TV Show review
December 5, 2024 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Black Doves.
Woke representation / casting
Prominent gay male lead (Sam) shown as skilled assassin with integrated queer personal life and ex-boyfriend; supporting lesbian assassins in action roles; strong competent female protagonist in spy and fight scenes.
Woke political dialogue
Almost none present; dialogue focuses on espionage tactics, loyalty, revenge, and personal relationships rather than social issues or lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
Central emotional thread is the platonic friendship between a straight married woman and gay man, with queer characters’ backstories shown naturally; story prioritizes personal bonds and sentiment over geopolitics but does not drive plot with identity politics or activism.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Spy organization operates as amoral mercenaries above national loyalties; government and intelligence figures portrayed as flawed or self-interested; female-led criminal elements noted but presented as story fact without ideological framing of patriarchy or Western institutions.
Review
Black Doves is a six-episode Netflix British spy action thriller created and written by Joe Barton. It follows Helen Webb, an undercover spy living as the wife of a rising British politician, who learns her secret lover has been murdered and teams with her old friend and assassin Sam to uncover the truth amid gangland violence, government secrets, and international tensions, all set during Christmas in London. The series centers on their deep platonic friendship and personal stakes while delivering pulpy action and twists; prominent queer characters including a gay hitman protagonist and lesbian assassins appear in competent action roles alongside strong female leads, drawing some viewer comments on feminist and LGBT elements.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant; original series with no source material, historical figures, or established canon reinterpreted through identity lenses.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Viewer comments and reviews explicitly label the show “woke fest,” “feminist and LGBT woke fest,” or Netflix DEI for prominent gay and lesbian characters in action roles, strong women leads, and lack of conventional heterosexual male heroes.
Creator track record context
Joe Barton’s prior works feature diverse ensembles in thrillers but show no activist or identity-politics pattern; other key crew have low-profile professional histories or minor associations with contemporary diverse productions.
Production
