- Title: Black Doves – To Love Then
- IMDb: link
The new Netflix series opens with a triple murder and a mystery as to the reason behind it before introducing us to Helen Webb (Keira Knightley), the wife of the British Defense Secretary (Andrew Buchan) and potential future Prime Minister who also happens to be a spy working for a shadowy organization know as Black Doves. On of the three people murdered one turns out to be Helen’s lover. Also, something about the proceedings figures into the death of the Chinese Ambassador and his missing daughter (Isabella Wei). In an attempt to keep Helen alive, and her lucrative cover intact, her overseer (Sarah Lancashire) sends an old friend in roving assassin Sam (Ben Whishaw) who steps foot in his home country for the first time in 7 years.
“To Love Then” sells you on the concept after a single episode while asking multiple questions about Helen’s affair, how the Chinese Ambassador was actually killed, and offering various threads such as what happened between Sam and his former lover. Knightley is strong her playing the good politicians wife, the clever spy, the wounded lover, and the action star getting involved with a pair of would-be assassins looking for the hard drive she finds in he lover’s apartment. And, despite the serious tones, there’s room for some dark humor to punctuate the swirling mystery which Helen finds herself, unintentionally, in the middle of. Something is definitely worth killing for, but what is it, and how do these pieces all ultimately fit together? I look forward to finding out.
