Becoming The Muse

Black Doves TV Series Review

Black Doves is a British spy thriller television series created by Joe Barton. It was developed by Sister and Noisy Bear for Netflix where it premiered on the 5^th of December 2024.

The premise of the series is centred around Helen Webb, who is wife of the Secretary of State for Defence and also part of a spy-for-hire organisation called Black Doves that is in the business of selling secrets to the highest bidder… Helen gets into an entanglement that threatens her identity, family and potentially start a world war, as the stakes rise and the things escalate.

The Good

First of all it’s a spy thriller series… so there’s spies and thrilling action. It starts with an intriguing opening as three people get killed before you reach the 4 minute mark with the opening credits of Black Doves, setting up for a gripping viewing with a holiday theme that gives it a spy thriller Christmas vibe…

Keira Knightley shines as Helen Webb an operative with a double life, loving mother and doting wife at home and spy at work…Together with Ben Whishaw who steals the show as Sam Young, Helen’s old friend and associate, a triggerman i.e. kills people for money, they have dynamic chemistry that gives the series some of its beating heart.

The cinematography is top-notch and it feels like a high budget production giving London a blend festive cheer and gritty spy thriller with a film-noir atmosphere delivered on genre blurring platter of espionage, dark comedy, and domestic drama.  

Black Doves has only 6 episodes making the show very easy to binge watch, there’s enough engaging plot-lines going on to keep you pressing next button, next episode, next episode… and before you know it you’ve watched the whole series… and might be pleased to know that its been cleared for a second season.

The Bad

Black Doves has a lot going on… there’s multiple subplots which get thrown in together and then someone forgot to put the lid on the blender, and instead of a festive smoothie what you get is a pulpy mess…

The back stories go a long way to establish the motivations or lack thereof for a character’s actions and then in a frivolous plot twist a character goes out of character; while its great for the comedy it makes some aspects of the series implausible… suspend your disbelief because how is everyone getting away with the things they are doing?

 The pacing of Black Doves is wildly erratic while on one hand it has edge of your seat action going on, there’s love and family drama storylines that drag punctuated by Christmas themed placements pushing the idea of Black Doves as a Christmas Series… we get it… no need to force it on us.

The Ugly

For a series that is trying to tap into the holiday spirit it is graphically violent with mature themes that make it unsuitable as wholesome family viewing….

Black Doves is a morally ambiguous show with no clear good characters but profiteers packaged with a pretence at greater good…

Final Thoughts

Black Doves is a solid watch for fans of espionage dramas, offering spy thriller action mixed with a unique blend of genres and visually stunning cinematography. While its not as intensely compelling as series The Day Of The Jackal it still delivers a holiday season feast though…. 🎄

Have you watched Black Doves? Is it something you would watch.