Spoiler Warning!!!
The thrilling sequel to Enola Holmes was released by Netflix just a month ago. The film takes us on a wild ride with murders, romance and abrupt plot twists. It showcases Enola Holmes taking a step out into the world, and getting her first detective case. A lot of things go wrong (obviously), but Enola handles it with the help of her beloved brother, Sherlock Holmes, and her “friend” Tweksbury. In every movie, good or bad, there’s always characters that one tends to like more than another. There are those that make you laugh and feel warm and fuzzy inside, and others that make you want to hit a wall. So without further ado, here are my assessments of the characters in Enola Holmes 2:
1. Sarah Chapman
The plot of this film centers around a historical women’s rights and class inequality protest. The character Sarah Chapman is taken directly from this event. While Enola Holmes 2 wasn’t very accurate when displaying the facts, the basics of the story were about the same. In the movie, Sarah Chapman is a detective herself, finding out the truth behind the illness killing the girls in the match factory. She took the initiative to steal documents and stand up not only for herself but for everyone in the factory. Chapman heroically risked her life in order to save others. I especially enjoy her elaborate scheming and the dedication she has, sneaking into parties to talk to politicians and advocating for the less privileged. Despite being a new face to the series, her charm and her elegance at the ball quickly won me over and once it was revealed who she actually was, I only admired her more.
2. Sherlock Holmes
We get to find out more of Sherlock’s identity and witness his character development in this movie. Obviously, he has been talked about and praised endlessly, but we never really got to know him as a person in the first film. Through the random encounters and wild situations the pair of siblings get into, we can see that Sherlock is not as cold as people make him out to be. Just like an onion, he has layers. Once you peel off the first layer, you find out he’s just a normal man who leads a lonely life (and happens to have a 190 IQ). It’s endearing to watch him awkwardly try to reconnect with Enola and their relationship humanizes him from the typical brilliant genius stereotype.
3. Enola Holmes
Of course, we have to talk about Enola at some point. After all, she is the main character. Enola is an independent, ambitious and, most importantly, determined young woman and this was made very clear in this film. Her unconventional remarks and playfulness lends the audience some laughs during anxious moments. She attempts to blaze her own trail this time by starting a detective agency. This was supposed to be her moment to shine as she finally begins to branch out on her own but the constant overwhelming presence of Sherlock still manages to overshadow her. I wish we could have seen more of her detective solving skills without reliance on others. One particular thing that bothers me however, is her fourth wall breakthroughs. When she stares straight at the camera and speaks directly to the audience, it feels like she’s invading my personal space despite being on the screen. It creeps me out a little to be frank.
4. Lord Tweskbury
Like everybody else out there, I was rooting for Enola and Tewkesbury to get together the entire time. It’s a little hard though, when Tewksbury hardly makes an appearance other than a couple of minor conversations. Yes, the scene where he teaches her how to dance is cute and all that but I want to see some action, some banter, some actual conversation. The only time he is relevant to the plot is when he finally makes a move while they are on the way to the final showdown. He urgently asks her to teach him how to fight, and then proceeds to kiss Enola. In the end, he got himself a girlfriend, but headed into the fight with no defensive skills of any kind. Congratulations on your new relationship, but your timing would use a little work.
5. Everyone Else
Some honorable mentions are Eudoria and Edith, but other than that I see no one worthwhile to discuss.
6. Mira Troy
I’m going to be honest, I still have no clue what her character was there for. We saw little snippets of Mira during the actual duration of the film and she seems to pop out of nowhere during the resolution. While the goal of this may have been to create an ah-ha moment, I think it just confused the audience even more. I do understand her motivations of how she has been looked down on and shunned despite her intelligence and talent, but it felt a little forced when they made Mira the true villain of the story. I wanted to see more of her and learn more about her, rather than just having her make a classic evil monologue and heading out. However, this twist does allow for a setup towards the next movie, with an unfinished plot. With a proper characterization, I may find myself rooting for her in the future.
7. Grail
Considering the fact we watched the same movie, then there is nothing I need to explain. We hate this man, end of story.
If you have already seen this movie, I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have. If not, I have already spoiled this movie for you, but still go watch it on Netflix anyways!
