‘Black Doves’ Season 1 Review – An Addictive Spy Series With A Wicked Sense Of Humor

Black Doves marks the return of Keira Knightley to an action role that she inhabits spectacularly. Not since films like Domino and the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise have Knightley displayed so much gusto. She’s brilliant here in a physically and mentally demanding role. Of course, the role also carries a wicked sense of humor. Consider it as if Guy Ritchie adapted a modern-day version of John le Carré.

The terrific Ben Whishaw plays the counterpart lead, who has never been better in the role. Whishaw is scintillating here, bringing shades of sexy, smart, and savvy to a role that could have easily been a one-note comedic sidekick. However, he makes it captivating, infusing it with a well-rounded poignancy that is thoughtful and moving. You cannot have one without the other in Black Doves, one of the year’s best spy series.

The Netflix series follows Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), a stay-at-home mom and wife of the British Secretary of Defense Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan). Together, they have two children, fraternal twins, and they seem to be the quaint and perfect English life. Oh, but did we mention that Helen is a secret spy who initially married Wallace to monitor (and report) the secrets of God and Country?  Yup, you bet your ass she did.

Helen is not a loyalist, so she sells these secrets to the handler of a shady organization. Helen’s initial trainer, seen in flashbacks, is Sam Young (Wishaw.) However, as the years pass, she begins a passionate affair with a reporter (Pleaky Blinders’ Andrew Koji) that ends when he is killed, along with two colleagues and a Chinese national. The people behind the murders think Helen’s lover passed on incriminating information.

Little do they know, Helen makes Samantha Jones look like James Bond’s assistant. That is the brilliance of Black Doves, written by creator Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project, Giri/Haji). The series jumps back and forth between Helen and Sam’s first meeting and training to the present day, revealing surprises and emotional beats that make the series thoroughly gripping. At times, the series also has moments that are undeniably moving.

That’s because these “Doves” have to abandon who they are and give up what they love. It’s these moments that elevate Black Doves into a streaming series that is truly great popcorn television. However, make no mistake—this being a spy series, nothing is as it seems. With so many twists and turns in Black Doves, we encourage you to take notes—it’s more tangled than a dinner party with all of Agatha Christie’s favorite characters.

Much of that is driven by Sarah Lancashire, the outstanding star of Happy Valley, whose character catalyzes story-shifting plot points. Now, you could argue that Black Doves is so focused on twists and turns that it can become muddled if you don’t pay attention, which is fair, as it can be head-spinning. You could also argue that the setup and payoff aren’t exactly original. There are also plenty of plot holes to pick at.

However, all of that hardly matters because Black Doves is worth watching for the performances, writing, and, no pun intended, execution. This is an addictive binge if there ever was one.

Black Doves is currently available to stream only on Netflix.