Wallace Webb (Andrew Buchan) found out that Helen (Keira Knightley) was cheating on him in Black Doves, but he confusingly didn't tell his wife that he knew about her affair. By the end of Black Doves season 1, Helen's double life as a spy had very nearly been outed. Dani (Agnes O'Casey), had told Wallace that his wife was having an affair, and though he denied it at first, he clearly believed her. Even though Wallace was deeply suspicious of Helen's affair with Jason Davies (Andrew Koji), he didn't outright confront her about it, and instead pretended like it didn't even happen.
In the madness that was the final episodes of the show and all the deaths that happened in Black Doves, Wallace's decision to ignore Helen's infidelity may have gone under the radar. It is odd, however, how easily he let his wife of 10 years and the mother of his children off the hook for cheating on him. Aside from a leading question that was cut short by Agent Perryman, Wallace didn't even try to get Helen to confess. As odd as it seems, Wallace had a few good reasons to ignore Helen's infidelity in Black Doves.
Wallace Loves Helen & Partially Blames Himself For Her Having An Affair
Wallace Loved Helen Enough To Forgive Her & Knew He Wasn't Helen's Perfect Husband
The biggest reason why Wallace didn't confront Helen about her affair was simply because he loved her. He told Helen as much after he learned about the affair, and he professed that he had loved her since the day they met. Wallace didn't confront Helen because he valued his marriage more than he wanted to expose Helen's affair. He loved the life he had built with her, and he knew exposing Helen's secret would put all of it in jeopardy. Wallace said it best himself: "You fight for what you love, don't you?" and he clearly decided to fight for his marriage.
Keira Knightley's Helen Webb / Daisy Bradshaw takes on various personas and undercover aliases in Netflix's thrilling espionage series Black Doves.
Another factor in Wallace's decision was the fact that he blamed himself to a degree. As he told Helen, Wallace knew he wasn't perfect and that there were ways he disappointed her. Wallace seemed to be very aware of how he could have been a better husband to Helen, which likely made it a lot easier for him to forgive her. He did have a very demanding job, after all, and he wasn't always attentive to Helen, so Wallace likely thought he had made Helen unhappy in some way.
Wallace & Helen Potentially Getting Divorced Would Be A Huge Problem For His New Career Change
Going Through A Divorce While Becoming Prime Minister Would Be A Disaster For Wallace's Political Career
Custom image by Sean Morrison
Another, much less heartwarming, reason Wallace didn't confront Helen about her affair may have been his political career. As Reed explained, after the prime minister was implicated in the recording of Ambassador Chen's death, he was planning to resign from office. That means Wallace will likely become prime minister in Black Doves season 2, and his political career had been on the rise since long before that point. It seems likely that, along with the love he had for Helen, Wallace also decided to ignore her affair to keep his chances of becoming prime minister.
It seems it was a combination of Wallace's love for Helen and his own political ambitions that convinced him that pretending the affair didn't happen would be good enough.
With such a promising future in the British government ahead of him, one of the only things that could derail Wallace's career prospects was a personal scandal like a divorce. Something like that, which would surely catch the attention of tabloids and political commentators, may have even been enough to see Wallace passed up for the job. It seems it was a combination of Wallace's love for Helen and his own political ambitions that convinced him that pretending the affair didn't happen would be good enough. Whether that remains the case in the future of Black Doves remains to be seen.
Black Doves is a drama series that centers on the complex interplay of espionage and personal relationships. Focused on Helen Webb, a seasoned spy striving to balance her covert missions with a turbulent family life, the series delves into themes of loyalty, betrayal, and sacrifice. Starring Keira Knightley, it examines the moral ambiguities faced by those who live double lives in service to their countries.
Release Date December 5, 2024
Network Netflix
CastKeira Knightley , sarah lancashire , Ben Whishaw , Andrew Koji , Andrew Buchan , Omari Douglas , Kathryn Hunter , Sam Troughton , Ella Lily Hyland
Character(s) Sam Young , Helen Webb , Stephen Yarrick , Uncredited , Bill , Eleanor , Reed , Jason , Williams , Arnie , Alex , Richard Eaves , Michael
Creator(s) Joe Barton
Producers Jane Featherstone , Chris Fry , Joe Barton
Custom image by Sean Morrison
Custom image by Sean Morrison 
English (US) ·