The ending of Keira Knightley’s Netflix espionage series Black Doves finds Helen and Sam uncertain of their futures after their showdown with the Clarks. Created by Joe Barton (The Lazarus Project, Giri/Haji), Black Doves has opened to outstanding reviews, earning a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes critic score upon its December 5, 2024 release date. Knightley (Atonement, Pirates of the Caribbean) leads the cast of Black Doves along with Ben Whishaw, who is best known for playing Q in Daniel Craig’s final three James Bond movies. Black Doves also features a stellar supporting cast, including Sarah Lancashire’s Reed, Kathryn Hunter’s Lenny, Ella Lily Hyland’s Williams, and Omari Douglas’s Michael.
Black Doves follows Knightley’s Helen Webb, the loving and supportive wife of Andrew Buchan’s Wallace Webb, a prominent British politician. Webb is also a secret agent working for the mysterious covert spy organization known as the Black Doves, which Mrs. Reed is the head of. Reed confronts Helen over an affair she was having with a civil servant named Jason (Andrew Koji), who was shockingly shot and killed in a park from long range. Suspecting that Helen could be in hot water with a powerful criminal conspiracy, Reed enlists a trusted triggerman named Sam Young (Whishaw) to help Helen avert threats to her life and family.
Who Killed Chinese Ambassador Chen
Trent accidentally killed him and tried to cover it up
The final episode of Black Doves season 1 reveals that Trent Clark accidentally killed Chinese Ambassador Chen by throwing him over a couch. Chen hit his head and died at the scene, which was captured via a secret camera placed by Maggie, an MI5 secret agent who had secretly been recording Chen’s daughter, Kai-Ming. One of Maggie’s cameras captured Trent Clark’s fatal mistake as well as Stephen Yarrick, a close political associate and friend of Wallace Webb, the Minister of State Defense and Helen’s husband. Trent was dating Kai-Ming and assaulted Ambassador Chen after the latter accused him of being a drug dealer and ordered him to no longer date his daughter.
Why Sam Killed Trent & Alex Clark
He did it to protect Helen
After Helen hid a gun in Trent’s coat pocket and pulled it on Alex Webb thinking she was the one who ordered the hit on her secret lover Jason, Sam pleads for Helen to put the gun down. Helen discovers that Alex Clark, a powerful and internationally connected crime family boss, truly did not order the hit on Jason and instead, it was Trent who hired the former SAS sniper turned assassin Elmore Fitch to take Jason out. Trent pleads for forgiveness and tries to explain his way out of it as Helen’s anger and need for vengeance rises. Before Helen does anything stupid, Sam swoops in and kills the Clarks’ bodyguard before taking out Alex and Trent so Helen would not have their blood on her hands.
Why Trent Clark Hired Fitch To Kill Jason
Maggie showed Jason the footage of Trent killing Chen
Trent realized the massive mistake he made by accidentally killing the Chinese Ambassador and worked quickly to cover himself. He reached out to Stephen Yarrick, who understood that Trent’s error could very well lead to global warfare. Trent, who despite being the heir to the Clark crime family conglomerate is overtly daft and ill-equipped, hired an elite assassin named Elmore Fitch to kill Jason, Maggie, and a tabloid reporter named Phillip. Maggie had captured the footage of Trent killing Chen and had told Phillip and Jason about it, which is why they also became Fitch’s targets. Fitch tried to kill Helen in her own home but Helen bested him and took his life in her garden shed.
Were Jason & Maggie Both MI5 Agents?
They were both covert ops working for the British government
Mrs. Reed tells Helen at the end of Black Doves season 1 that Jason had been a secret MI5 agent working for the British government. Helen also discovers that Jason and Maggie were both MI5 agents, which is how Jason became aware of Chen’s death and acquired the recording device that captured Trent killing him. Maggie worked at a jewelry shop as part of her cover, which allowed Jason to drop a hint to Helen when he gave her a luxurious bracelet the day before his death. Helen is able to trace the bracelet Jason gave her back to the jewelry store and finds the recording device locked in a safe.
Who Called Sam After He Killed The Clarks?
Likely other high-ranking members of the Clarks
One of the biggest unanswered questions is who called Sam and threatened his life after he killed Trent and Alex Clark. The man on the other end of the phone remains unknown but it’s safe to say that he is either a high-ranking associate of the Clarks or a Clark himself. Judging by how unemotional the man was on the phone, he may turn out to be an associate or even a mid-tier level operative in the Clark family conglomerate informing Sam that his killings have been witnessed. Since the Prime Minister helped cover up Chen’s death and tried to frame it on the Americans, it could have been someone from his office as well.
Why Hector Was At Michael’s Apartment
He offered Sam a job to be his muscle
Hector showed up at Michael’s apartment to offer Sam a job. Although Sam seems to have a happy ending with Michael, there will surely be other Clark family members and associates who will be coming after Sam directly next season. Hector knows that Sam is not actually a threat to him or else he would have killed him already. Since the Clarks took out dozens of his men earlier in the series, Hector is without muscle and asks Sam to fill the void. Sam agrees and tells Lenny that he won’t be killing Hector. The two characters will likely join forces to try and eliminate an already weakened Clark crime family next season.
Why Helen’s Babysitter Was With Mrs. Reed
She appears to be a new Black Dove in training
One of the biggest surprises in the final moments of the Black Doves season 1 finale is that Helen’s babysitter sits in Reed’s home appearing eager to work. The scene reveals that there is a connection between the two characters but the specifics remain unclear by the time the credits roll. Since it’s Christmas Day at the end of the episode, it’s entirely possible that the babysitter is a relative of Mrs. Reed, perhaps even her granddaughter. The two could also be unrelated and Reed might have simply approached her with an offer to become a Black Dove to keep tabs on Helen in season 2.
What Sam Looked For In Lenny’s Eyes
Sam wanted to see Lenny’s heart
Sam counteroffers Lenny’s proposal to kill Hector with a gun to her face at the end of Black Doves season 1. Sam tells Lenny he’s going to look into her eyes and determine whether or not he’s going to kill her based on what he sees. Throughout the season, Lenny has been ruthless and seemingly cold-hearted, which is how she gets Sam to cooperate and go after Hector in the first place. Despite his profession, Sam has a good heart and wants to see whether Lenny also has a warm heart or if there is any goodness inside of her. Sam might have also been determining whether Lenny made the right call in having Sam kill his own father, Frank, for his first hit after Frank had “crossed a line.”
Was Jason Actually In Love With Helen?
It seems so since he kept her identity hidden
After Helen discovers that Jason was an operative, she wonders whether he ever loved her or if he was just playing her like she had done to Wallace. Jason certainly was manipulative in getting close to Helen by “spilling a drink” on her to initiate the affair. Part of his mission was to form an intimacy with her and extract information to inform the British government. In the end, however, Jason could have ratted on Helen after she revealed to him that she was a Black Dove, a truth that Helen adamantly denies to Reed because admitting it would be a death sentence. Since Jason never revealed Helen’s true identity to the British government, the fact that he covered for her implies that he did grow to love her despite the false pretenses.
What Could Happen In Black Doves Season 2
Wallace should become the next Prime Minister
One thing that is likely to happen in Black Doves season 2 is that Wallace will become the new Prime Minister of England. Wallace has a strong reputation and was probably one of the top candidates for the job even before Prime Minister Richard Eaves was exposed for concealing the truth about Ambassador Chen’s death and trying to frame the Americans. Reed tells Helen that Eaves will be forced to resign a few months later and Wallace is poised to become the next Prime Minister, which is great for the Black Doves.
However, CIA operative Cole Atwood could become a threat to Helen’s cover, since he knows Helen’s true identity. Sam and Williams should return to aid Hector in going after the Clarks and Helen could form a closer friendship or mentorship with Black Dove Dani in Black Doves season 2.
