Enola Holmes 2 | Breakdown and Discussion
Enola Holmes is back! Fresh from her first case, she is on her way to becoming a well-known detective for hire. Most of our favorites have returned as well as some fresh new faces. Join us for our breakdown and discussion of Enola Holmes 2, which can be found on Netflix.
Now a detective-for-hire, Enola Holmes takes on her first official case to find a missing girl as the sparks of a dangerous conspiracy ignite a mystery that requires the help of friends – and Sherlock himself – to unravel.
Warning: This breakdown and discussion will contain major spoilers for Enola Holmes 2. Proceed at your own risk!
The investigations; this season we got to see Sherlock (Henry Cavill) investigate while Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) is also solving her own mystery. We watched how the siblings are alike and different when they are solving a mystery. Sherlock looks at the bigger details and stays detached, while Enola looks at the smaller details and attaches herself to the victims/clients. What did you think of the different detective styles?
Clare – I really enjoyed the second installment of Enola’s adventures, and especially seeing her and Sherlock interact and the contrast in their methods. I’m never going to say no to more Henry Cavill in anything, so this was a definite improvement on the first movie for me. The differences in their styles says so much about them, and their upbringings as well, Sherlock is obviously more detached because that’s the kind of guy he is, whereas Enola had a much more unusual childhood, learning with her mother, and that shows in the way she relates to her cases. I do love the fact she’s still really awkward in society though, both siblings have that in common!
Amy – It was very interesting to see Sherlock’s investigating more in depth. It was very chilling in the one scene where he was looking at the map and how he figured out that it was dances that spelled out the hidden message. “Good to meet you Sherlock Holmes”. I literally got chills while watching that scene. But the contrast between the siblings is something that I want them to dive more into, and hopefully see more of their styles working together.
With multiple characters all with hidden motives; Superintendent Grail (David Thewlis) made it very clear that he was not the biggest fan of any of the Holmes members. What did you think of this and how it added to the storyline?
Amy – To be honest, his character actually frightened me. He added a bit of unpredictability to the movie, like I knew he was up to no one good but I couldn’t figure out if it was for himself or for someone else. Even though it was relieved in the end that it was for someone else; I still wonder what his issues are with all the Holmes members. So, I wish they dived more into that or maybe that is something they could add in a third movie.
Clare – Look, I’d watch David Thewlis in just about anything, I think he is WONDERFUL, especially when he is the bad guy! He was a fantastic villain for this story, relentless, and with the power of the police at his back to help him/hinder the Holmes siblings. He definitely made things more of a challenge.
As the movie wrapped up, we got a Doctor John Watson (Himesh Patel) teaser. What are your thoughts?
Clare – I had a little giggle at Enola setting her brother up the way she did, Thursday at 4 indeed. It’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic changes if we get another movie in the series, as obviously Holmes and Watson are the iconic detective duo, and that could cause conflict with Enola/mean she sees her brother less. Hopefully, it won’t mean more Mycroft though, cos as much as I love Sam Claflin, he was beastly in the first movie!
Amy – I am not going to lie, I squealed when I heard his name and had to rewatch the scene again because I could not stop freaking out. As someone who grew up watching all the different Sherlock Holmes movies and shows, I have never seen one that actually fully introduced Watson to Sherlock. And I love how they were introduced with Enola setting them up with Sherlock needing a flat mate.
What are your overall thoughts on Enola Holmes 2? Do you think we will get a third installment? Anything you’d like to add
Amy – This movie topped all of my expectations, though I will admit the first one is still my favorite. I do love how they showed how realistically hard it was for Enola to open her own detective-for-hire agency in a male-lead world; but at the same time, we got to see females kicking butt and taking names. The way they had Enola distance herself from Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge) in the beginning of the movie to finally admitting her feelings for the lad, shows her growth as a character. I do hope we get a third movie, hopefully, this time including her other brother, Mycroft Holmes.
Clare- Overall I really enjoyed it. From seeing Enola tackle her first proper case, to working with her brother, and to her relationship with Tewkesbury, she really grew as a character. The fact they used a proper historical event and character – The Matchgirls’ Strike and Sarah Chapman – was awesome. I even turned to my mum who I was watching with at one point and went “that’s not Typhus, that’s Phossy Jaw” and she looked at me like “what are you on about”, but I remembered learning about it at school!
There were some small things I didn’t like, such as matters of etiquette (come on Netflix, the entire world has seen Bridgerton now, we know a young woman being alone with a single man is an absolute scandal so don’t have it happen MULTIPLE TIMES). Also, the identity of Moriarty is a problem for me, as I can’t see one of the most famous Sherlock Holmes moments – the Reichenbach Fall – being able to happen in this “universe”.
