Black Doves Owes Sam a Favour
Helen is about to become a prime minister’s wife. Sam is taking cut-price hits. When Black Doves returns to Netflix on November 5, its two friends will have plenty to discuss before they get around to saving each other. The official setup has Keira Knightley’s spy moving closer to power while Ben Whishaw’s hired killer drinks alone in Soho.
Sam’s predicament is the part that interests me. Helping Helen has already cost him a chance at the life he wanted. Another call for help is an awfully small reward.
A favour with consequences
The first season leaves the friends in very different places. Sam protects Helen, then has to leave the man he loves and return to the criminal world. Helen goes home to her husband Wallace, played by Andrew Buchan, and a fragile version of family life. His loyalty helps preserve something for her that he has just surrendered himself.
That gives their friendship an uncomfortable edge. They can love each other sincerely and still be a terrible influence. I find that much more involving than the question of which secret organization has got the upper hand. A friend can rescue you and make a wreck of his own life in the same evening. Accepting the rescue does not settle what you owe him.
Helen needs help again
The new season’s announced plot puts Helen back in need of an ally. Wallace is preparing to become prime minister, she is still selling government secrets, and Mrs. Reed disappears amid a plot against her position in the Black Doves. Sarah Lancashire returns as the handler. Her absence brings Helen and Sam together again.
Creator Joe Barton is clearly enjoying the prospect of sending this crowd into government.
The promotion gives Helen access to more secrets. Sam’s decline gives the reunion its sting. There is something selfish about needing a friend most urgently when his own life is falling apart, even when the emergency is real. That tension is why I want to return to these two.
Start with season one on Netflix if you have not met them. Returning viewers should revisit Sam’s farewell before the November 5 premiere. Carry that cost into the reunion. By then, Helen asking him for another favour ought to sound like a very big ask.
