Of all the new spy series that have come out recently, "Black Doves" is easily my favorite. Part of it is Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw as the leads, playing a pair of spies who work for the same secret mercenary organization, the Black Doves. Part of it is the effective blend of wry humor, potent melodrama, and a few good action scenes, and Christmas cheer. Yes, the whole series takes place in London at Christmastime, when a series of assassinations and a dead Chinese diplomat spell trouble for everybody.
One of the victims is a man named Jason (Andrew Koji), who was having an affair with Helen Webb (Knightley), the wife of the UK Secretary of Defense, Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan). Helen has been undercover as an infiltrator into the UK government for years, playing the part of dedicated wife and mother, while feeding information to the Black Doves. Her handler Reed (Sarah Lancashire) brings in an old friend of Helen's, Sam Young (Whishaw) to help protect Helen, as they search for the killers. Sam had to leave London and his partner Michael (Omari Douglas) when a job went very badly in 2017, and is tentatively trying to reconnect. Unfortunately his old enemies, including his old boss Lenny Lines (Kathryn Hunter), are also keen to pick up where they left off.
Spy thrillers are usually pretty chilly affairs, featuring characters who have closed off their emotions so they can better compartmentalize the less savory parts of their occupations, and better deceive those closest to them. This is not the case in "Black Doves," which is full of big emotions and heartfelt conversations at every turn. Helen is truly in love with Jason, and she's furious and heartbroken that he's dead. Wallace turns out to be truly in love with her, and Sam and Michael were truly happy and committed to each other before Sam's work got in the way. Best of all, Helen and Sam are real friends who are affectionate and loyal to each other, even if they mostly spend their time together trying not to get killed. They're operating in the kind of universe where everyone is unreasonably good at hand-to-hand combat, and there is an inexhaustible supply of baddies to fight, so most episodes have at least one big action scene to inject some excitement. However, the relationship drama is equally as fun to watch, which I can't say about any other spy show I've seen lately.
The mix of tones and genres plays a big part in the watchability of "Black Doves." I love the collection of characters that Helen and Sam interact with, from the no-nonsense Reed to a couple of mouthy local hired guns, Williams (Ella Lily Hyland) and Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevey), who they have to team up with for a mission. The teamup really doesn't make sense if you think about it too hard, but the banter is so good, why would you complain? Everyone is also terribly good at spycraft up until the point that they aren't, and there are plot holes everywhere, but the point here is to let veteran character actors like Kathryn Hunter say effortlessly cool lines, watch Keira Knightley be a righteous badass, and to root for Sam and Michael to get back together in spite of all their baggage. I'm so glad that the writers don't let logic and reason get in the way.
Ben Whishaw's had a good run lately and does excellent work here, but I haven't seen Keira Knightley in something that has matched her talents this well in far too long. Helen is a complicated character, but I appreciate that she has such a passionate, active role in every episode, and there isn't a whole lot of time wasted on whether she's morally in the wrong for having an affair, or for being part of a secret spy organization in the first place. This is not that kind of show. This is the kind of show that assumes you're already familiar with all the usual spy tropes, have gotten a bit bored with them, and would like a different spin on the genre with a bit more black humor, a bit more irreverence, and a touch of Christmas tinsel on top. Enjoy.
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