'Black Doves' spy thriller series on Netflix

Trailer.

Bookmarked it!

The preeminent lower-jaw actress of our time doing TV now, look what Kidman hath wrought!

I love that she still hasn't fixed her signature janky 2 and 3, even with all that Caribbean money. Something very relatable about that, makes me like her more.

This is Keira’s TV debut. She was meant to star in The Essex Serpent but she pulled out at short notice and was replaced by Claire Danes.

This has a great cast, will watch Sarah Lancashire in anything although that awful Mother Father Son thing was awful. Tracey Ullman too.

This is written by Joe Barton, and his next project is a TV adaptation of Amadeus with Will Sharpe as Tom Hulce and Paul Bettany as F Murray Abraham.

Mother Father Son really was unforgivable. I had no idea Ullman was in this, or I would have for sure included her. Says on IMDb she's in all six episodes, though these credits tend to be a bit wonky before a show releases, it might only be a cameo.

[quote]This is written by Joe Barton, and his next project is a TV adaptation of Amadeus with Will Sharpe as Tom Hulce and Paul Bettany as F Murray Abraham.

r5 Okay, so they're adapting the play again, reading that sentence at first made me think they were making a show about the making of the movie. Sounds intriguing enough, especially with Sharpe as Mozart. Although I don't know if he has the range, his (eye) acting during dramatic scenes in White Lotus was below average. Hopefully it's better than the movie, which I couldn't finish despite trying really hard. I think my problem is that I just hate the ahistorical source material and that just can't be helped.

R6 - Joe Barton also write Girl/Haji which won Will Sharpe a BAFTA.

r7 I know, that show's been on my watchlist for ages now. I think I'll finally binge it this week, enough is enough!

Halfway into the premiere and Ben Whishaw is already getting railed by another guy, lol. Speaking of, I wanna get railed by Andrew Koji, deeply.

Anyway, this is all very promising and Knightley hasn't annoyed me once so far, which is a tremendous achievement.

All six episodes out today!

R9 Ben has been doing lots of explicit sex on screen. Anything of note to report?

Oh no, Keira used "them" when talking about Ben's ex, which has me bracing for a tranny. Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst.

r10 Not really, it was brief and it's the other guy who showed toosh. I just mentioned it because I'm not used to seeing gay stuff in my spy shows. He's now having dinner with two married DLers as I type. They might have gotten overboard with it, honestly.

3 episodes in and totally hooked! This is brilliant TV, so smart, so outrageously engaging. Scary, funny, mysterious, thrilling.

What a cast. Only the Brits can do this.

And haven't even gotten to Tracy Ullman yet....can't imagine how she'll figure into all of this.

I finished it in one day. It's quite good. I highly recommend it.

R13 Tracy is excellent.

I'm on episode 3 and really enjoying this so far.

I'm on episode four and gagged by how good this is. I would have finished it yesterday, but I had The Agency and Silo butting in.

Its budget is clearly smaller than that of Redmayne's country-hopping Jackal, so we're not getting exotic locations or fancy crowd scenes with hundreds of extras. But it's still somehow much better, both in its writing and the way it's filmed. Everything looks so cosy, I just want to hop onto a plane and travel to London right now. One shot of Knightley next to the stairs in her home actually reminded me of her Christmas scene in Love Actually. And we all know how cosy that movie is.

Speaking of, I can't believe how likeable Knightley is here, whereas I couldn't stand her just two days ago. I think the main reason is that she has substantially de-jawed her acting, I always felt like she was mocking me with her patrician chin. Emma Watson went to that same school of facial acting, btw.

Ullman has already been mentioned, but can I just say how I screamed when Kathryn Hunter popped up? In a wig and sucking on a fag hands-free like a boss. So glad she got several scenes and not just a glorified cameo. Talk about a national treasure – a Greek, British AND American one! I just love her so much.

Love Sarah Lancashire, does she have a meaty part?

Yes she's an important character R17. Her appearances are usually quite dramatic and unpleasant. She's excellent. I love her too and have seen all her other tv and films. She's the reason I am watching this. It's very gay friendly too. Quite realistically.

This is what she looks like in it R17:

She's a far cry from Raquel in Corrie! Amazing actress.

R5 the series Amadeus is about the actors Tom Hulce and F Murray Abraham making that movie?

Andrew Buchan. as Wallace Webb. the Conservative minister of state for defense, is a sexy (and freshly bathed) daddy. Many characters look amusingly scuzzy. The BO radiates from the screen. I'm enjoying the witty portrayals of low life but overall it seems formulaic in its genre. High praise? The performances are good.

The next time I order a tequila, it's for sure gonna be Knightley's euphonic "tequilER on ice" version.

r22 No way is this formulaic, it has so many exciting twists and turns. Plus really well placed (and numerous) action pieces, which spy shows are sometimes lacking in. It's so much better than the unfortunate flop that was the latest season of Slow Horses.

If you say so, R23. I'm getting UK/Irish "dark humor, sharp dialogue, nods to existential and moral themes" formula. Anyway I'm enjoying it and it will have a season 2.

There have been no spy shows with gay leads up to this point! Male lead casually getting fucked up the ass halfway into the premiere is just not something that happens in these shows. For obvious reasons, because this is a super dad-friendly genre and we all know how delicate those daddies are.

Speaking of, lots of people seem confused by Whishaw's first hit job, thinking he whacked his own father. I admit I was one of those people, but I think the actors just look similar.

Just stop, R25. Whishaw himself already starred in one. London Spy.

Saying it has a formulaic style is not saying it sucks! It's entertaining. I'm not a gradaute of the Sheboygan Conservatory of Purple Prose Hyperbole. As you seem to be.

You're so rude. And blocked from now on, obviously.

Apparently it's "rude" to correct someone's ignorant statement about the history of gay themed TV series. Sheesh. The same actor!

Oh, shut up already and go make another thread about dildos. Obnoxious little shit.

You get really trashy when someone offers a different opinion and also corrects your mistake. Did anyone every tell you?

BITCH FIGHT! BITCH FIGHT! BITCH FIGHT!

Hanna, Killing Eve, La Femme Nikata, and Quantico - Lesbian and Gay Spy/Thriller series. Which never existed. Nor did London Spy, starring, guess who?

That American embassy scene in episode four had me stressed out like nothing else. Did she just casually kill an American military officer?

r31 It's okay, it's over now, we've come to the conclusion that we're all cunts! (I won, btw).

Just noticed that the end credits song for every episode is Raye's (still unreleased) cover of Sinatra's Bang Bang. It's a really beautiful cover, but to close out every episode? Not a fan of that. Should've been the opening theme instead.

************SPOILER!**************

Wait, r25, that's not Whishaw's own father he's killing in the Chinese restaurant?? Are you sure? I've only watched 3 episodes so maybe it will be explained eventually.

r35 Okay, I just screengrabbed the restaurant guy's face and the flashback dad's face in the third episode to compare. And they're the same guy, played by Steve Wall. So he DID kill his own father!

I'm completely floored by this revelation. Feeling a bit dumb, but I guess I refused to believe because I didn't think the show would "go there". Yeah, Michael needs to stay the fuck away from him, he's a complete psycho. Who kills their own dad for money?!

Irish-British actor Finn Bennett played the Chinese ambassador's daughter's boyfriend and his American Rs were all over the place. He needs to work on that.

Previously caught my eye in Jodie Foster's True Detective.

[quote]Sinatra's Bang Bang

Cher's version is the original. Nancy Sinatra's version came later.

r36, the bigger question for me is does Whishaw know the target in the Chinese restaurant will be his father before he gets there?

I don't think Ben knows.

r38 Thanks, guess it's like Whitney/Parton's I Will Always Love You type of situation. I think I knew that somewhere deep down, but my mind is blown every time I'm reminded of it.

One episode left. I feel lowkey cheated, I was being sold on this show as a Tracey Ullman vehicle and she's barely in it, lol.

I think I've finally cracked what makes this such a comfy watch – visually speaking – and it's captured perfectly in this screenshot. It takes place mostly at night, everyone is bathed in the most pleasant yellow (sometimes red) lighting known to lighting masters, and there's a Christmas tree, fairy lights, or some other Christmas decoration in almost every scene. Even the streets are like that. Triggers all my warm fuzzy receptors at once.

And the husband in the pic has a great ass, it simply must be said.

[quote]And the husband in the pic has a great ass, it simply must be said.

Then where the fuck is it? It simply must be asked.

You can see the contours of it here, for instance.

Andrew Buchanhas become a great actor and was hot in his not so long-ago studly youth in CRANFORD and BROADCHURCH. I fear he may be typed forever as the hapless hubbie, now.

He was a naughty boy last year, left his wife of 11 years for another actress he worked with on the BBC drama "Better" – the charismatic Leila Farzad, who also left her husband. Weeks later, they both returned to their original spouses.

But yes, very handsome. A snack, even.

Bad boy or not, Andrew Buchan is sex on a stick.

The cheating makes him hotter!

That shot of Andrew B's sleeping hairy chest in the golden light was mighty fine.

I love how he didn't fall for the honeypot in that scene where she was trying to seduce him. He was like no thank you pretty much immediately. That was refreshing.

Also refreshing was Helen's fight with said honeypot in the jewellery store. Usually, shows would drag that out until the two could barely walk, with one side coming out on top before being taken out in some surprising way just before the end. But no, this one was short and sweet, she kicked her ass and the defeated woman peaced out. So many cliches avoided in just that one fight.

r49 Can't believe I missed that. Was it in the finale? Or in a flashback scene? I only recall seeing Andrew K's chest.

It was in E3 I think, r50, towards the end, when Keira comes home after I night of murdering. I haven't watched further than that.

I immediately recognized that young ginger who played Prince Harry in The Crown.

Plot Reveal ----

Why didn't Ben's character kill the ginger at the second opportunity? He was sent to kill him and he didn't, again!

I'm still enjoying the series after E5 but it's becoming a little too violent for violent's sake and the McGuffins keep adding up.

Just listened to The Watch podcast where they were talking about their initial impressions of the show and they said it's been renewed already? That seems odd for Netflix, but good news regardless.

Anyway, they were both gushing over the show and Ben Whishaw in particular. One of the hosts said he and his wife burned through all of the episodes with only the lights from their Christmas tree illuminating the room, and I think that just might be the ideal way to watch this show. I wish I had done that, though I'd probably melt into my couch from all that hygge. The second season better take place around that same time as well.

I am on Episode 4 right now, you're correct-London looks wonderful! It's a great series.

I’ve got an annoying head cold, so I stayed in and binged all six episodes. Loved it. Ben and Kiera act up a storm, and the hit women are drolly hilarious. The show is so cozy and it should be viewed in December to get the full effect. Already renewed for a second season? I’m totally down with Ben bottoming and Kiera knife fighting some more.

I liked this much more than I thought I would.

Watched all of it this evening. Riveting and entertaining. Loved it!

I don't want to watch the finale, I want to drag this out until Christmas Day for maximum effect. But no one will be here anymore by then, so I guess I'll watch it today.

Will Sarah Lancashire lose 100 lbs so that she can appear without an ankle length coat in S2?

Doubt it. Though by season 5, injectables (and soon orals) should be pretty cheap and accessible in Britain, so maybe then.

I watched the entire thing while decorating the tree and wrapping presents yesterday. Perfect day!

Truthfully, while Ben Whishaw is an acting titan, he is far too skinny to be such a bad ass in hand to hand combat.

He is white, not Asian. 85 pound Asian women kick ass convincingly.

This is like "The Diplomat" meets "Slow Horses."

Wasn't he mostly dealing with guns in this show? I don't recall many hand-to-hand scenes. I do still have the finale to watch, though.

But yes, he has a very delicate, dainty constitution. And he's far too busy with theatre to waste his time at the gym, so he'll never be jacked.

r65 Janney looks like the American, slimmer version of Reed here. Looks interesting, I might check it out.

[quote]And he's far too busy with theatre to waste his time at the gym, so he'll never be jacked.

Making him that much more adorable. Fuck the gym. Fuck "jacked."

Just finished E2 and I'm enjoying this far more than "The Agency."

Yeah, I enjoyed the premiere of The Agency a lot, but the second episode was already feeling laborious. And the prominent Ukraine subplot is just making me feel depressed, knowing what's likely coming next year. Plus Fassbender's American accent makes him sound whiny a lot of the time, it takes that nice masc tone out of his voice almost completely.

I mean, The Agency is not that bad, it has high production values, solid acting (I'd watch Jeffrey Wright in anything), and it's based on good source material ("Bureau des Legendes") but, in comparison to "Bureau", it falls a bit flat. Marina's storyline of going to Iran was one of the key storylines in early seasons of "Bureau" and here it's barely introduced and, then, quickly abandoned.

Was Marina even in the second episode? I thought that mentorship under Fassy was going to be the core of the series, but she just kind of disappeared?

How could I not mention the "delicious Andrew Koji" from Black Doves!

I watched "The Warriors" on Netflix twice just for all those hot Asian fighters.

[quote] far too skinny to be such a bad ass in hand to hand combat.

The trailer also shows anorexic Keira beating people up, isn't that even more ridiculous?

r73 The Warriors was awesome. I got mad at Nina Gold for casting Andrew only to kill him three minutes into the premiere, but I calmed down later when I realised he'd feature prominently in flashbacks. Thankfully we got some shirtless shots of him as well!

*Sorry, the show was called "Warrior", I mindlessly copied the previous poster.

I don't watch anything that "gets renewed". Either end it in one season, or eat shit and die.

(sotto voce) nobody invite R77 to our viewing parties.

Or anywhere else.

Also, of course, even if Keira could triumph in those hand-to-hand battles, she'd surely come out of them with a few bruises or cuts on her face and elsewhere.

But this is not the sort of series to sit and dissect for realism. Usually this might bother me, but here, I'm totally willing to suspend disbelief because the actors and look of it all are so damn engaging. I don't think Americans are capable of this kind of entertainment to the same level as the UK,

Speaking of American productions, I love how botox-free her forehead is, despite all those Caribbean millions. And when you add in those rotated lateral incisors, she looks so damn relatable.

[quote]I got mad at Nina Gold for casting Andrew only to kill him three minutes into the premiere, but I calmed down later when I realised he'd feature prominently in flashbacks.

He'll be in series three of "Gangs of London", hopefully he will have substantive role.

Now, that I cannot wait 4, Andrew Koji in anything!!

Sarh Lancashire's performance is all about close-ups. We hardly ever even see her hands.

After that big wait for the reveal of Mrs. Clark I was at least expecting Judi Dench or Vanessa Redgrave. Or even fucking Maggie Smith (before she died.

And we get.....Tracey Ullman?? In a bad wig and an ugly coat?

They gave Tracey such a dramatic Drag Race entrance et the end, only to cap her off five minutes later, lol. Her face looked uncharacteristically youthful.

I thought I was imagining Helen breaking the fourth wall when she threw the data drive in the river, but then she did it again at the very end. I also thought the finale would end with a scene or a shot of her husband looking suspiciously at her or contacting someone to look into her, but I'm glad they avoided that cliche.

Look at this mafucking legend.

All I want in second season is her and Sarah Lancashire in the same room. It would be like one of those many delightful Slow Horses scenes between Gary Oldman and Kristin Scott Thomas, I'm sure.

I always love seeing Tracey Ullman, but I would've loved to see her as her Fern Rosenthal character.

"You're an assasin? Oy vey what a shonda!"

I do love me some Sarah Lancashire. Even if she is one of the Frequent Four.....some British actress bitched about all the roles going to Sarah, Keeley Hawes....and I can't remember the other two.

Why, r87? Who is she? I looked her up, and I don't think I've seen her in anything else. (I don't do horror.)

Started watching “The Day of the Jackal,” and while it’s okay, it takes itself so fucking seriously, and everyone in it is contemptible, and all I was thinking through the first three episodes of it was “Black Doves” was so much more enjoyable, original, surprising, quirky, romantic and funny.

And yet “Jackal” gets the Golden Globe nomination?

r90 She IS Kathryn Hunter!

Sarah Lancashire, Keeley Hawes, Nicola Walker and.....Helena Bonham Carter or Gillian Anderson or Lesley Manville.

r91 I think they're just impressed by the location-hopping aspect. Can't be the writing or the performances, they're so uninteresting.

R93 Ah! Now I remember. I think Suranne Jones was on the list too.

A whole reddit thread about it....and here Sarah is playing yet another similar character!

If Susan Lynch shows up in a British crime drama, you know she's harboring a dark secret that's instrumental to breaking the case.

I swear Rotten Tomatoes uses the absolute worst photos of celebs. You should see the Michael Pitt one I posted in another thread the other day.

Thing is, I once really enjoyed watching all those UK series because I liked the fact I didn't know the actors and thus they didn't bring any familiarity with them. But now15 years later I know them all and love them even more.

I agree with a reviewer who said that the show is basically Guy Ritchie’s version of London. It’s very bleak and depressing. I did love Tracey Ullman’s cameo though! She’s a national treasure. The acting was great but the style and direction left me cold. I see that it’s already been renewed for a second season.