Black Doves

One of my chief, and constant, criticisms of so many films now, is the lack of solid and consistent scripts, AND marred by horrible musical tracks and pathetic sound mixing. So I start this by saying that it was a real pleasure to discover a whole SERIES with no glitches or distractions in sound. As for the script and plot, as one reviewer here put it: "Ok if you don't think too hard. Good acting. Lazy writing. Plot holes you can drive a truck through." I wold add- high marks for the humor built in and subtlety of some great lines such as: "Sorry" as the store-clerk is knocked out with drugs. Very fine acting and production throughout, but too many holes and dead spots to carry the overall. Would love to see a continuation with more talented scripting.

It's one of those common entertainments where you can't really criticise the acting and the production values are pretty much flawless. It starts off really well. You think you are about to be absorbed and seduced by a complex spy thriller. But John Le Carre it is not. Instead you soon realise that it's neither serious nor funny. As is so often the case these days it's the paucity of the story that is the problem. It has quirky characters and indeed characters with all the charm and conversational wit one expects of psychopaths. They could be related to Eve from Killing Eve but these are poor cousins and don't really add up well on the scale of DNA psychopath inheritance. It's a comic book caricature of a spy thriller with a storyline that relies on a thin plot and frequent action scenes to fill the spaces. Sadly disappointing, it could have been really good.

It's a strange mix of quality. I don't need a genre to stick to one thing, so the tonal variety doesn't bother me-but the execution? That's another story. The camera work and acting? Top-notch. The set design and writing? Not so much. Okay, maybe not *terrible*, but definitely weak. The vibe I got was: "People are dumb; they won't question this."

They'll imply a bomb with some visual cliché or stage a massive public murder, and-surprise!-no cops show up. Just our sly sleuth protagonist poking around for clues like it's a murder mystery brunch. It's the kind of lazy stuff that makes a pedant want to cry.

That said, if you can shush the little voice in your head whispering, "That's not how the world works," you might actually enjoy yourself.

I was set to jot down a few words about "Black Doves", the Netflix spy thriller starring Keira Knightley, Ben Whishaw, and Sarah Lancashire, three actors I adore, when a conversation with a friend helped crystallize my thoughts (and subsequently cannibalize his). He described it as "fun and entertaining, but the emotional, realistic aspects of the story didn't work harmoniously with the unrealistic action," and that's a perfect summary. I may have enjoyed it a bit more than he did, but there's no denying the tonal discord. It probably would have played better back in December when it dropped, given its Christmas setting. That said, it was worth it by the end when comic goddess and legend, Tracey Ullman, appears as the villain, looking and sounding divine.

Season 1 of Black Doves is a stylish spy thriller with a darkly comedic edge that never quite decides what it wants to be. It's a decent watch, especially if you're craving espionage antics while waiting for the next season of *Slow Horses*. The show delivers high-quality visuals and well-paced action sequences that mostly avoid the dreaded "over-produced CGI" trap. While it doesn't hit the same sharp highs as its genre counterparts, it does manage to blend intrigue and humor reasonably well-just don't expect it to redefine the spy-drama formula.

Unfortunately, *Black Doves* has a few feathers out of place. The pacing drags in the middle and even stumbles toward the finale, leaving some episodes feeling bloated. Netflix's insistence on repetitive flashbacks doesn't help either; it's as if they're worried viewers might forget what happened five minutes ago. This approach might work for casual viewers jumping in mid-season, but for anyone paying attention, it quickly becomes tiresome. And while the mix of dark comedy and espionage is enjoyable, the tonal shifts sometimes feel like the show is stuck in an identity crisis-leaning too far into one genre only to abruptly pivot back.

Still, there's enough here to make *Black Doves* worth a one-time watch. The pairing of Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw adds credibility without overshadowing the story, and the production quality is undeniably sleek. It's not top-tier spy drama, but it's entertaining enough to keep you engaged. A solid 6.5/10 feels fair (watch once, recommend to friends)