Frontmezzjunkies reports: Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw return for another round of spies, secrets, and gloriously twisted Christmas mayhem.
By Ross
When ‘Black Doves‘ arrived on Netflix, I was immediately swept up in its wonderfully chaotic world of spies, assassins, political secrets, and Christmas lights all spread out around London. Six episodes later, I was completely sold. Keira Knightley as Helen Webb and Ben Whishaw as Sam Young have a chemistry that is an absolute delight to watch, with their friendship, sharp exchanges, and unexpected moments of tenderness giving this twisted spy thriller its unexpectedly tender heart. Created by Joe Barton, the series has a deliciously dark, graphic novel-inspired style, and I quickly fell in love with its willingness to throw outrageous violence, emotional turmoil, and some delightfully absurd British humour into the same Christmas stocking.
And speaking of Keira Knightley, I am also kicking myself for not flying over to London to see her in the recently opened West End stage adaptation of The Lives of Others. The production, directed by Robert Icke, is exactly the sort of theatrical event that should have had me jumping on a plane. I have a tremendous amount of admiration for Icke’s work, with a capital LOVE, and the added thought of seeing Knightley on stage under his direction makes my missed opportunity feel even more painful. I’ll just have to console myself with the hope it transfers over, alongside the knowledge that Helen Webb is coming back to my television screen.
Season one gave us Helen, a covert operative for the Black Doves organization, maintaining her secret life while married to British Defense Secretary Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), while investigating the murder of her lover, Jason Davies (Andrew Koji). With her old friend Sam back at her side, the investigation spiralled into a tangled web of government secrets, murder, criminal families and an international political crisis. The mystery surrounding the death of the Chinese ambassador and the video that could expose the truth kept the story moving, while the increasingly dangerous situation involving the Clark family gave Helen and Sam plenty of reasons to put their considerable talents to work. And yes, there were moments when I wondered how Helen could possibly get away with some of her very public activities without half of London recognizing her, but honestly, I wasn’t about to let a few logistical questions interrupt all that spy-action fun.
The show’s greatest holiday gift, though, was watching Knightley and Whishaw together. Their characters have history, affection, complicated loyalties, and a wonderfully sharp way of communicating, and the series knows exactly how much emotional weight to give that relationship amid all the gunfire. Sam’s struggle to reconcile his violent professional life with his feelings for Michael added another layer to the story, while Helen’s position within the organization became increasingly complicated as she tried to protect the people she loved. The show could move from a tender confession to an outrageous shootout with barely a pause for breath, and I honestly drank every bit of it in with gusto.
Now, Netflix is bringing the ‘Black Doves‘ back, with all six episodes of Season 2 arriving November 5. Helen is still passing government secrets to the organization, while Wallace prepares for his potential rise to Prime Minister. Mrs. Reed (Sarah Lancashire) finds herself caught in a ruthless plot to undermine her position, and Helen is reunited with Sam, whose high-end hitman career has apparently taken a rather unfortunate turn towards lonely Soho drinks and lower-paying jobs. With old friends, new enemies, fractured loyalties and plenty of dangerous decisions ahead, the new season promises to put Helen and Sam through another extraordinary round of trouble. Neve Campbell, Sylvia Hoeks, Sam Riley, Ambika Mod and others join the returning cast, while Joe Barton is back as creator and writer, with Julian Farino and Kieron Hawkes directing. I loved the first season’s peculiar mix of mayhem, heart, and Christmas sparkle, and I am absolutely ready to spend more time with Helen and Sam starting on November 5! Happy Christmas, indeed!