Black Doves Season 2 Episode 6 “Peace Summit” is a unicorn of an episode where there was a roller coaster of things happening that made the journey satisfying but no one important died. I didn’t think that could happen. I thought that showrunners only knew how to rely on shock value to get us really to invest and lock in on a season. But nope, Black Doves is different. And we’re locked in because the love between Helen and Sam is the star. They’re the north star of this show.
As if that wasn’t crazy enough, we got more Williams and Eleanor. And they didn’t die either. They’re together, off to a pub to figure out their next gig or negotiate their relationship. And it’s again, a unicorn of an episode where we got juicy action with Reed and her daughter or the kids kidnapping and the reveal to Wallace. But we also got the side characters surviving alongside the main characters. And it was all wildly entertaining, well paced for only 6 episodes, and leaves the door open for Season 3.
Helen and Sam’s Love Story
Truly I don’t think I’ve ever seen a greater love between two friends like what I’ve seen on Black Doves when it comes to Helen and Sam. Because at the drop of a dime, Sam teamed up with people that he knew were trying to kill him just for a chance to back Helen. And based on the conversation that Helen and Sam had in the previous episode, she knew that he would come for her. That’s love wrapped up in faith and understanding.
There’s also the offer to run away together. When Sam proposed that, I was like “I’ve seen this before. And it’s never best friends. It’s lovers.” But here you have two best friends thinking about the ideal situation where they run away together, leave everything behind, and live their lives out together with the kids. And I know Sam proposed it, so it’s his ideal fantasy, but the look on Helen’s face. It’s her fantasy too. A space away from everything with the love of her life with her children by her side.
Helen and Sam didn’t run away together because they had worked too hard to not face the truth or confront the consequences of what they’ve done. And even their separation was something so beautiful. Because she doesn’t want him to leave. She misses him and she loves him. She also understands that he needs that time. And he knows he has to put himself back together for himself. Because as much as he loves Helen, he needs to love himself as well.
Whatever future holds for Helen and Sam, I’m also just glad that they both made it out alive. Because that reiterates the show’s core message that this is not a story about a Black Dove. This is a story about two unlikely friends, two soulmates, and the strength that they derive from each other to face the challenges of this twisted world.
This Really Was a Family Affair
Surprise surprise, Reed is alive. I’m still of the mind that I don’t understand why Sam saved her, besides earning himself some goodwill because Kestrel themselves couldn’t be trusted to keep their end of the deal but Reed probably would. But back to Reed herself, because her storyline saw her confronting her past for a brief moment before it was ripped away. And even though I liked how Reed had that conversation with Vita, I think it was cut too soon, especially after a season of buildup.
I was right that Vita had planned things to get close to her mother’s favorite little dove. It was a form of revenge that had been steeping for decades. And I think with time, we could have gotten an even juicier and more complicated relationship if Vita survived. Plus I would have liked the drama that comes with Reed and Vita being adversaries of different spy organizations. It just feels like a wasted opportunity by bringing in a mysterious daughter, killing her, and then just letting her secondhand go around looking like the head of Kestrel.
Outside of my disappointment at how quick that storyline was wrapped up, I do like the fact that I don’t like Reed’s choices but I understand them. Usually women aren’t written like that. You slap a child into their arms and boom, motherly instincts. With Reed, they were a different kind of mother. She was colder and a little bit more aloof while still expressing the pain that comes with having a child, losing them, and then choosing not to find them. Because Vita was right. Reed could’ve found her and she didn’t.
Choices were made, with half of them being wrong when it comes to Reed and her past. But it’s going to be interesting seeing what she does now with Helen, her pseudo daughter basically, now that her blood daughter is dead because of Reed’s mistakes.
Where Do We Go From Here?
Everyone pretty much surviving by the end of Black Doves Season 2 truly was something I could’ve never predicted. But I’m so glad we’re here. And there’s so many possibilities on where we can go with this show for Season 3 aka circling back to the Clarks. Because they were made out to be this big bad family organization known around the world by the end of Black Doves Season 1 Episode 6. And Sam and Helen did stuff that warrants retaliation from them. So that’s something we definitely need to see return.
As for Helen, I think the only way that her marriage is going to survive is if she tells Wallace everything. Because even that confrontation didn’t turn out the way that I expected it to. But there’s a chance that the marriage can be saved if she goes for brutal honesty. If not, she’s going to be out of a marriage, identity, and definitely a job. The last one is going to be due to Reed replacing her with someone else because the mission is that important.
Then there’s my favorite Sam. By the end of Black Doves “Peace Summit” he’s back in Italy. And though he’s still really really lost and looking for that purpose, I have hope for him. Because he could have ended it all. But he made that conscious choice not to. And that’s a part of depression that people don’t tell you about. When you feel like you want to live but you just don’t know how to do it. But the want is still there. So Sam is holding on to that for as long as he can until he figures things out.
If we were to come back for Season 3 and Helen and Sam were to reunite, I hope we also see the return of Laila, Williams, and Eleanor. I just really love the little murder family that has been made in Black Doves Season 2. And I know that there’s still a bounty on Sam’s head. But if Helen and Sam have taught me anything in this spy/assassin/gunmen show, it’s that friendship matters more than people would like to think. Plus I just want scenes again like when they rescued Reed. Women and gays get it done!
Black Doves Season 2 is now on Netflix.
What did you think of Black Doves “Peace Summit”? Let us know in the comments below!
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