Created by Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project, Giri/Haji), Black Doves is a compelling action thriller about international espionage and political intrigue. The storyline, as it moves back and forth in time to offer the characters’ backstories that give context to their present actions, can feel unduly complicated, but if you stick with it, you’re rewarded with a mystery thriller that’s fun to untangle.
The story centers on Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), who’s married to British Secretary of State for Defense Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), who’s completely unaware his wife is a Black Dove, a spy for a clandestine organization. He also doesn’t know Helen has been carrying on an affair with Jason Davies (Andrew Koji), who’s murdered, leading Helen’s handler, Reed (Sarah Lancashire), to bring in a “triggerman,” Sam Young (Ben Whishaw), to protect Helen and investigate Jason’s murder.
Sam’s backstory is also fascinating, and along the way, we meet two other assassins, Williams (Ella Lily Hyland) and Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevy), who add some humor. Knightly and Whishaw are both terrific as tragic figures caught up in a horrible game. The six-part series has already been renewed for a second season, and I’m all in. (six 52- to 56-min. episodes)
—Glen Starkey
This article appears in Dec 19-29, 2024.
