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CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION | ||
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Positive:
29
Mixed:
2
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews
Dec 4, 2024RogerEbert.comDec 3, 2024
Dec 5, 2024
Nov 27, 2024
Season 1 Review:
While you’ll likely yawn at some of the more laborious details about the various factions scrambling to solve the story’s central murder, the series’ snappy dialogue and sly, three-dimensional approach to depicting the lives of the folks who commit various acts of violence helps make Black Doves’ central story more fun to watch than it probably has any right to be.
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TV Guide MagazineDec 11, 2024
Season 1 Review:
More of a suspenseful guns-blazing hoot, Black Doves spins a violent web of intrigue around Helen. .... Makes for great TV. [9 - 29 Dec 2024, p.4]
Dec 11, 2024
Season 1 Review:
Knightley does not disappoint. But part of the edge here comes from how flagrantly Black Doves likens the artifice of upper-middle-class femininity to the devious performances of an undercover spy. .... The emotional core of the series—the one thing that keeps it from tipping over into total darkness—is their [Helen and Sam's] friendship, and the fierce loyalty it commands.
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iDec 9, 2024
Season 1 Review:
With a cast like Wishaw, Lancashire and Knightley (and some equally starry cameos that I won’t spoil), this daft-but-absorbing six-parter gets you in its festive grip. It’s as much fun as it’s possible to have in Christmassy London while the snow is spattered with the blood of faceless henchmen.
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The GuardianDec 5, 2024
Season 1 Review:
By episode three, its gleeful excess had won me over. Inevitably, this will earn comparisons to the other big spy shows of the year. It isn’t as composed or as witty as Slow Horses, and not as self-serious as The Day of the Jackal, but in among the chaos, it finds its own voice.
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Dec 5, 2024
Season 1 Review:
“Black Doves” may be structured around hoary old spy tropes, but it doesn’t matter when those tropes are executed well and bolstered by distinctive characters. Unfolding against a backdrop of cozy Christmas decor and London landmarks, this cleverly paced thriller adds a touch of class to its espionage antics — and above all, it’s tremendous fun.
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Dec 4, 2024
Season 1 Review:
Creator Joe Barton has found novel ways to humanize his secret agents. On Black Doves, matters of the heart stand toe-to-toe with (and demand just as much care as) all the bloody intrigue. Characters’ idiosyncrasies, their pert humor in the face of mortal risk, are charming where so much else in the spies-with-personal-lives mini-genre feels canned.
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The TimesDec 4, 2024
Season 1 Review:
If you fancy something that feels like a mating experiment between Gangs of London (for the body count and violence), Love Actually (for the glossy Christmassy backdrop and festive songs) with a dash of Slow Horses (for the dry wit and espionage), it is very entertaining and nice to look at.
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The Mercury NewsDec 10, 2024
Dec 4, 2024
Season 1 Review:
A six-episode series that flirts with greatness before settling for a tonally disjointed approach that finds clever creator Joe Barton (Giri/Haji) and his exceptional cast bouncing between a probing psychological examination of the human toll of espionage, a semi-satirical exploration of the expectations of a suddenly oversaturated genre and a lovingly corny Christmas drama.
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ColliderDec 2, 2024
Season 1 Review:
Knightley's chemistry with Whishaw creates Black Doves' best and most compelling pairing. Helen and Sam have a history, as we soon learn, one rooted in camaraderie as much as high-stakes situations, and their friendship becomes the true heart of the story, as we discover just how much these two are willing to sacrifice for each other, even when the odds are stacked against them. The rest of Black Doves' expansive ensemble cast is more of a mixed bag, although there are some clear standouts.
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