Black Doves - Netflix 6 episodes

[tennissquare]

Anyone starting this today? All 6 episodes released today.
It's with Keira Knightley, Ben Wishaw and Sarah Lancashire - spy thriller.

I've started the first episode but had to stop and may go back to it tomorrow.

I just binged it; it was dumb but addictive enough (specially as I don't have anything else on the go).

Good points have been made about the implausibility of Sam & Helen's bond - I didn't understand that either.

Previously not a KK fan but thought she was very good in this.

Disappointed by Sarah Lancashire, her performance seemed very one dimensional.

Loved Christmassy London and Michael's flat was divine.

There were annoying things - some of which are mentioned upthread - like street shootings without silencers that no-one turns a hair at; the fact that she conducted her affair in public (scenes of them kissing and carrying on out in the open); the first time we meet Reed she and Helen are talking espionage stuff in an open hallway and Helen smokes a fag then comes back to her husband who doesn't notice.

I thought it was a poor man's Killing Eve but glad there's another series because the final 2 episodes were very satisfying.

Really enjoyed it, but yes definitely needed to suspend disbelief.

Only watched three, so am skimming this thread.
I also think Giri/Haji was one of the best things to happen to the world in recent times, and this is definitely not in the same league. I did wonder if they wanted Kelly Macdonald for this/wrote the KK role for her. KK is miscast IMO; too wooden and not relaxed enough, whereas BW and SL are palpably having a good time with it.

It is a tiny bit like Giri/Haji with the darkly glittering, seedy but glam aesthetic.
I don't see Killing Eve in it; that was so deadpan, and constantly surprising. By comparison this tries a bit hard.
Come to think of it, maybe Jodie Comer would have been good in the KK role. Might have bounced off BW better (I find it had to buy that they are dear old friends).

I agree with the pp who suggested giving BW's hair its own show I spend half the episodes just staring at it, mesmerised.

LOVE the tiny gangland boss who sounds like Barbara Windsor.

I will finish it; it's easy to watch, I like BW and SL (and have seen, without trying to spoiler myself, that Tracey Ullman turns up!!) and I can't start anything else as I'm about to go on hols and will be TV-free for a bit.

I also thought Giri/Haji was fantastic. This wasn't in the same league IMO, and neither was Killing Eve.

I thought Killing Eve was highly original and clever, entertaining, shocking, sumptuous to look at, tense, witty, surprising and fresh.
It went off the boil in later seasons (when Phoebe Waller-Bridge stopped writing for it, I think?) but the earlier seasons are sublime IMO.
Quite different from Giri/Haji though.

Really enjoyed this, don’t know what people were expecting but not to be taken seriously at all. Ben Whishaw is great! Wish they had Tracey Ulman in more. Looking forward to Season 2.

Loved Giri\Haji and not quite at the high standards that was, wish they had renewed it as it was so original and different.

Just finished watching this and I liked it a lot. Thoughts:

• don’t understand the Keira Knightley hate on here, is it because she’s pretty? She’s consistently good in everything I’ve seen her in and I enjoyed this despite it being a tad far-fetched regarding her lack of cover - I don’t buy that Wallace had no suspicions that she was up to something until the idea was planted
• The trigger girls scenes were all amazing and I adore them
• the close friendship between Sam and Helen was just based on them saving each other - he helped her on the first job with Wallace, she then saved his life when he was compromised and Hector’s men were after him. They go between owing each other a favour and they understand each others’ lifestyle
• London looked wonderful in all the shots
• I adore Sarah Lancashire but also agree that this M-type character wasn’t quite it - the aloofness did come off as a little bit wooden sometimes.

I absolutely loved this even in its more ludicrous set pieces.
The characters and humour were spot on.
London looked beautiful.

S2 won't be christmas set apparently will be interesting to see where they take it.

Finished last night. Absolutely loved it! Just wish I'd known how good it was and how Christmassy so we could have binged it over Christmas. I'm going to come back and read this thread later!

But I mean there HAS to be a season 2 right? She's going to be PM's wife.

And Reed's family Christmas Day guest at the end - knew it!

Loved the chemistry between Knightly and Wishaw.

It's quite offensive to assume that people don't like Keira Knightley because she’s pretty. Not to mention a misogynistic cliché. Personally I generally find her performances wooden and (as I said before) I thought that was the case here too. And I just felt she was miscast.

I agree. This is something men say as a way to invalidate women's opinions.

Keira Knightley is pretty, definitely. It's hard to think of too many actresses who aren't pretty. From what I can tell, she seems to be a nice person and I like how she keeps her personal life and her children private.

However, I think she's a terrible actress and this opinion is based on any number of performances. For a while, she was impossible to avoid as she seemed to be cast in every prestigious role in her age range, despite her limited acting talent. That's not 'hate' which is such a lazy word to use. It's criticism based on her professional abilities.

Keira Knightley ruins pretty much everything she's in because of her woodenness.

However, she really suits Black Doves, and I enjoyed her in it.

I thought her acting was good in Black Doves

Thought she was excellent in this especially the jewellery shop fight when she goes all Tiger Momma on the other woman. The complains to SL that she "sent a teenager, I'm offended "!

i watched the final 3 last night.
i enjoyed it
can always watch Ben Wishaw, he is great.
even Mr Webb was ok
i liked them all !