥔 Welcome back, Couch Potatoes! 🥔

Zauberwald is officially off the rails, and your favorite strangers are tossed straight into the emotional fryer—no crispy edges in sight.

Here’s what’s sizzling:

🩸 Matriarch Meltdown: We open with a flashback—Helena, the queen of cold comfort, tells Martin to “make it work” with Masha, then coughs up blood and delivers a backhanded compliment for the ages: “If she fails, we fail. She won’t fail, unlike some people I know.” Generational trauma, anyone?

🏔️ Inheritance Insult: Masha arrives at Zauberwald with medicine for Helena, only to be handed the keys to the kingdom. Martin? He gets a lifetime supply of therapy bills. Helena’s “rugs with more charm” line is both hilarious and cruel.

🔥 Existential Fireplace: Present day, Martin’s by the fire, looking like he’s aged a decade in an hour. Sister Agnes checks in, and Martin admits, “It’s been a long time since anyone asked me [how I'm doing].” He confesses to putting a patient in danger and wonders if he’s capable of evil.

😱 Panic! At the Retreat: Wolfie, Tina, and Brian walk in, and the panic spreads faster than a Minnesota cold. Victoria’s had a seizure, and everyone realizes they’ve all been dosed with the same sketchy meds. David strolls in, and suddenly everyone’s wondering if they’ll need intensive care. Tina’s oracle comment is the most relatable line of the hour.

🎩 Magic Tricks & Daddy Issues: Peter’s library chat with Masha is a metaphor masterclass—his dad bought the magician’s secrets, just like David wants to buy Zauberwald’s “magic.” Healing, wonder, and love are all for sale.

🥶 Corporate Takedown: Back with the group, Martin tries to explain himself and gets roasted by David, who calls him “Masha’s assistant” and questions his entire existence. The group is left stunned.

🥇 Oracle Awards & Broken Glass: Tina’s still on her “I told you so” high, demanding a medal for her psychic powers. Agnes gives Martin a rare moment of kindness, but Martin’s meltdown continues—he smashes a vase and steps on the glass, while Masha watches on camera.

👩‍👧 Mother-Daughter Realness: Imogen and Victoria finally get honest. Victoria admits she’s never been good at honesty, Imogen admits she’s terrified of losing her, and they both laugh through the tears. “There’s so much of me right there inside you.”

🥔 Potato Chips & Avoidance: Tina’s spiraling, Wolfie’s reading a book, and potato chips are the glue holding their relationship together.

🧸 Bearly Coping: Brian can’t sleep. Jesse the Bear (his inner demon) taunts him about never being healed, never being enough, and being pathetic, sad, and angry. Brian stuffs Jesse back in the suitcase. Well done, Brian!

🔥 Fireside Trauma Swap: Peter and Imogen rekindle their spark and bond over their terrible parents, joking about their hypothetical kids inheriting all their baggage. We love these two tots and we hope they stick together!

🍄 Mushroom Mayhem: Martin is manically grinding mushrooms, screaming for his mother, and tripping so hard he looks possessed. Meanwhile Masha sips her psilocybin tea, chanting for Helena.

🎆 Emergency Meeting Madness: The storm rages, fireworks explode, and Masha calls an emergency meeting. David’s eyes pop open mid-trip, and Masha presides over a psychedelic “trial.” The guests look confused, the audience looks confused, and we are just here for the snacks.

This episode is a psychedelic snowstorm of family wounds, culty chaos, and therapy gone totally off the rails. The strangers—the heart of the show—are sidelined so Masha can have her fever-dream power trip, and every time she takes center stage, the plot tanks harder than a frozen tot in a cold oven. Still, there are crispy moments: Imogen and Victoria’s bedside honesty, Brian’s bear battle, Tina’s “I told you so” oracle routine, and Peter and Imogen's rekindling. Next week's season finale is promised to be a doozy. Crazier than ketchup on tots as Ray likes to say. We're so ready to find out what Masha has cooked for us!

Jen: 1.5 Tots 🥔 ✨ Ray: 4 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔

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🥔 Welcome back, Couch Potatoes! 🥔

Dept. Q’s “Team Doolally” is in full meltdown mode this week—rain-soaked park benches, pressure-cooker therapy sessions, and an ice cream shop showdown that’ll haunt your dreams. The squad’s juggling trauma, trust issues, and a parade of creeps, all while trying to keep their own families and sanity intact.

Here’s what’s sizzling:

☔ Park Bench Paranoia: Merit and Sam Haig’s rainy rendezvous is a crash course in spycraft and suspicion. Sandwiches are eaten, secrets are swapped, and Merit learns the hard way that in Dept. Q, you’re always being watched.

🍦 Ice Cream Shop of Nightmares: Carl tries to reconnect with Jasper over a cone, but a monstrous stranger turns the moment into a psychological horror show. Carl’s dad-rage goes viral, and the whole city’s got a front-row seat to his meltdown.

🥃 Church Confessions: Fergus Dunbar’s relapse and battered face reveal just how dangerous this case has become. The team’s being followed, threatened, and squeezed from every angle—trust is running on empty.

🛏️ Domestic Debrief: Back at home, Martin calls out Carl’s “unhinged cop” moment, but it’s Jasper’s made bed that signals a tiny, hopeful step toward healing.

🔍 Rose Rises: Rose finally gets her moment, digging into the Kirsty Atkins mystery and unearthing secrets that could topple Stephen Burns. Her banter with Hardy at the hospital is equal parts heart and breakthrough.

🧠 Pressure Palace Flashbacks: Merit’s therapy session is a swirl of longing, suspicion, and surveillance. Even her most private moments aren’t safe from the ever-watchful cormorant hat.

🚗 Detective Work, Viral Style: The team realizes the ice cream shop brawl was a total setup—caught perfectly on camera and staged for maximum impact. Rose and Akram’s hunt for a black BMW leads them into danger, proving the bad guys are always one step ahead.

This episode is a masterclass in tension and trauma, with every character pushed to their limits. From public meltdowns to private confessions, “Team Doolally” is battered but unbowed. Dept. Q proves once again that healing is messy, justice is complicated, and hope is stubborn as a Minnesota winter.

Jen: 4 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔 Ray: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨

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Dept. Q hits its stride in “The Crag,” an episode where every lead is a sharp edge and every clue is a crispy surprise. Jen and Ray dig into the pivotal Pentalina ferry flashback, Merritt’s claustrophobic “pressure tomb,” and a cascade of clues—an alias, an affair, and a missing necklace—that finally get the whole team cooking.

With emotional gut-punches, witty banter, and detective teamwork at its finest, this episode proves Dept. Q is firing on all cylinders and ready to serve up the twistiest tots yet.

🚢 The Pentalina Ferry Flashback: Merritt’s last moment of normalcy—searching for William’s hat—turns into a nightmare as she’s ambushed by a mysterious woman and a man in a hat. The pillowcase abduction, the broken car window, and the total lack of witnesses set the tone for the entire case.

🕳️ The Pressure Tomb: Merritt wakes in her hyperbaric prison, fighting to hold onto her identity. Her captors’ psychological warfare and monthly “guessing game” push her to the edge, blending trauma, guilt, and survival.

🛋️ Carl & Dr. Irving’s Banter: Scottish slang, “tatty bye,” and plumbing metaphors give us a glimpse of Carl’s emotional constipation and his complicated relationship with stepson Jasper. Dr. Irving keeps nudging Carl to open up, even as he tries to run from his feelings.

👩‍💼 Rose’s Island Mission: Rose charms Constable Cunningham and his son Colin, uncovering the bombshell that Merritt returned to Moore for Harry Jennings’ funeral. A circled necklace in crime scene photos becomes the episode’s key clue.

💎 The Necklace Connection: The diamond pendant on a platinum chain, belonging to Lila Linard, wasn’t stolen in the original break-in. Rose and Akram realize this overlooked detail could unravel the whole case.

🏚️ The Jennings’ Wasteland: Rose and Colin’s visit to the bleak Jennings property reveals a history of fraud, loss, and desperation—plus a memorial for Harry and a setting as grim as the secrets it hides.

🤝 Hardy’s Wisdom: Hardy encourages Rose to trust her instincts and reminds her that she’s the “special sauce” Dept. Q needs.

📝 The Affair & The Alias: Akram finds a note signed “S,” leading Carl to confirm Merritt’s brief affair with Liam and her use of a credit card in her mother’s name, Lila Graham—a pivotal clue.

🏨 The Hotel Records: Carl, Rose, and Akram strong-arm the Prince Garden Hotel desk clerk for records, discovering Merritt stayed in the same room repeatedly. The last authorized guest? Sam Haig—a new suspect and a whole new spoke on the investigation wheel.

🔥 The Cliffhanger: In the chamber, Merritt’s forced to confess about Sam Haig. Her captors claim he’s dead because of her, and the punishment is swift—heat, oxygen deprivation, and a new layer of guilt. Merritt is battered but unbroken, and Dept. Q is closer than ever to the truth.

This episode is a golden-brown blend of relentless twists, emotional depth, and detective teamwork. Every member of Dept. Q brings their A-game, and the clues—alias, affair, necklace—finally start to fit together. The pacing is electric, the performances are top-notch, and every scene is a new ledge on the craggy path to the truth.

Jen: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨ Ray: 4 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔

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🥔 Welcome back, Tator Tot Sleuths! 🥔

Episode 4 is a pressure-cooked platter of secrets, heartbreak, and detective brilliance. The case pivots around three tantalizing leads—a hidden alias, a brief affair, and a mysterious necklace—each one peeling back new layers of Merritt’s life and the tangled web surrounding her disappearance. From ferry flashbacks to hotel records, Dept. Q is firing on all cylinders, and every clue brings us closer to the truth (and a little closer to the edge of our seats).

⛴️ Pentalina Ferry Flashback: The episode opens with a gut-punch: Merritt’s last moments of freedom as she searches for William’s hat on the Pentalina ferry, only to be abducted in the parking lot. The detail reframes the investigation and proves just how meticulous her kidnappers were.

🧑‍⚖️ Pressure Tomb & Psychological Warfare: We see Merritt’s disorientation and terror as she wakes in the “pressure tomb.” Her captors’ psychological games force her to confront her past, blending trauma and survival in real time.

🛋️ Carl & Dr. Irving—Therapy, Banter, and Revelations: Carl’s therapy session is a masterclass in Scottish banter and emotional avoidance, but we get a bombshell: Carl didn’t choose to raise Jasper—he “won” him in the “coconut shy of divorce.” Dr. Irving’s “plumber” metaphor reframes therapy as emotional maintenance, and Victoria’s later confrontation reveals Jasper’s silent devotion to Carl.

🏝️ Rose in Mohr—Detective Instincts & Emotional Fallout: Rose’s rapport with Detective Cunningham and his son Colin is both strategic and empathetic. Her focus on Harry Jennings, the boy who nearly killed William, and the circled necklace in the crime scene photo, unearths new motives and old wounds.

🏚️ The Jennings’ Wasteland: Rose visits the Jennings’ hazardous, rusted homestead. The setting is a living metaphor for cycles of trauma, loss, and inescapable family history.

💎 The Necklace Clue: The circled diamond pendant from the Lingard robbery becomes the episode’s key clue, revealing that Merritt returned to Mohr for it on the day of Harry Jennings’ funeral.

🕵️‍♂️ Dept. Q Banter & Theories: Back at HQ, Carl and Rose spar over Jamie’s involvement and the significance of the bird logo on the cap. Akram quietly finds a bombshell: a love note signed “S,” hinting at a secret relationship and a new suspect.

🏨 The Alias & The Prince Garden Hotel: Carl’s interview with Liam Taylor reveals a brief affair with Merritt—one she ended abruptly—and the bombshell that she checked into the Prince Garden Hotel under her mother’s name, Lila Graham. Hotel records show Merritt stayed in the same room multiple times, and the last authorized guest was “Sam Haig.”

🏥 Hardy’s Quiet Detective Work: Even from his hospital bed, Hardy is piecing together Merritt’s life, focusing on the mundane details that might hold the key to the case.

🧩 Breakthroughs & Bombshells: The discovery of the alias, the affair, and the necklace all converge, leading Dept. Q to a new person of interest—Sam Haig—and a whole new avenue of investigation.

This episode is a masterclass in cold case storytelling—every lead, every red herring, and every emotional reveal is perfectly crisped. The Alias, The Affair, and The Necklace aren’t just clues; they’re the keys that unlock Merritt’s secret life and push Dept. Q closer to the truth. With each scene, the team’s chemistry and determination shine, and the emotional stakes climb ever higher.

Jen: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨ Ray: 4 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔

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🥔 Welcome back, Tator Tot Sleuths! 🥔

This week, Dept. Q cranks up the suspense and the stakes. Merritt’s ordeal in the “pressure coffin” is more harrowing than ever, while Carl, Akram, and Rose follow a trail of hats, haunted homes, and cryptic bird logos. Family secrets, psychological warfare, and a web of old wounds keep the investigation—and the tension—at a rolling boil.

🧑‍⚖️ Merritt’s Pressure Chamber Nightmare: Her captors literally turn up the pressure, weaponizing the hyperbaric chamber to force confessions and inflict excruciating pain (think toothaches, ear pain, and the threat of catastrophic injury). The chamber becomes a “memory vault” and a character in its own right.

🎩 The Hat on the Ferry: Carl and Akram reenact the scene where William lost his hat, retracing Merritt’s last steps. Despite a ferry full of cameras, Merritt vanishes—suggesting a meticulously planned abduction, not a random crime.

🏚️ Family Fallout: Visits to Merritt’s childhood home and her father Jamie reveal deep family fractures, class resentment, and unresolved grief. No photos of Merritt, just years of bitterness and secrets.

🐦 The Boobrie Connection: William, on the run, retrieves a drawing of a bird logo—a boobrie—from his old bedroom. Rose connects the bird to Jamie Lingard’s boat, Boobrie II, tying family history to the present mystery.

🕵️‍♂️ Akram’s Edge: Akram’s solo search for William highlights his “find anything” skills and his willingness to bend the rules for answers.

👩‍💼 Rose’s Return: Rose hustles her way back onto the team, using blackmail, banter, and sheer determination. Her research skills and empathy bring new energy to Dept. Q.

🛋️ Therapy & Truces: Carl’s therapy session with Dr. Irving gets real when she shares her own panic attack story, breaking the ice for a more honest partnership. At home, Jasper calls for a truce, flipping the parent-child dynamic.

💻 Hardy’s New Role: Hardy demands a computer to stay in the game, proving he’s still vital to the team even from the sidelines.

🦅 Chamber Clues: Merritt discovers carved initials (“L” and “H”) and the question “Why are you here?” in the chamber, hinting she’s not the first to endure this twisted guessing game.

Episode 3 is a masterclass in tension and emotional layering. The “pressure coffin” scenes are pure psychological horror, while the team’s evolving dynamics keep things sharp and unpredictable. The hat, the boobrie, and the chamber’s carvings are all tantalizing clues, and every character—from Merritt to Rose—gets a moment to shine (or struggle). This is Dept. Q at its most binge-worthy and brainy.

Jen: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨ Ray: 4 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔

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🥔 Welcome back to the crispy chaos, Tator Tot Nation! 🥔

This week, Zauberwald serves up a psychedelic smorgasbord of secrets, breakdowns, and breakthroughs as Masha’s “healing” retreat spins off the rails. From puppet therapy to wine baths and a mud-soaked father-son reunion, Episode 6 is a wild ride through the messy middle of trauma, memory, what it means to truly heal, and the very real danger of human experimentation.

Here’s what’s sizzling:

💊 Masha Unhinged: Masha is spiraling, torn between vengeance and forgiveness after Prague. Helena drops some existential truth bombs, but Masha’s not ready to let go—her need for control is at an all-time high.

🌨️ Matteo’s PTSD: Sleeping outside triggers a harrowing panic attack for Matteo, who uses grounding techniques to claw his way back to the present. Trauma isn’t just in your head—it lives in your body.

👭 Ballroom Bonds: Imogen and Tina’s sleepover is a masterclass in vulnerability, friendship, and echoes of “mommy issues.”

🛏️ Victoria’s Secret (Illness): Victoria’s ALS is finally out in the open, and Matteo’s been her secret caregiver/boyfriend all along.

🪆 Devilish Puppet Therapy: Brian and Agnes’ puppet play turns into a Jungian dance with the devil and the angel—externalizing their inner struggles and giving Agnes a rare taste of joy.

🍄 Mushroom Lab Mayhem: Masha and Martin’s trust is rotting faster than a forgotten tot in the oven. Lies, surveillance, and ethical red flags abound as they plot the next phase of their “treatment.”

👨‍👦 Daddy Issues Deluxe: Peter and David drop bombshells about affairs, lost children, lion tamers, and new business plans with all the emotional weight of a weather report. Emotional numbness runs deep in this family.

👶 Flashbacks & Regression: Peter’s therapy session with Masha goes off the rails—he’s silenced, re-traumatized, and left scrambling for reality. Consent? Never heard of her.

🍳 Breakfast Breakdown: The group’s morning is a circus of devil/angel puppets, consent confusion, and Masha’s culty pitch for “burning away” trauma. Imogen is first in line for the next experiment—because what could possibly go wrong?

🧖‍♀️ Spa Squad: Brian, Agnes, Tina, and Wolfie escape to the spa, trading trauma for vino therapy and thongs. Humor and honesty become their healing superpowers.

🦋 Butterfly Breakthroughs: Matteo’s vision of butterflies as the souls of the dead is a poetic lesson in radical acceptance—he wants his pain because it’s his. Masha’s mind? Blown.

🍷 Wine Bath Revelations: Our “found family” floats in wine and discovers that maybe the real medicine is friendship (and a group hug).

🛑 Medical Mayhem: Victoria’s seizure and negligent care shatters the illusion of safety. Masha blames Martin, the group’s trust crumbles, and the wine-stained robes become symbols of innocence lost as helicopters arrive.

👻 Ghosts & Guilt: The episode ends with Masha confronting Helena—who turns out to be a figment of her conscience. Masha’s haunted by her own denial, and the retreat’s future is more uncertain than ever.

Episode 6 is a tator tot casserole of catharsis, chaos, and crispy character work. The show asks: Can you really rewrite your past, or do you just have to learn to live with it? With every breakthrough comes a new breakdown, and at Zauberwald, healing is as unpredictable as a Minnesota snowstorm.

Jen: 3 Tots 🥔🥔🥔 Ray: 2 Tots 🥔🥔

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Suicide Prevention Hotline: Dial 988 National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or text START (88788) Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Substance Abuse and Addiction Hotline: 1-844-289-0879

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🥔 Welcome Back, Tator Tot Sleuths! 🥔

Dept. Q is serving up a second helping of suspense, and this week the spotlight is on Merritt’s chilling monthly ritual: Guess, Confess, Survive.

As Carl and Akram dig deeper into the cold case files, Merritt faces her captor’s twisted game—forced to relive her toughest prosecutions and confess her “sins” in a desperate bid to stay alive. The tension is sizzling, the clues are crisp, and the team is starting to come together, one crunchy crisis at a time.

🍌 Merritt endures her captor’s monthly guessing game—forced to confess which case landed her in captivity, scratching names on the wall and clinging to hope.

🕵️‍♂️ Carl and Akram lock horns over the direction of “the file,” but Akram’s empathy and tech savvy start to win Carl over.

🏢 Moira Jacobson demands results, pushing Akram to make Merritt’s case Dept. Q’s top priority.

🧑‍⚖️ Merritt’s brother William escapes his care home, adding a wild card to the investigation.

🏠 Carl’s home life is a hot mess—awkward parenting moments, teenage drama, and Martin’s neuroscience lectures.

🛋️ Dr. Rachel Irving’s therapy session with Carl spirals into sarcasm and a panic attack, with Akram stepping in for a real rescue.

👩‍🦳 Rose’s jealousy over Akram’s new partnership flares, but Moira keeps her sidelined.

🤝 Hardy unofficially joins Dept. Q, bringing fresh energy to the team.

🔥 Carl and Akram’s partnership starts to crisp up, with Akram setting boundaries and Carl learning to (sort of) trust.

This episode is a golden-brown blend of trauma, teamwork, and tenacity. Merritt’s monthly guessing game is haunting, Carl’s emotional walls are cracking, and Akram is emerging as the secret sauce Dept. Q needs. Grab your tots—this is comfort crime TV at its crunchiest!

Jen: 5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔 Ray: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨

Dept. Q on Netflix

Dept. Q at IMDB

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Email the Show: [email protected] Email Jen: [email protected] Email Ray: [email protected]

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🥔 Welcome to Dept. Q Couch Potatoes! 🥔

Netflix’s Dept. Q kicks off with a bang—literally. 🔍 Meet DCI Carl Morck, a brilliant but brooding detective, whose life is upended after a harrowing ambush leaves his partner James Hardy paralyzed and another officer dead.

Haunted by guilt and forced into therapy with the sharp Dr. Rachel Irving, Carl is relegated to the police basement to head up the barely funded, newly minted Department Q—a cold case unit that’s as much a PR move as a punishment.

But Carl’s not alone in the dungeon for long.

🕵🏻‍♂️ Enter Akram Salim, a former Syrian cop who’s got a knack for finding the truth and a mysterious past of his own. Together, they’re tasked with reopening the chilling four-year-old disappearance of prosecutor Merritt Lingard—a case that’s as tangled as a plate of tots at a Minnesota potluck.

👩🏻‍⚖️ Meanwhile, Merritt’s story unfolds in parallel: a relentless prosecutor, now missing and presumed dead after a botched conviction and a string of threats. But in a shocking twist, we learn Merritt is alive—held captive in a nightmarish chamber, her fate tied to secrets that will pull Carl and Akram deeper into the shadows.

• 🕵️‍♂️ DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode): Guilt-ridden, sharp-tongued, and not exactly a team player, Carl’s trying to hold it together while piecing his life—and the coldest of cases—back together.
• 🏥 James Hardy (Jamie Sives): Carl’s former partner, now paralyzed but still a source of wisdom and emotional weight for Carl.
• 💻 Akram Salim (Alexej Manvelov): The underestimated assistant with a detective’s mind and a past that might just be the key to cracking Department Q’s toughest mysteries.
• 👩‍⚖️ Merritt Lingard (Chloe Pirrie): The missing prosecutor whose case becomes Dept. Q’s first obsession. Her story is the heart of the season’s mystery.
• 👩‍💼 Moira Jacobson (Kate Dickie): Carl’s boss, more interested in politics and budgets than basement sleuthing, but she’s the one who sets Dept. Q in motion.
• 🛋️ Dr. Rachel Irving (Kelly Macdonald): Carl’s reluctant therapist, tasked with prying open his emotional armor.

This debut episode is a masterclass in moody atmosphere and layered storytelling. With its blend of Nordic noir vibes and Scottish grit, Dept. Q serves up a platter of trauma, mystery, and unlikely alliances. The cold case of Merritt Lingard is just the tip of the iceberg—expect secrets, suspense, and plenty of emotional crunch in every bite.

Ready to dig into the coldest case in Scotland?

Grab your tots—Dept. Q is officially open for business!

Jen: 4.5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔✨ Ray: 5 Tots 🥔🥔🥔🥔🥔

Dept. Q on Netflix

Dept. Q at IMDB

Join Our Patreon

Shop Tator Tots and TV Plots Merchandise

Email the Show: [email protected] Email Jen: [email protected] Email Ray: [email protected]

Enjoyed the episode? Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts Or share your own Tator Tot Rating on Instagram with #TotsAndPlots