The first two episodes of the new Cold War spy thriller Honey aired on BBC One on Saturday night, and viewers were quickly divided over the drama.
Honey is a dark, comedic Cold War spy thriller that serves as the origin story for the fan-favourite Killing Eve character Carolyn Martens, played by Fiona Shaw. The series follows her early career as a deep-cover MI6 agent in East Berlin, operating under the alias Martha Schmitt. Ann Skelly plays the young Carolyn/Martha in the series.
Plot and Premiere
The drama's synopsis reads: "East Berlin, 1982. Martha (pronounced as Marta), 24, is a deep cover agent for MI6. Surrounded by enemies and constantly under threat of her cover being blown, she tries her hardest to avoid detection by Friedrich, the new Stasi Head of Counterespionage against British Targets, Berlin Office."
In the opening instalment, Martha posed as a lover of a British diplomat but yearned to be part of a more serious assignment. The synopsis adds: "Finding herself caught between Friedrich and the reckless, arrogant (and incredibly attractive...) CIA operative Aaron Neeland (posing as Kurt Fischer), she is blind-sided by desire in this Cold War ménage à trois. The risk of being garrotted or incarcerated is nothing compared to the horrifying ordeal of falling in love. Allowing yourself to be vulnerable and bearing your heart and soul? She'd rather have her fingernails pulled out."
Viewer Reactions
It didn't take long for viewers to share their verdict, with many left divided over the drama. While some fans enjoyed the plot, others weren't as impressed.
One said on X: "Is anyone watching #honey tonight after they butchered the last #killingeve season?" A second bluntly stated: "This looks crap," while another added: "What the hell!"
Someone else commented: "BBCs new cold war drama #Honey is pish and that is me being nice. If you love a good spy drama set in the old day's give it a miss. If you like some dark comedy you might like it. I think it's shocking that this is in English. The BBC must think their viewers can't read subtitles."
Another viewer shared an issue with the plot, writing: "At the bare minimum a spy show about a deep cover MI6 agent in Germany should have an agent speaking German. An English speaking agent would raise suspicion. This show fails at the basic level to become an immersive experience."
Positive Feedback and Inspiration
Meanwhile, one impressed fan said: "In love with the chaotic duo that is Martha and Kurt." Another added: "Everyone needs to watch #Honey."
A third said: "This looks good @BBC1 new spy drama," while someone else commented: "Only two episodes in and I am HOOOOOOKED. Cant wait to see how Kurt feels about Martha's hots for Friedrich the 'psycho'."
Speaking about her inspiration for the drama, lead writer Emma Moran said: "I'm such a big rom-com fan and I wanted to do a Bridget Jones style love triangle, with a messy woman in her twenties struggling with her career and boys."
Adding that spy thriller element on top, weirdly felt quite natural. It didn't feel like I had to squeeze the pieces together: that subterfuge, and whether someone is saying the truth to me or not, is kind of the same dynamic as, do they like me? Do they know I like them? Do they know that I know that they like me? It all felt quite natural.
Honey is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
