Black Doves is one of Netflix’s best thrillers – season 2 is heart-shattering

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video When Black Doves launched two years ago, I was intrigued. It had all the ingredients of a gripping thriller. ‘This’ll be fun,’ I pondered, not thinking too much of it. I underestimated just how much it would blow me away. It immediately became one of my favourite shows of the year. Keira Knightley, best-known for her period drama roles, as gun-toting spy Helen, who leads a secret double life. Ben Whishaw as her best friend Sam, an assassin who kills people for a living but makes you want to give him a cuddle. And Sarah Lancashire as Reed, Keira’s spy boss, who’s at her most dangerous when making menacing threats without ever raising her voice. Going into season 2, creator Joe Barton had a lot of pressure on his shoulders to match the critical acclaim of the first. When I interviewed him for Metro, I quoted some of the comments fans had left under the trailer. ‘This is what a second season should look like,’ one said, while another wrote: ‘Black Doves has the potential to become another great British spy series like Slow Horses.’ I have to agree. In the new season, all six episodes of which drop today, Helen has reached her most powerful but risky position so far. Her husband, Wallace (Andrew Buchan), is about to become the Prime Minister. Helen is still in Reed’s pocket as a Black Doves agent, but everything goes haywire when her boss disappears, and she’s given a new handler, Mr Conteh (Babou Ceesay). Helen had every right to be wary of Reed. In season one, her boss tried to have her killed before they resolved their issues (somewhat). Nonetheless, Reed never lied to her, and Helen doesn’t believe a word Mr Conteh says. Wallace, who’s about to become the most powerful man in Britain, knows that Helen previously had an affair, but he decides not to admit the truth to her, harbouring the secret while the couple go to marriage counselling to patch up their fractured relationship. I’m going to need more seasons of Black Doves confirmed stat (Picture: Courtesy of Matthew Towers/Netflix) Ben Whishaw broke my heart in the new episodes (Picture: Courtesy of Matthew Towers/Netflix) Helen seems to genuinely love Wallace, despite their relationship being built on a foundation of lies and deceit. However, keeping the marriage secure is also of the utmost priority for her as a Black Dove agent, given she now has access to government secrets from within No 10. Sign up to Switched On, Metro's new TV newsletter Hiya! I’m Sabrina Barr and I’m Metro’s TV editor. I have spent almost six years at Metro covering all corners of the TV world, and I’m now sharing all my expert insights in my brand new newsletter, Switched On. Join me for Metro's exclusive weekly guide of to what to watch From recommendations for your next binge-watch on Netflix to jaw-dropping exclusive interviews with the planet’s biggest stars, sign up to get plugged into the week’s biggest TV moments. Get the next edition below. Sign up now Sam is going through the wringer in this new season. It’s a testament to Joe’s writing that the audience can witness him commit deplorable acts with ease, destroying pieces of his soul with each pull of the trigger, and yet still feel terrible about the suffering that he’s enduring. Helen and Sam’s friendship is the heart of this show. Without it, it wouldn’t have become the phenomenon that it is. In a world dominated by death, their need to protect one another no matter the cost never falters, even when it can lead to devastating consequences. There’s one scene in season two where Sam fires a shot, a single tear running down his cheek, that left me breathless. I might have anticipated what was going to happen, but it didn’t make it any less painful. You wouldn’t want to get on Reed’s bad side (Picture: Courtesy of Matthew Towers/Netflix) Black Doves season 2 key details When is Black Doves season 2 out? The release date is Thursday, November 5 on Netflix. How many episodes are there? There are six episodes in season 2, the same number as the first. Who’s in the cast? Cast members returning for season 2 include: Keira Knightley as Helen Webb Ben Whishaw as Sam Young Sarah Lancashire as Reed Andrew Buchan as Wallace Ella Lily Hyland as Williams Gabrielle Creevy as Eleanor New cast members in season 2 include: Ambika Mod as Laila Babou Ceesay as Mr Conteh Sam Riley as Patrick Neve Campbell as Cecile Mason Sylvia Hoeks as Katia Chernov Goran Kostic as Alexi Chernov Samuel Barnett as Jerry If I had a weapon, it’d also be covered in stickers (Picture: Courtesy of Matthew Towers/Netflix) But where there is darkness, there is also light. Ambika Mod is a fantastic addition to the cast as Laila, a Black Doves agent with no filter and some of the best lines of the series. ‘I’m the muscle, babe,’ she tells Helen when they meet for the first time before an explosive gun fight. Her sardonic demeanour made her one of my favourite characters off the bat, and I hope Black Doves can continue to peel back her layers in season three (if and when it’s confirmed). Gabrielle Creevy and Ella Lily Hyland return as the chaotic assassin duo Eleanor and Williams. In season one, they served predominantly as the show’s comic relief, but their relationship now has a lot more added depth, and their ability to multitask is unmatched. One second they’re chucking grenades, the next they’re dissecting their dating lives. And you know that they’d be a blast on a night out. Verdict on Black Doves season 2 After two years of waiting, Black Doves season 2 doesn’t disappoint. I was tempted to give it five stars, but the first half was stronger than the second. Nonetheless, this show is brilliant and deserves a future. I’m a sucker for intricate action sequences, and Black Doves season two has them in abundance. One of my favourite scenes is when Helen descends a staircase with Reed and uses a gun and a knife held in one hand to incapacitate her attacker. It’s a chef’s kiss moment. The first half of the season was five-star perfection for me. While the second half wasn’t at that same level, perhaps because of twists that I found more predictable, I still had a rip-roaring time. And the finale ends in a way that’s made me even more desperate for third season confirmation. Many people compare Black Doves to Slow Horses, and I can see why. Both are stellar British spy thrillers, but other than the shared genre, they’re very individual in their own right. TV fans clearly have an appetite for espionage, and if they’re of this quality, the more the merrier. Deals of the Day QVC shoppers can save £159 on Elemis' biggest beauty gift set of the year This Hoover vacuum is a game-changer for pet owners and muddy homes The wellbeing brand behind everyone's favourite candles has launched its biggest sale yet See London's Christmas lights from an open-top double-decker bus this winter My skin always suffers when the heating goes on but this serum changed that Black Doves season 2 is available to stream on Netflix. 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