37/17
Starring Graham Norton and guests: Cher/Keira Knightley/Michael Fassbender/Josh Brolin/Jaylen Ngonda (2024)
Helen embarks on a passionate affair with a man who has no idea what her secret identity is. When her lover falls victim to London’s dangerous criminal underworld, Helen’s employer calls on Sam to protect her. Bingo, the owner of the guitar shop where Sam gets his guns, is played by Rat Scabies, a member of the classic punk band The Damned.
Of course, they just build characters and set a unique tone
Spies, London, Keira, Ben, quality cinematography, a beautiful soundtrack – what could go wrong? Plus, I already know this is my favorite genre, and I’m not going to dwell on the potential flaws. But when the dialogue in Episode 1 was slow, some moments dragged on too long, and the scenes with Quinten’s attempted dialogue left me feeling hopeless, I tried to console myself.
I was wrong
As the episodes dragged on, I realized that this series wasn’t going to make it. Not just disconnected, but with some of the characters I actually cared about. I honestly don’t know how the magic happens, but I was really drawn to the stories and characters in Slow Horses, The Americans, Le Bureau, The Diplomat, and even The Old Man—for all their flaws.
I’m so sad for what could have been
Add to that the lack of stakes and the numerous omissions of key details, and the annoying:intriguing ratio became too high to be enjoyable. Yes, all the key spy elements are here in Black Doves, but somehow the recipe lacked salt and by E03 I was already upping the playback speed. "One Hundred Years of Solitude" is one of the biggest TV and streaming premieres this month.