This is not your mother’s James Bond spy story…and you can forget the martinis shaken and not stirred. Black Doves is in a class all by itself as it takes its viewers on a rollercoaster ride of espionage and murder.
Black Doves, Season 1
Filmed in London, this fast-paced, six episodes spy thriller created and written by Joe Barton, stars Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Buchan, Andrew Koji, Omari Douglas, Isabella Wei, Ella Lily Hyland, Tracey Ullman, and Luther Ford. Black Doves is a limited series that grabs you by the shirt collar from the first scene, then dumps you unceremoniously on your butt with a cliffhanger that leaves you wanting more.
I will have to say that this is one of the best spy series that I have watched in a long time. The best part is knowing that Black Doves is loosely based on the true events about an espionage group that infiltrated top UK political organizations. Unlike some spy films or series where the spies are usually represented as lone wolves, we follow Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) as she maneuvers through a normal day as mother, wife, and spy. Helen is married to a politician, Wallace (Andrew Buchan). Wallace is a Conservative Minister of Defense and in line for Prime Minister…Wallace is unaware of his wife’s double life or that she is selling government secrets to her boss, Reed (Sarah Lancashire). Reed sells secrets to the highest bidder.
When Helen’s lover (Andrew Koji) is murdered, Reed calls in a professional assassin to protect Helen and her family. Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) is an old friend of Helen but has lived in hiding after pissing off the leader of another organization. Lenny Lines (Kathryn Hunter) has two assassins working for her, Williams (Ella Lily Hyland) and Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevy) and they both want to kill Sam.
Are you interested yet? Wait…it gets better. Someone has killed the Chinese Ambassador, and his daughter Kai-Ming (Isabela Wei) is missing. Who is behind the assassination? There are plenty of suspects beginning with that job Sam botched up years earlier.
Conclusion
What truly makes this series work is the friendship between Helen (Keira Knightley) and Sam (Ben Whishaw). Yes, we know that they are killers, but they are also human…with feelings for what is right and wrong. The flashbacks help flesh out the characters and I found myself not only liking Helen and Sam, but also Lenny Lines’ assassins, Williams and Eleanor. These two lesbian killers have some funny dialogue that seems to match their choice of weapons.
Hopefull you can find time to watch an excellent spy series. I strongly suggest you watch Black Doves on Netflix.
