The Black Doves Season 2 Finale Has an Insane Cliff-Hanger

4 min readAfter a two-year wait, Netflix's Christmas crime caper Black Doves is finally back for its second outing. It's a messy delight that tests the loyalties of the central characters in ways the first season never dared and—both annoyingly and excitingly—ends on just as agonizing a cliff-hanger.In the first season, Elizabeth Reed (Sarah Lancashire) was something of a mystery: an ominous, witty controller of sorts who kept Helen Webb (Keira Knightley) and Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) on their toes. But this time around, Black Doves spends some time unravelling her past, as well as that of the titular intelligence agency: a backstory that informs and explains the major threat of the season, the German anarchist organization Kestrel.Though the secrets reveal themselves slowly, a bombshell-filled (pun very much intended) finale crashes through a series of twists that—if you didn't see them coming (which I can't say I did, for some of them)—will really feel like a stab in the face. No, not the back, because unfortunately the answers were always lying right in front of us.There's a lot to break down from that last episode, so read on for our recap of Black Doves season 2 and an explanation of the ending—including that twist that'll probably have a drastic impact on where we'll be at the beginning of season 3.netflixBlack Doves is a messy (and thrilling) delight.Breaking Down Black Doves Season 2, Episode 6The penultimate episode ended with a bunch of crossed wires, conflicting contracts, and potential deaths. Eleanor and Williams have taken out paid hits on Laila and Sam, while Sam's final target in his prison-break contract with Kestrel is none other than Reed (after episode 4 revealed that she is in fact the mysterious “Wildflower” of the files she tried to take from Alexi Chernov).The main action kicks off when the precious international peace summit that Wallace (Andrew Buchan) has spent the whole season planning gets upended before it even starts. Wallace and Helen's cab is intercepted and chased, while U. S. defense envoy Cecile Mason (Neve Campbell) and recently widowed Russian envoy Katia Chernov (Sylvia Hoeks) are captured by strange armed men.When Patrick (Sam Riley), the Kestrel man who's been blackmailing Sam all season, escorts Reed back into the Black Doves office with a gun to her head, it quickly becomes clear that 'Wildflower', or Reed, is the only target Kestrel wants brought in alive. Or, at least, whoever's running it does.And there's the twist: after a horrid little hostage situation in the office results in the deaths of quite a few senior Black Doves and Mason, Katia reveals that she is in fact the head of Kestrel and, in turn, Vita—the long-lost, abandoned daughter that Reed left in Berlin after killing her fake husband and running off (ouch).Dani, the nuisance of a secretary Reed planted in Wallace's office to seduce him and potentially replace Helen, has ended up being recruited by Kestrel. But she doesn't last long after a game of grenade hot potato played by Eleanor, Williams, and Laila ends with Dani being caught in a lift with it. Even Reed's capable of mistakes.What Happens to Helen Webb?Meanwhile, over in the car park where Helen and Wallace end up after fleeing, Mr. Prime Minister finally decides to question his wife about her past and her secrets. Obviously, she lies again—until the situation shifts a little.Helen receives a series of ominous messages and threatening instructions, first over text, then through a discreet earpiece planted in her car. Katia, whom Helen very quickly realizes is not an ally, instructs her to kill Wallace and turn herself in to MI5. But what's the leverage, you ask?Marie, the housekeeper who was teased as a Black Dove at the end of the first season, has in fact been working for Kestrel this whole time. If you're a babysitter to the Prime Minister's spy wife, who's been planted by a capitalist intelligence agency, but you're working for a German anarchist organization, does that make you a double or a triple agent? A nightmare for Mrs Webb, more than anything.Helen tricks Katia over the phone by shooting past Wallace towards the window, explains (on a surface level) that the children are in danger and she needs to hijack the car, and darts off with Sam to rescue the children from Marie.After confronting Marie, Helen shoots her in the head and flees the scene, while Reed reconciles (not quite) with her bleeding-out daughter in her last moments. Kestrel's down and all is well? Obviously not, because it's never that simple.Matthew Towers//NetflixLet’s hope we see Black Doves season 3 as soon as possible.What’s Next for the Characters?MI5 is even more suspicious of Helen than ever before, but Wallace is covering for her. Conteh, as one of the few surviving senior members of the Black Doves, restores Reed to her former standing.Helen and Sam reconcile properly after their heated argument during the first Reed rescue mission of the season, and he reveals that he's going to leave the country once again. After they part, a strange man bumps into Helen and, BOOM, final twist! Patrick has escaped in perfect condition and Kestrel is still going strong. He leaves Helen with his card, more as a threat than anything else.Reed and Helen agree to increase Helen's standing and role within the Black Doves, meaning that she'll be more than just an intel-grabber going forward, and putting her in a pretty good spot work-wise. However, things aren't quite so simple at home.Wallace confronts Helen once again about her real name (Lily Morris), and the finale ends with what appears to be the beginning of a conversation about her past. But how much is Helen actually going to tell Wallace? There's only so much she can give away without completely compromising her position, but she'll have to say enough to regain his trust. We'll find out in two years, I suppose.