The Netflix original, ‘Enola Holmes’ transports the 21st-century ideals to 19th-century England, bearing the hallmarks of a juicy detective classic. The movie begins with the disappearance of Eudoria Holmes (Helena Bonham Carter) on her daughter Enola’s 16th birthday.
After her disappearance, Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) turns to her famous and influential brothers, Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin), for assistance, but both are less than sympathetic. Mycroft hates her for her apparent disregard for ‘feminine’ mannerisms while Sherlock is mostly indifferent towards her plight, at least initially. Enola realizes that the only person she can rely on is herself and sets-off to London in a quest to find their mother.
En route, she encounters Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), who is being hunted down by a deadly assassin. She saves his life out of goodwill and unknowingly takes up her very first case as Enola Holmes, detective. The story of ‘Enola Holmes’ unfolds against the backdrop of England undergoing a sea of change due to The Reform Act (of 1884) which was a harbinger of universal women suffrage.
Enola Holmes Ending, Explained
Enola figures out that Tewksbury’s uncle is trying to get him killed, following which the duo race to the manor to confront him. But they’re instead received by an assassin extraordinaire, sent out by Twekesbury’s grandmother herself, as it is later revealed.
Enola and the assassin fight, while but she is knocked out cold. In a plot twist, Tewksbury’s grandma reveals her true self and shoots him, but he escapes due to his hidden protective armour. The next day, he votes in favour of the Reform Act, and it passes. He and Enola exchange loving glances with each other as they part ways, in hopes of seeing each other soon.
Meanwhile, Sherlock arrives at Scotland Yard, to trick Enola into meeting them, but are outsmarted by none other than their sister- Enola Holmes. Following this, Enola returns home and is surprised by her mother’s presence.
Eudoria admits that she is involved in the women’s suffrage movement, and expresses her pride for Enola’s role in passing the Reform Act. Their reunion does not last long, and Eudoria is forced to go underground to attend more duties, but this time, Enola understands and respects her mother decision. As the ‘Enola Holmes’ ends, our protagonist, Enola, affirms her empowerment as she cycles her way out into glory.
What was Eudoria’s role in women suffrage?
Eudoria has always believed in equality and empowerment, and always challenged the society’s outdated belief about women. She makes Enola read a lot of feminist literature, and rightfully so. She teaches her self-defence and raises her such that she submits to no one. Eudoria knows that if the women’s suffrage movement does not take flight, her daughter and millions others will remain a slave to the misogyny that often infringes their rights.
However, she even decides to achieve violent lengths, as evidenced by the dynamites she stored at Limehouse Lane, making her a moving target for assassins. Therefore, Eudoria goes M.I.A., leaving behind a trail of breadcrumbs for Enola to trace her back to London. Fortunately, her daughter, Enola Holmes, took better care of the business, and there was no need to resort to violence.
Image Source: Netflix
Why did Tewksbury’s grandmother want him dead?
Tewksbury’s grandmother, a traditionalist mentions to Enola that her country’s greatness is proportional to its reactionist stance. The women’s suffrage movement will impede her nation’s ‘supremacy’, according to her. However her son and grandson are far more liberal-minded and forward-thinking than her and Viscount. So to prevent the House of Lords from voting in favour of the groundbreaking Reform Act, she tries to murder Tewksbury, in the name of maintaining her country’s ‘honour’ in being repressive.
What lies in the future of ‘Enola Holmes’? Will Netflix make a part-II?
As of now there has been no word from Netflix officially about a sequel for the movie. Although, given where the movie left off, there sure is a lot of room left for both story and character development.
Throughout the movie, Enola proves that she is as self-reliant and free-spirited as any other man. Enola Holmes is a whip-smart and brave young detective, who is always a step ahead of her famous brothers. After she outsmarts Sherlock, he realizes his shortcomings and vows to take her up under his wing. Under his guardianship, Enola will be able to learn a lot, along with her love interest Tewksbury, and we can indeed say that we are yet to see the last of Enola Holmes on Netflix!
