‘Black Doves’ Netflix Series Review - Fine Actors, Mediocre Show

Somebody somewhere (employees working at Netflix, to be precise) must have heard all the complaints regarding many Netflix shows being long and tedious, so they must have devised a plan involving the release of short, binge-able series'. Instead of eight hour-long episodes, you watch six 30- or 60-minute-long episodes, which means you don't find yourself exhausted after reaching the final end credits. Is this why the episode count of the second season of The Diplomat was reduced to six? Anyway, the new Netflix spy thriller, Black Doves, follows this "don't fill them with fatigue" rule, and it delightfully passes your time. I don't mind watching long shows and films. I saw the 5-hour and 30-minute version of Abel Gance's Napoleon in one sitting. The problem arises when a movie or a series wastes your time - when you spend eight hours on something that rewards you with cheap cliffhangers and a bland, incomplete story. Black Doves isn't really uninspiring, but its substance is pretty thin. Most of the pleasure comes from watching all the wonderful actors who, with their wonderful performances, suck you into the series.

With a beard and curly hair, Ben Whishaw is incredibly hot, spiffy, and distracting. As a triggerman named Sam, he tries to keep a cool head and is surrounded by an air of melancholy. The source of his sadness is an ex with whom things ended rather abruptly. The details are revealed slowly, methodically, as if Black Doves is inserting pieces of a puzzle in their appropriate positions carefully. You are never excited by the reveals. The show merely hands out (hidden) information to the audience to fill in the blanks and complete the story. If you sit quietly and remain patient with the series, that's because you enjoy looking at the actors doing their job competently. The screen crackles with energy when you see Whishaw with a charming Keira Knightley. As an agent named Helen Webb, Knightley threatens, punches, and shoots her enemies with a nice form and choreography that makes her look like a deadly weapon you shouldn't mess with. This is the kind of role actresses often dream of doing. But the main attraction of Black Doves, for me, turned out to be Gabrielle Creevy's Eleanor and Ella Lily Hyland's Williams. They bring a terrific sad/comic tone to the series. Every word that comes out of their mouth, every gesture they perform on the screen, comes across as wildly, infectiously amusing.

Apart from the performances, some fun can be derived through scenes like the one where Sam gets a call from Michael (Omari Douglas) during a mission or when the triggerman brings some friends to his ex-boyfriend's house when Williams is injured by a bullet. The pleasures you get from Black Doves prove to be just enough to put a faint smile on your face. You never feel bored or think about giving up on the show midway. It's not much of a compliment; then again, Black Doves isn't incredible or great. It doesn't have a high aim; it just wants to keep you comfortable like a warm blanket. We don't care about the Chinese people or about someone's death and its political consequences. The relationship between the characters isn't sketched out well - it's shallow; it exists on the surface. The strong performances, however, give it weight and substance. Helen's affair - her love for a man who is now dead - is shown to us through brief, bland, repetitive images. They fail to render the relationship credible, and as a result, it looks devoid of passion. Even the bond between Helen and Wallace (Andrew Buchan) lacks depth and emotions. Their history is as deep as a photograph of a couple. Wallace, for the most part, looks busy on his phone, and as soon as he comes under the camera's gaze, he gets an important phone call and leaves the premises. So when Wallace tells Helen that he has loved her wholeheartedly from the very first day, you are not moved by his declaration.

The good guys in Black Doves are adorable. The bad guys, on the other hand, don't feel very minacious. Their presence seems more functional, serving to propel the narrative forward rather than instilling genuine fear. Black Doves is like fast food - unhealthy but enjoyable. It has already been renewed for a second season. I have little interest in knowing in which direction the story will go in the future. I just want to see what the show will do with the eccentric threesome - Eleanor, Williams, and Kai-Ming (Isabella Wei).

Final Score- [5.5/10]
Reviewed by - Vikas Yadav
Follow @vikasonorous on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times