There are moments in "Black Doves," the six-episode Netflix thriller series starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, that feel like any given show about a capitalistic spy organization full of deceit, murder and revenge. But at its core, this is a show about moral code, human connection and spiritual renewal.
"Black Doves" follows Helen Webb (Knightley), the wife of Britain's defence secretary and a loving mother to two children, in her quest to avenge her secret lover's murder. In the first episode, at Helen's swanky annual Christmas party for the British upper class on a snowy night in London, we learn alongside our heartbroken protagonist of the murder of Jason Davies (Andrew Koji).
The bearer of bad news is Mrs. Reed (Sarah Lancashire), a cold yet maternal woman who long ago recruited Helen into the Black Doves, a ruthless organization of women who acquire and sell secrets to the highest bidder, working for no single nation and with loyalty only to themselves. Mrs. Reed manages Helen Webb (birth name Daisy Bradshaw) and her, well, web of secrets.
Alongside longtime friend and triggerman Sam Young (played by Whishaw), Helen uncovers more than just truths about the covert organization she works for as she seeks to avenge Jason's murder; she comes to embody the spiritual symbolism of the show's title itself.