‘Black Doves’ Season 1 Ending, Explained: What To Remember Before S2
Described by critics as spy fiction by way of a Succession (2018) style snark, Black Doves (2024) left a lot of dangerous lingering threads that need to be pulled in Season 2. Black Doves focuses on Helen Dawson, the wife of a government official who is secretly a "Black Dove." An undercover mercenary, a series of deaths close to Helen forces her, her handler Reed, and her old assassin friend Sam to contend with a tangled conspiracy of dead government officials—including her lover, Jason—that could set off World War III.
Throughout it all, Helen refuses to cut and run by abandoning her family, even risking her cover and her place in the organization in the process. Black Doves has a lot of fun with its pulpy thriller tropes, making it a great cousin to fellow subversive spy show Slow Horses (2022). Ahead of Season 2’s debut, it’s worth looking back at Helen’s mission in the first season and how her success alongside Sam may have only been the beginning of their troubles.
What Happens to Helen in ‘Black Doves’?
Helen's efforts to uncover the conspiracy pays off, exposing Trent Clark and his crime-boss mother, Alex, as the ones behind the deaths that set off the events of the show. Although she comes close to killing them in a fit of rage over Jason’s fate, Sam steps in and performs the deed himself. Having dealt with the danger, Helen resumes her life and even introduces Sam to her family.
She also accepts and moves past the fact that Jason was actually a government spy investigating her. Even their newfound allies get to end the first season on a happier note, with assassins Eleanor and Williams forming a bond with the Chinese Ambassador’s daughter, Kai-Ming. However, it’s Reed’s happy ending that’s the most worrisome for Helen.
What Is Reed Planning for Helen Dawson?
Played by Sarah Lancashire, Reed serves as Helen's handler and connection to the Black Doves group. Despite their time working together, Reed isn't too trusting of her agent. The penultimate episode of Season 1 showed the depths of her backup plans for Helen, revealing that Wallace's new secretary Dani is a Black Dove sent to replace her.
Sparing the young woman might have been one of the key ways Helen was able to earn her place back with the organization in the season finale, but the final scene shows that Reed already has insurance on Helen without her even knowing it. It turns out that the nanny for the Webb children, Marie, is also a Black Dove working with Reed. This sets up a tenser dynamic for the pair going forward, especially if Helen finds out the truth. However, the trailer for Season 2 hints that Reed may be in more danger than she has been previously.
How ‘Black Doves’ Sets Up Season 2
Black Doves Season 1 ends on a lot of interesting teases that Season 2 seems to be paying off. In the aftermath of Helen’s actions, Wallace has been positioned to take over as Prime Minister. This gives Helen a greater level of access than ever before, while also raising the risk of being exposed. While Alex Clark may have been dealt with, the rest of the crime family now has their sights on her killer—Sam.
Desperate for a chance to escape his life as an assassin but unwilling to let Helen destroy herself, Sam’s decision to kill Alex and Trent means he has to continue performing wet work for Hector Newman if he wants to survive. The Season 2 trailer teases Reed’s disappearance, dead Black Doves, and forceful new allies who may endanger Helen just as much as help her. Alongside teases of Wallace finding out more about Helen’s second life and assassins coming after her, Black Doves’ sweet Season 1 ending might be the last real moment of calm before the storm crashes into Helen’s life.
