I took a day off work and was trying to figure out what I was going to watch. I have so many shows and movies recorded on my DVR, but I also have so many streaming services with both old and new programming to catch up on. There aren’t enough hours in the day to watch everything on my watchlists. Yet I repeatedly decide to watch shows I have seen dozens of times. I think during these times, watching familiar shows is somehow calming and satisfying. I pulled myself away from watching Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries for the umpteenth time and scrolled through my Netflix watchlist.
I was in the mood for a mystery. I thought I would land on one of my many foreign series, but I have repeatedly seen commercials for Enola Holmes, so when I came across it on my list, I decided to watch it. Debuting on September 23, 2020 at #2, according to Forbes, on Netflix’s Most-Watched List is the adaptation of Nancy Springer’s “The Case of the Missing Marquess: An Enola Holmes Mystery.” It was adapted for the screen by Jack Thorne and directed by Harry Bradbeer, and produced by none other than the star Millie Bobby Brown.
SPOILER ALERT
Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) is the much younger sister of Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin) Holmes. Their mother, Eudoria (Helena Bonham Carter), has disappeared leaving Enola almost completely alone on the family’s dilapidated estate. Mycroft is determined to send her to boarding school to “finish her off” and make her a proper young lady suitable enough to marry off well. He has been stingy with his money, begrudgingly sending money to his mother for Enola’s education and their upkeep. Sherlock, on the other hand, hasn’t even bothered to write or visit in many years, being more interested in the next mystery than in either of them.
Enola makes her escape after deducing clues left for her by Eudoria, which included funds for her to live on, and goes off in search of her missing mother. Along the way, she runs into another runaway, Lord Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), who is hiding from his family who want him to take his seat in the House of Lords and join the army, like his uncle. Of course any Holmes mystery wouldn’t be complete without a sinister bad guy. Linthorn (Burn Gorman) is after Tewkesbury, not to return the errant marquess home, but to kill him.
Enola helps the young lord escape, even though she knows that it is endangering her search for her escape from Mycroft. Jumping from a moving train in the nick of time, they eventually make their way to London where they part ways. She puts an encrypted message in the personal columns of three publications, knowing her mother is likely to see one of them. In her search for friends of her mother, she runs across the evil Linthorn again who is still in search of Tewkesbury. Eudoria’s unconventional education of Enola, which included ju jitsu, aids her in her escape. She realizes that as much as she wants to find her mother, Tewkesbury’s needs are more urgent than her own.
Disguised as a widow, Enola goes to the Tewkesbury Estate to gain more information on the young lord in her efforts to locate him. Believing her to be a tabloid journalist seeking a story, Lady Tewkesbury and his uncle, Sir Whimbrel, instruct the staff to throw her out. Enola lies and says she is Sherlock Holmes’ assistant, but is confronted by Inspector Lestrade who denies the existence of any such person. Both Enola and the Inspector are tossed out, but Enola can’t help herself. She competes with Lestrade to see who knows Sherlock the best. Unfortunately, this is her undoing.
On her return to London, Enola locates Tewkesbury at the flower market, but when they return to her lodgings, Lestrade is waiting for them. Trapped, Enola pleads for the Marquess to make his escape, because capture could possibly end in his death; whereas, she would only end up at finishing school. Mycroft is gratified at her apprehension. He feels that Enola, Eudoria and Sherlock all disgrace the family name of Holmes. He takes pleasure at taking “his money” back from her as he ships her off to school.
Enola is not welcomed by the other students and she relishes breaking all the rules of the school. Never a fashion icon, she dislikes the severe nun-like uniforms. Enola slumps at the table and slurps her soup in a very unlady-like manner. The headmistress says she will never abandon her and implies that the school is like a family, but then locks her in her room telling her she will be escorted to and from classes and meals.
Enola is surprised when Sherlock visits her, believing he would once again wash his hands of her now that she was safely ensconced at the school. He admits that he had followed each of her steps from the train station, where he deduced she ran into Tewkesbury, to the bomb factory in an attempt to find both her and their mother, but had so far been unsuccessful. He is impressed with her mind, and wonders if she had solved the Tewkesbury case yet. Sherlock advises her that “sometimes you must dangle your feet in the water in order to attract the sharks.”
A large wicker hamper is delivered to Enola, supposedly from Mycroft, but containing Lord Tewkesbury. He remembered the name of the school, when she had mentioned it on their way to London. During their escape, Enola realizes that the attempted murder on the Marquess and the murder of his father (mislabeled as an accidental death during a robbery), was designed to replace both with his uncle, because Whimbrel would not vote in favor of reform in the House of Lords. Instead of London, the couple heads back to the Tewkesbury Estate to confront the villain behind Linthorn, the Dowager (Frances de la Tour).
Sherlock arrives at Scotland Yard and advises Lestrade that he should issue a warrant for the arrest of the Dowager for the murder of her son and the attempted murder of her grandson. “All the clues were there, you just have to look,” he explains. Lestrade gleefully wonders how Enola came to this conclusion before Sherlock did. Sherlock chuckles as he leaves deciding to make Enola his ward, taking the responsibility off his brother’s hands.
Mycroft makes one last attempt to recapture Enola, posting a coded message in the newspaper, but made the fatal mistake of signing it “Mother” instead of “Chrysanthemum.” He agrees to Sherlock’s offer and walks right by “Dash” as he leaves. Sherlock picks up the pine cone dog, acknowledging Enola’s intellect and choice to live her own life.
Enola returns to her new lodgings funded with the reward money she unhappily took from Lady Tewkesbury. She discovers her mother in her room only to learn that Eudoria isn’t there for her. She knows Enola can take care of herself and she is needed elsewhere. The end leaves the viewers in no doubt that Sherlock has worthy competition as London’s newest private detective.
I haven’t read the six books in the “Enola Holmes Mysteries” young adult series, but I can tell you that this movie left me wanting more. While I’ve always loved Sherlock Holmes, it was refreshing to see a female Holmes outwit both the great Sherlock and Mycroft. Millie Bobby Brown was entertaining as the newest Holmes to grace our screens. While this role isn’t as strong as Eleven in Stranger Things, it also proved that she could carry a movie in the starring role. Some might be distracted by Enola breaking the fourth wall and voicing her inner thoughts to the audience, but it was used very sparingly.
Henry Cavill was thankfully not as stiff as he has been in many of his recent leading roles. He was once again the great actor I thought him to be in The Tudors. Gone was the furrowed brow and the robotic movement and speech. I sometimes wonder if the stress of being the lead stresses him out so much that it gets in the way of his acting. If he could only figure out how to transfer his supporting performances to his lead performances, he would be a great leading man.
The supporting performances of Helena Bonham Carter and Frances de la Tour were wonderful as usual. The only complaint I have is there wasn’t enough of Burn Gorman (Linthorn). He is a great character actor who is known for his deadpan delivery. I first saw him in the Doctor Who spin-off Torchwood. He steals every scene he is in, whether it’s from a young actress or a movie monster. He would make an excellent Moriarty.
All in all, I highly recommend this movie. Add it to your watchlist and rate it a thumbs up!
Everything & Nothing 