Italian
As we know from decades of fictional representations, spying requires a deep level of duplicity. As a result, those who engage in the profession find it challenging to sustain relationships with others. Yet, human beings with any level of emotional intelligence require companionship, even if it’s to their determinant. In Netflix‘s “Black Doves,” a British spy thriller created by Joe Barton, the audience meets Helen Webb (an outstanding Keira Knightley), the wife of the U.K.’s Defense Secretary and a mother to two young children whose life seems picturesque. However, there is much more to Helen than what meets the eye. For the past decade, she has worked for the Black Doves, a secret spy organization that sells the British government’s secrets to the highest bidder. Helen has worked tirelessly to maintain her operation, but an extramarital affair thrusts her into a tense and intricate web of conspiracies and cover-ups involving multiple governments and organizations. A twisted thriller of a series, “Black Doves” is a fun, poignant and dizzying journey centering on friendship and connection.
“Black Doves” begins in London in the days leading up to Christmas. Helen is at home wrangling her twins for her husband Wallace’s (Andrew Buchan) annual office holiday party. Everything initially feels joyful and merry at the celebration until a gray-haired woman approaches the couple. The audience learns this woman is Mrs. Reed (Sarah Lancashire, of “Happy Valley” among many other credits), the Black Doves’ formidable spymaster. In the hall outside of the festive affair, Mrs. Reed informs Helen that her lover, Jason (Andrew Koji), has been killed. Though the anguish is present on Helen’s face, she quickly masks it, assuring Mrs. Reed that Jason knew nothing about her line of work. Of course, this information isn’t just swept under the rug. Helen becomes a woman obsessed, determined to find out who killed Jason and why. With her top spy on the verge of going rouge, Mrs. Reed beckons Sam (Ben Whishaw), an assassin and old friend of Helen’s, back to London after a long hiatus and orders him to keep Helen and the organization safe.
Popular on Variety Tonally, “Black Doves” separates itself from most spy thrillers. With a snowy London, Christmas lights and holiday music as a backdrop, the show has swirls of comedy woven throughout the high-voltage action. In addition to these moments of levity, the series remains compelling because it offers the audience a window into the past. Episode 2, “A Little Black Dove,” opens in 2014. It unpacks a bit about Helen’s true identity, how she was taken under Mrs. Reed’s wing and how Wallace became her mark. Viewers also learn why Sam parted ways with the Black Doves to become an assassin, and how his friendship with Helen was solidified.
In Episode 3, “The Coming Night,” there’s a flashback to 2017. In a stunningly moving scene, Sam leads his shaken and shattered partner, Michael (Omari Douglas), to safety amid an unexpected and bloody shootout at their apartment. Forced to reveal his actual profession to Michael as bullets swirl around the screen, Sam’s tenderness and love for his beau are vividly clear as a trembling Michael clings to Sam’s back for protection. This sequence addresses the psychological toll of these high-risk professions while illustrating why the work is so intoxicating to people like Helen and Sam.
While the performances and pacing of the series are top-tier, the complex web at the center of “Black Doves” gets convoluted by the season finale, “In the Bleak of Midwinter.” A visual diagram would have helped keep the massive tangle of clues, significant figures and organizations straight. Things become so jumbled that audiences will undoubtedly spend a lot of time backtracking and piecing things together before the connections click into place.
Still, amid the mishaps in the mystery, the close-knit bond between Helen and Sam keeps the narrative on track. The pair have vastly different specialties, but trust, and a years-long bond allows them to act as anchors for one another. Sam and Helen rarely showcase vulnerability, but they can always connect with each other through just a glance or a suggestion.
Despite its overly intricate narrative turns, “Black Dove” is engaging and exciting. There are guns, explosions and kidnappings, but at the story’s core is Helen’s desire to be seen for who she is instead of the mask she has so carefully cultivated. While several revelations in the series are obvious, others will stun viewers to their core. These plot points will undoubtedly crack open the narrative for an equally intense second season (Netflix has already renewed the show for Season 2) with increasingly higher stakes. After all, not all loose ends can be tied into a neat bow.
“Black Doves” premieres on Netflix Dec. 5.
