Black Doves

Matt Roush says...

“I have no idea who I am,” laments Helen Webb (a spirited Keira Knightley), the duplicitous heroine of a rollicking espionage romp, set incongruously during the Christmas season. She works for the shadowy organization Black Doves, which steals government secrets to sell to the highest bidder. For the last decade, Helen has been gathering intel as the outwardly adoring supermom wife of the U.K.’s defense minister (Broadchurch’s Andrew Buchan). But when her passionate secret affair with a civil servant shockingly ends with his execution, part of a wave of murders connected to the mysterious death of the Chinese ambassador, Helen goes rogue to get to the truth. She drags along her best friend, Sam (the soulful Ben Whishaw), a forlorn triggerman who’s spent the last seven years in exile and just wants to reconnect with the boyfriend he left behind. Sarah’s deceptively matronly handler (Happy Valley’s Sarah Lancashire) observes all of the mayhem with chagrin, losing trust in her most valuable asset. The eight episodes fly by quickly, and the good news is that the series has been renewed for a second season. (See the full review.)

What's Worth Watching (Dec 5)