Netflix’s latest crime thriller series, starring Keira Knightley as an undercover spy married to a high-ranking politician, has had viewers hooked this festive season, reaching number one on the streaming service just a few days after its release.
Black Doves follows Helen (Knightley) in the days after Jason, (Andrew Koji) the man she has been having an affair with, is murdered. As she tries to unravel the mystery of who ordered Jason’s death, Helen is drawn deeper into an interconnected government conspiracy.
The six-part series has a never-ending carousel of characters involved in the action, with interwoven plot lines, ulterior motives and many murders. So, when the plot unravels in the show’s final scenes, many viewers admitted on X/Twitter they struggled to follow Black Doves’ “confusing” conclusion.
*Warning — Spoilers ahead for the Black Doves season finale*
In the final episode, it’s revealed crime boss Alex Clark’s (Tracey Ullman) son Trent (Angus Cooper) ordered hits on Jason, Maggie (Hannah Khalique-Brown) and Phillip (Thomas Coombes). Trent organised the murder to cover his tracks after he accidentally killed the Chinese ambassador Chen (Andy Cheung) during an argument about his daughter Kai-Ming (Isabella Wei).
Just before Christmas, Helen meets with her Black Doves boss Reed (Sarah Lancashire), who reveals Jason was actually an undercover MI5 agent – not a civil servant. Jason had been tasked with investigating Helen over concerns she was leaking government secrets. However, after falling in love with her, he never told his bosses she was involved in the Black Doves.
During the show’s final scenes, Reed sips champagne in her apartment alongside a mystery woman on Christmas Day. Although many viewers initially assumed this unknown character may have been one of Reed’s relatives, she’s actually Helen’s nanny Marie – who has been spying on her the entire time.
Speaking to GQ, series creator Joe Barton said: “[Marie] pops up throughout the series, so it’s possible to miss. I mean, she looks like she could be Reed’s daughter, they’ve got a similar haircut. But no, she’s the nanny, so she’s been spying on them the whole time. Basically, everyone’s spy.”
Season two of Black Doves has already been confirmed, having reached Netflix’s top 10 most-watched shows list in 89 countries. Barton revealed to The Hollywood Reporter he wants the second season of the show to focus more on Reed’s character and provide her with a backstory.
“I couldn’t really give it away, but I love that character,” he said. “And actually having someone like Sarah come in and do that, you want to know more, because it’s Sarah Lancashire playing the part.” He continued: “Yes, I would like to delve more into her backstory and who she is, but that would be definitely something for series two.”
He added of the second season: “Literally, I’m in the writers’ room right now. We have just finished a meeting. We’re figuring it all out and putting it all down on paper. But yeah, we’re going to be filming next year, so hopefully, it won’t be too long a wait between series for people. That’s where we’re at.”
Black Doves is available on Netflix now
