Black Doves Season 2 proves that Keira Knightley is (again) still that girl. But it also proves that yes, Hollywood can cast women in their 40’s in badass roles. And yes, there can be more than one woman as the central focus of a story. Oh and yes, friendship can be the heart of a show without the female lead losing her family, husband, or her job. Let’s not forget too that Black Doves proves that yes, you can have more than one queer person on screen at a time.
This show is basically a unicorn of things that film and TV execs tell you can’t exist or maybe they’ve just deluded themselves enough to believe can’t exist. They can. These things all can happen. That’s why I need a Season 3 and 4 of this show. Because Black Doves is magic that trusts its cast, the story they’re telling, and the audience that is watching. And I can’t get over how much this sophomore season gave us, and how much I loved it all.
MORE: Black Doves Season 1 Review: Keira Knightley is Still That Girl
Knightley herself plays a transformed woman from what we see in Season 1. Before she was prepared to leave her life behind and run, start anew. And in Season 2, we still saw that ferocity in Helen, just the mission has changed for her. She wants to stay and fight for the life that she has. And Season 2 explores that without Helen losing herself or becoming someone we don’t recognize. I recognized her every second of this story and welcomed the changes and hard decisions she had to make.
Then there’s the love of her life Sam, played by Ben Whishaw.
In Season 1, I could tell that the real love story was between Helen and Sam. But Sam still played second fiddle to her life. And in a way that continued in Season 2. When she needed him he was there time and time again. But we also got to experience more of what lies beneath when it comes to what this costs Sam. That expanded on his character, made his pain more relatable, and allowed space for Sam to tell Helen how untethered he feels in his current existence.
Together, Helen and Sam are the beating heart of Black Doves Season 2. Like yes, Helen is a little too focused on her life and Sam is struggling. But they come together, time and time again, knowing that the other has their back. And when feelings are shared in the middle of ugly moments, they don’t tear each other down. They empower each other. And it’s just a million little things that show me as a viewer how much love, care, and attention was put into this friendship.
Season 2 is made all the better by the expansion of secondary storylines. It isn’t so much that we got to see more of Reed, Williams, and Eleanor. We saw Reed’s past, got to know Williams and Eleanor’s past as they planned a future, and even got them meeting up. Even better, none of them died. Instead the girl gang was expanded with the addition of Laila. And we got to experience a show where a majority of its characters are women, with multiple of them being queer. Again, this show is just doing things that Hollywood likes to act are impossible.
The only major complaint I have about Season 2 of Black Doves is the Clarks storyline from Season 1. Because after killing two of the Clarks in Season 1 Episode 6, there’s no repercussions? At all? They just let Helen and Sam walk around like nothing? It doesn’t make sense. Talking about walking, which makes it so I have more than one complaint about Season 2, how was Helen just walking around? She’s the Prime Minister’s wife. Ain’t no way that woman is walking around without A) some sort of security and B) a possible paparazzi or two.
Those faults in Black Doves Season 2 are ultimately inconsequential because there are so many things that I enjoyed. The writing, the pacing, the love story. Just aces from top to bottom that make this one of my favorite spy dramas ever. And at the center are two besties who mean the world to each other, the writing shining through and making me fall in love with them over and over again, no matter what carnage or mess is going on around them.
Black Doves Season 2 is now available on Netflix.
What did you think about Black Doves Season 2? Let us know in the comments below!
Interested in all our coverage for Season 2? Check them out below:
- Black Doves Season 2 Episode 1 Review: ‘Black Door’
- Black Doves Season 2 Episode 2 Review: ‘Put Your Head on My Shoulder’
- Black Doves Season 2 Episode 3 Review: ‘P is for Poison’
- Black Doves Season 2 Episode 4 Review: ‘The Opportunity to Become Savage’
- Black Doves Season 2 Episode 5 Review: ‘Murder Mix’
- Black Doves Season 2 Episode 6 Review: ‘Peace Summit’
