If you had told me a year ago that my favourite show of 2024 would be a Netflix Original, Christmas-themed spy thriller starring Keira Knightley, I would have called you crazy.
However, 2024 was a year of surprises, so it only makes sense that a show with such a bonkers elevator pitch would be as good as it is. Black Doves follows Helen Webb (Knightley), a spy working for a shadowy private intelligence network whose agents form romantic relationships with various powerful figures. On the surface, Webb is living a typical upper-middle-class life, married to the Secretary of State for Defence with two children, while secretly passing state secrets to her handler, Reed (Sarah Lancashire). When her lover, a civil servant, is murdered, Webb vows to avenge his death, balancing her violent revenge quest with her carefully cultivated cover, all the while getting ready for Christmas! Along the way, she is joined by Sam (Ben Whishaw), a hitman with a heart (my favourite character), who also struggles to maintain his violent profession while trying to reconnect with his estranged partner.
The series was directed brilliantly, has an excellent cast, and features one of the strongest opening episodes since Breaking Bad. Across six instalments, the show effectively builds its various factions and characters, keeping the audience clued in to who is who with as little exposition as possible. Whishaw and Knightley serve as great leads, with a compelling on-screen dynamic—a well-written, perfectly delivered, believable relationship—providing some moments of levity in a generally serious production. I entered this series neutral on Knightley but left as a fan. Whishaw (formerly “Q” in the Bond films) comes into his own.
If you are looking for a new Christmas tradition, consider making Black Doves part of the annual celebration.
“KeiraKnightleyByAndreaRaffin2011 (cropped)” by Andrea Raffin is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
