Netflix spy thriller Black Doves starring Ben Whishaw and Keira Knightley is pretty gay

Netflix’s new, binge-worthy series Black Doves is a spy thriller, set in London at Christmas, starring Ben Whishaw and Kiera Knightley. If that isn’t enough to convince you to give it a go, it’s also really, really gay.

The six-part show follows Pride and Prejudice star Knightley as Helen Webb, a member of underground spy network the Black Doves, who has been secretly dishing dirt on her politician husband Wallace (Broadchurch’s Andrew Buchan) to her big boss Reed (Happy Valley’s Sarah Lancashire).

After her hidden lover Jason (Andrew Koji) is brutally assassinated, she makes it her mission to find out who killed him, and why. Reed calls in Helen’s old friend, the charming Sam Young (Paddington’s Ben Whishaw), to protect her, come hell or high water. The result is bloody, brilliant, and a surprising twist on the classic spy series.

Until now, virtually every epic in the spy genre has been led by a macho, hyper-masculine heartthrob. Not Black Doves. While that’s not to say Whishaw isn’t a heartthrob – he surely is – his gay, soft-spoken anti-hero Sam isn’t your typical ruthless killing machine.

Thankfully, Netflix and the show’s creator Joe Barton haven’t just thrown in the fact he’s gay as a weak, box-ticking subplot, either. Viewers see him damaged and quietly distraught over his ex Michael (It’s A Sin star Omari Douglas) despite the fact that they went their separate ways years ago.

His friends are gay, while his relationship with Helen exemplifies the classic “gay guy with a female best friend” dynamic that, until recent years, has been plagued by the “gay best friend” trope on screen. In Black Doves, though, Sam isn’t on the sidelines as Helen basks in the spotlight. They make the show what it is together, with equal prominence.

They share a deep connection that feels believable and real and, in the absence of Sam’s blood relations, Helen feels very much like part of his found family. 

Whishaw, who is gay himself and has played gay roles in shows including This Is Going To Hurt and A Very English Scandal, recently gushed about the opportunity to play a queer hitman.

“I enjoyed that it trod a line between being vaguely ludicrous and thrilling and funny and dark. I liked that it has this combination of things,” he told RadioTimes. “I was up for something fun – and a queer assassin had a certain interest for me. I wanted to read more.”

It’s unsurprising that he was fascinated by the role given that, even in a world of ever-increasing LGBTQ+ representation, queer characters with complex pasts and villainous streaks are still far and few in between.

Yet here is Sam, ready to slay – in all senses of the word.

Black Doves is streaming on Netflix now.

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