Take two of Britain’s best media outputs: spy dramas, like the James Bond franchise or “Killing Eve,” and works of well-mannered political intrigue, like “The Crown.” Smush ’em together, and you get Netflix’s newest miniseries, “Black Doves”—a slick, six-episode romp through the emotional lives of two morally bankrupt secret agents. This latest series from creator Joe Barton (“Giri/Haji,” “The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself”) sees a vengeful spy team up with an old colleague to try and bring down the people who killed her paramour.
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Helen (played divinely by Keira Knightley) is ready to bulldoze her way through London to find whoever sniped her lover, Jason (Andrew Koji). There’s just one little catch: As the wife of Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan), the man next in line for prime minister, she’s one of the most important assets in her organization, a spy outfit called the Black Doves. And if she blows her cover, they’ll kill her. Enter Sam (a lovably hangdog Ben Whishaw), a hit man who returns to the London crime scene after seven years at the behest of Helen’s boss. He’s assigned to unmask Jason’s killer and put Helen at ease. Unfortunately, Helen won’t let him do it alone, and outpacing her is almost as tricky as forgetting the life— namely, the ex-boyfriend—he left behind seven years ago.
Like all the best Keira Knightley properties, this one is set at Christmastime, and Helen and Sam’s misdeeds are frequently festive. A detonator shaped like a Christmas tree nearly kills them both; Helen’s boss, Mrs. Reed (an excellent Sarah Lancashire), confronts her at her annual Christmas fête. Helen uses gift shopping as an excuse to lie to her husband about her whereabouts one too many times, and government holiday parties provide dark corners for shady dealings.
But perhaps what’s most charming about “Black Doves” is how it spotlights two unlikely criminals masquerading as well-to-do normies. Helen is content to be seen as little more than a wife and mother. Sam puts on a good face for his own set, snorting ketamine and gossiping in their lavish apartments. They’re in their late thirties and early forties; while their peers are worried about mortgages and nannies, they’re worried about the best way to shoot up a drug den. Keira Knightley kicking ass in expensive-looking loungewear is the Christmas gift you didn’t know you needed. There’s also a fun, begrudging mentorship that blossoms between Sam and two young, coarse female assassins played by Ella Lily Hyland (“Fifteen-Love”) and Gabrielle Creevy (“Three Women”).
The downside of all that whimsy is that, though “Black Doves” handles some grave subject matter, it rarely penetrates beyond the surface level. You care about the characters’ emotional lives, but their surrounding circumstances are so heightened that it’s impossible to focus on details. When you’re talking about a government-wide conspiracy versus, say, a romantic reunion, there’s a notable mismatch in stakes. Maybe if “Black Doves” spent more time getting into its characters’ psyches, as it briefly does in some genuinely excellent flashback episodes, their journeys would feel more fulfilling.
Still, there’s something to be said for a screwy, almost lighthearted British spy drama rolling out just in time for the holiday season. If you’re looking for something interesting to watch with your adult family members this December, “Black Doves” is low on risqué scenes but high on action, a wry thriller centered on the ride-or-die friendship between Keira Knightley and the man who voices Paddington. It hardly gets more crowd-pleasing than that. [B+]
“Black Doves” premieres December 5 on Netflix.
