‘Black Doves’ Creator Joe Barton Breaks Down the Christmas-Themed Spy Show’s Goriest Scene: ‘It Was Such an Arresting Image — Keira Knightley Covered in Brains’

As a seasoned writer and fan of holiday-themed series, I must say that Joe Barton has truly outdone himself with “The Accident.” The man clearly thrives under the pressure of Christmas deadlines, managing to weave a captivating tale amidst the endless repetition of “Good King Wenceslas” in the sweltering heat of July.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD: This write-up reveals crucial plot points from the first season of “Black Doves,” currently available for streaming on Netflix.

It’s possible that Keira Knightley could challenge Mariah Carey for the title of “Queen of Christmas” with her new project, “Black Doves,” now streaming on Netflix. This London-set spy thriller begins with a jolly Santa Claus singing in a pub and concludes six episodes later on Christmas Day. Throughout her career, Knightley has built up a collection of holiday-themed projects such as “Love, Actually,” “Silent Night,” and “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms.

In the show “Black Doves,” Knightley portrays Helen, a politician’s wife who doubles as a secret agent for an enigmatic corporation called The Black Doves. However, when her lover Jason (played by Andrew Koji) meets an untimely end, Helen is unwittingly drawn into a complex international political tangle that has the potential to disrupt not just her personal life but ignite World War III. In addition to Knightley, the series features Ben Whishaw as Sam, a close friend and fellow covert operative of Helen’s, Sarah Lancashire playing the powerful head of The Black Doves, Mrs Reed, and Omari Douglas portraying Sam’s former boyfriend Michael.

Prior to the debut of “Black Doves”, showrunner Joe Barton recently spoke with EbMaster for an exclusive interview where he discussed the tense season finale, upcoming developments in Season 2, and if the show plans to maintain its holiday release schedule.

Where did the idea for “Black Doves” come from?

I have a deep affection for stories and productions centered around Christmas. I’m quite the aficionado of Christmas movies and TV shows, and I especially enjoy it when series include a festive episode. Shows like “ER” and “The West Wing” always delivered on that front. However, creating my own Christmas-themed piece was more challenging than anticipated. The first script I penned during the week between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day, immersing myself entirely in the Christmas spirit throughout that period. As time passed, I found myself struggling to remember the details as Chris Fry, one of the producers, and I discussed potential ideas in April or thereabouts. It seemed like just yesterday when we were brainstorming, but it quickly fades from memory how to approach a Christmas production.

There’s a scene where Eleanor (Gabrielle Creevy) and Kai-Ming (Isabella Wei) are tied up and talking about their favorite Christmas movies. Did you consider referencing “Love, Actually”?

Absolutely, without a doubt. However, I felt it might be too abstract. Yet, I must admit, I’m quite fond of the movie “Love, Actually.

How early did Keira come on board?

She was in it from literally day one, so from that point I was writing for her. I think she was always just really perfect for the character…. It feels like a slight departure for her but I think she’s really good at playing characters that are constricted by public perception of what they should be, even if it’s like, Elizabeth Bennet [in “Pride & Prejudice”] or her character in “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “Atonement.” These characters are trapped in the public-facing aspect of their lives but under the surface is this inner turmoil, which essentially is what Helen is as well, but just obviously in a more contemporary setting and with other genre bits on top of it, action and stuff like that.

The moment where Sam reappears in Helen’s life, killing an assassin and leaving blood all over her face is quite striking. Did that scene play out how you’d imagined it?

The scene aimed to reunite Sam and Helen in a surprising and lively manner. The entrance of this long-lost friend, who also happens to be her best ally, creates a spark reminiscent of fireworks. However, the reunion is dramatic due to its violent nature, which contrasts with the rest of the show that includes more violence but not as graphic as this scene. This scene, featuring Keira Knightley covered in brains, was questioned for fitting the narrative, yet it remained because of its striking impact. Later, there’s another scene where she’s heavily pregnant and kills someone, resulting in a blood-splattered image. Overall, these scenes represent the essence of the series: family, espionage, motherhood, and violence, all presented within a single captivating image. The amount of blood-spatter in that initial scene was more than anticipated.

In the season finale, why does Helen hesitate when deciding whether to kill Trent and ultimately why is Sam the one who fires the gun?

It was about who she really is and about whether she’s going to do this thing. It became about this moral question about whether or not to kill this young man. Obviously, a big part of Sam’s backstory is that he refused to kill a child, younger than this guy but still, they’re both young, and it’s about who is Helen? What is she actually willing to do and what is the emotional burden of it? Then obviously, Sam steps in and does it for her, and takes on the emotional burden of killing this young man and also the external threat of he’s the one that does it, he’ll face the consequences. In Episode 3, you see that Helen almost is about to get away when she’s pregnant, she’s about to leave the Black Doves, but then she gets pulled back into it because she turns up, in that staircase scene, to save Sam and to get Michael out of there. So he feels a real burden of debt to her. And again, it goes back to it all being about their friendship and the sacrifices they’re willing to make for one another.

Do you think Jason genuinely loved Helen? Mrs. Reed’s revelation he lied about her to MI5 suggests he did.

Absolutely, I agree with you. Just as Helen’s bond with Wallace evolved into something deeper, I believe that Jason initially had an investigative interest in her, but it transformed into genuine affection for her, which she reciprocated. Therefore, I consider their relationship to be authentic. He even went so far as to deceive authorities to help her escape trouble. And interestingly, when his time was running out, it was she whom he reached out to. I strongly feel that those emotions were sincere. If circumstances had been different and he hadn’t met his untimely end, he might have confessed his true intentions and told her about the investigation.

How far are you into writing Season 2 and where will it go – will we learn more about her backstory?

The development is just getting started. I’m currently drafting the first episode, and we’re finding our footing along the way. We’ve filmed some flashbacks, initially intended for the final edit, that depict young Helen, her stepfather, and her sister Bonnie. I find this backstory intriguing, and I believe delving deeper into it would be captivating. As for the second season, I find it engaging to explore the characters further, particularly Sarah’s character. While we know a lot about Sam, there’s always room for more insight. Additionally, expanding the narrative scope is an appealing prospect, but that’s all still up in the air at the moment.

Is it going to be set at Christmas again?

The focus is on determining the launch date, without being limited by the Christmas season. It could potentially be another celebratory period like Easter instead.

It’s not essential that everything is set during Christmas, even though I enjoy creating stories for that season. A part of me might say “Why not always do it at Christmas?”, but keeping the setting perpetually Christmas could drive everyone a little mad, with us being stuck in an endless holiday for six to seven months. During editing, we’d end up playing “Good King Wenceslas” in July, which might be too much for people to handle again.

This interview has been edited and condensed for space and clarity.

2024-12-06 18:47