The long awaited sequel to “Enola Holmes” finally released on Netflix on Nov. 4 to an enthusiastic audience. Most of the stars from the first film reprised their roles in “Enola Holmes 2,” including Millie Bobby Brown as Enola Holmes, Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes, Louis Partridge as Tewksebury of Basilwether and Helena Bonham Carter as Eudoria Holmes. Notably missing was Sam Claflin as Mycroft Holmes, but the addition of some new faces made up for his absence, including David Thewlis as Superintendent Grail and Hannah Dodd as Sarah Chapman. If this star-studded cast alone isn’t enough to convince you of this film’s excellence, continue reading for my in-depth, spoiler review of “Enola Holmes 2.”
A little over two years ago, the first “Enola Holmes” movie left us with our witty detective having solved her first case, that of the missing Viscount Tewksebury. The sequel picks up with Enola starting her own detective agency and Tewksebury making waves as a progressive reformer in the House of Lords. Enola’s agency, however, struggles when clients opt not to hire her because of her youth and gender. That is, until a young girl named Bessie (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss) tasks Enola with finding her missing sister, Sarah. Enola takes the case and is thrust into a mystery of stolen papers, dying factory girls, secret lovers and much more.
This sequel does an incredible job of going a bit darker and making the stakes a bit higher compared to the first film without losing the adventurous charm. The fun narration style, fourth wall breaks, comedy and lovable character dynamics are all still there, but there are also grimmer scenes and circumstances. Enola is poking around on the dangerous streets of London and uncovering grave truths, but that doesn’t mean this movie isn’t still a lot of fun. She may have grown up a bit, but she is still the same curious, wild-spirited Enola we know and love.
One thing this movie does extremely well is embedding and exhibiting its core themes. The feminist theme from the first installment carries over into “Enola Holmes 2,” with a particular emphasis on sisterhood. Enola’s entire case begins with a little girl trying to find her sister. But what’s the real kicker? They aren’t biological siblings. Another character, Mae, refers to them as “found sisters.” Bessie says that Sarah is the only family she has left. Not once is their sisterhood questioned or devalued. This is such a powerful message of family being who you choose as well as who you’re given.
Throughout the film we see how sisterhood is so much more than blood. The bonds between the Match Girls and how they stick up for one another, the camaraderie of Enola, Eudoria and Edith, and all of the friendships and community between women in the film showcase the importance of sisterhood wonderfully. “Enola Holmes 2” stresses the need for women to stick together and take care of each other so that they can survive and thrive in a world that treats them as expendable second-class citizens. This is captured beautifully in a scene towards the end of the film in which Sarah, Bessie and Enola are sitting together on a beach. Sarah poses the question, “What do we have now?,” to which Enola replies, “We have each other.”
A theme unique to this sequel is that of the struggles of poor women. Enola had previously lived a very sheltered, privileged life, so taking on Bessie’s case was her first time seeing the working and living conditions of poor factory workers. Watching her take in that way of life and hearing Bessie describe it so casually is heartbreaking, but very well done. “Enola Holmes 2” does a great job of showing how women, especially poor women, were treated as expendable, their lives put below profit. The plight of the Match Girls is all too real. At the end of the film, a screen appears informing the viewers that some of the plot was inspired by real events. It reads, “The Match Girls strike, led by Sarah Chapman, was the first ever industrial action taken by women for women. It improved their working conditions forever. It only takes one flame to start a fire.”
On a cheerier note, this film also cranks up the romance. Enola and Tewkesbury won over the hearts of many viewers in the first film – including me – so seeing their relationship progress in the sequel was beautiful. Even with the added layer of tension as they realize their romantic feelings for each other, their comedic dynamic remains intact. There are plenty of classic Enola and Tewkesbury funny moments, along with a beautiful dance scene, love confessions, and their first kiss. Staying true to the first movie, the climax is an intense fight in which their main concerns are each other. Enola and Tewkesbury are wonderfully whole characters on their own, but together they’re a perfect team.
One lesson Enola learns in this film is that being independent doesn’t mean you have to shut other people out. She realizes having others help and support her doesn’t make her any less strong. She opens herself up to a romance with Tewkesbury and accepts help from the people around her. Enola’s relationship with her brother, Sherlock, particularly benefits from this lesson. She has always felt like she was in Sherlock’s shadow, but when they help each other with their intertwined cases in this film, she realizes that it might not be awful to work with her brother. Their dynamic is very fun to watch, and I hope we get more of this duo in the future.
As a big fan of BBC’s “Sherlock” show (and other Sherlock Holmes media), the introduction of Sherlock’s most notorious foe was a highlight of this movie. Hearing Henry Cavill’s Sherlock say the name “Moriarty” for the first time was thrilling. It gets better. At the end of the movie, Moriarty is revealed to be Mira Troy (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), an intelligent black woman who is tired of being constantly underestimated by her colleagues. I’m so glad the writers took the character in this direction. I am so tired of white male villains who didn’t get what they wanted once and decided to make it everyone else’s problem. This version of Moriarty has substantial and interesting motivations that I’m excited to see (hopefully) delved into in future films.
My only qualm with the reveal of Moriarty’s identity is that it came too soon. Plot wise, “Enola Holmes 2” had plenty of loose ends to wrap up and secrets to uncover to make a satisfying ending without revealing Mira Troy’s true part in it all. The remaining mystery of her identity would have been the perfect lead-in to the next film. While the newspaper story of Moriarty escaping from custody does provide cause for a third film, I worry that it will be lacking something without Moriarty’s identity to uncover.
Lastly, let’s discuss the end-credit scene. It depicts Sherlock hearing a knock on his door and opening it to a man looking for a place to live. It turns out that Enola told him Sherlock was looking for a flat-mate. Enola thought that Sherlock needed a friend, so she sent him John Watson. That’s right: Sherlock’s iconic partner Dr. Watson has been introduced in the Enola Holmes franchise, played by Himesh Patel. Hopefully this means that we can look forward to this dynamic duo in a third Enola Holmes movie.
As a big fan of the first film, “Enola Holmes 2” was one of my most anticipated releases of the year, and I’m happy to report that it hit my expectations out of the park. The costumes, sets, writing, cinematography and acting performances were all incredible. I’m already dying for a rewatch, and I will be watching the Netflix social media accounts like a hawk for any “Enola Holmes 3” announcements. Fingers crossed!