Keira Knightley’s A-list charisma comes out in full force for Netflix’s “Black Doves,” a spy thriller about a covert agent who risks her secret identity in a quest for revenge. Combining the dark humor of “Killing Eve” with the political cynicism of John le Carré, this six-part series is an unexpected holiday season delight.
Taking place in the days leading up to Christmas, “Black Doves” starts out as a murder mystery, opening with three violent deaths in London. One victim happens to be the clandestine lover of Keira Knightley’s Helen Webb, a prominent politician’s wife. But we soon learn that adultery is the least of Helen’s secrets. Embedded at the heart of London’s ruling class, she’s an undercover operative known as a Black Dove, using her marriage to leak classified information to her merciless handler Reed (Sarah Lancashire) at a shadowy private spy agency.
As spy jobs go, it’s a cushy gig — albeit a constraining one, trapping Helen in a life of private school concerts and glitzy charity events. She supported her unsuspecting husband, Wallace (Andrew Buchan), as he climbed the Conservative Party ranks to become Britain’s minister of defense, but after 10 years, her domestic role is starting to chafe.
When the steely Reed asks what possessed her to risk this entire operation for an affair, Helen admits with a clenched jaw: “Love.” It’s a powerful motivator for Helen to go rogue and track down her lover’s killer, even if it risks destroying her carefully constructed double life.
Hoping to keep a lid on this inconvenient rebellion, Reed recruits an old friend to do the dirty work for Helen’s off-books investigation: Sam, a hit man played by beloved British character actor Ben Whishaw (a.k.a. Q from the James Bond franchise).
Sam and Helen’s friendship is the highlight of the show, fizzing with drily witty chemistry. Even after years apart, this is clearly the only authentic relationship in either of their lives. Helen’s marriage is a decade-long honey trap, and while Sam has a bountiful circle of underworld contacts, they’d all cheerfully slit his throat in the name of business. Struggling to balance emotional vulnerability with his violent lifestyle, he’s given up on love after splitting with his last boyfriend (Omari Douglas). Only with Helen can he be his true self. They give each other the freedom to be as dark and cynical as they want, while providing the kind of support they simply can’t find elsewhere.
“Black Doves” makes no bones about embracing spy genre clichés. Much of the story revolves around agents hunting down a lost surveillance tape, a classic espionage thriller plot device. And as Helen embarks on her extralegal investigation, the rest of the world is more concerned with a more high-profile death. The Chinese ambassador to Britain died of an apparent overdose on the same night as Helen’s lover, and when the Chinese government makes accusations of foul play, Helen’s husband gets swept up in a brewing international scandal. It becomes a newly pressing reason for Helen to maintain her cover identity.
Created by Joe Barton (“The Lazarus Project”), “Black Doves” keeps plenty of plates spinning throughout, juggling political intrigue with snappy action and well-crafted emotional drama. There’s a real sense of risk to Helen’s dual identities, not least because she shares two young children with her husband. If she gets caught, what happens to the kids? Even more affecting is Sam’s tumultuous personal life. While Helen has a decade of practice in maintaining her blandly charming facade, Sam has more trouble separating his job from his long-suppressed desire for intimacy.
Whishaw is fantastic here, bringing a hangdog sensitivity to what could’ve been a straightforward “hit man with a heart of gold” role. In fact, the way this show utilizes its cast is both a pleasure and a relief. Netflix has a bad habit of recruiting big-name talent to lead disappointingly forgettable action thrillers, creating the streaming equivalent of straight-to-video trash: Dwayne Johnson and Gal Gadot in “Red Notice.” Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans in “The Gray Man.” Ryan Reynolds in “6 Underground.”
These disposable faux-blockbusters never give their actors much to do, and by choosing “Black Doves” instead, Keira Knightley displays much better taste. As Helen Webb, she’s tough and slyly funny, making use of the cut-glass English accent and knowing gaze that served her well in so many historical dramas. She’s a perfect (and amusingly self-aware) choice to infiltrate England’s conservative elite. Elsewhere, her ride-or-die dynamic with Sam feels like a genuinely fresh addition to the genre — not just because it goes deeper than your typical action-thriller banter, but because Sam’s sexuality and queer social circle get meaningful screen time.
“Black Doves” may be structured around hoary old spy tropes, but it doesn’t matter when those tropes are executed well and bolstered by distinctive characters. Unfolding against a backdrop of cozy Christmas decor and London landmarks, this cleverly paced thriller adds a touch of class to its espionage antics — and above all, it’s tremendous fun.
BLACK DOVES
Starring: Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, Sarah Lancashire, Andrew Buchan
Streaming on Netflix, Thursday, Dec. 5.