‘Enola Holmes 3’ is one of Netflix’s best investments

By Danielle Cherry 

“Tis I!” Oh to hear those words again brings joy to my ears. Enola Holmes, the younger sister of famous detective Sherlock Holmes, has a problem—she’s in love with a lord. 

At least that’s the biggest problem Enola faces at the start of the movie. Prepared to walk down the aisle for Lord Tewkesberry, a series of kidnappings tragically interrupts Enola’s happily ever after. Despite Enola’s doubts about the marriage, her heart is torn between solving the case and saying “I do.”

One thing Enola doesn’t do is quit. Strong willed, wicked smart and humorous—Enola is truly a force to be reckoned with. Even in the face of all she has accomplished, people continue to look down on her skills—constantly comparing her to Sherlock. That all changes when Sherlock is kidnapped, and the only person who can save him is another Holmes. 

Millie Bobby Brown plays Enola with such grace, tuning into her youthful energy and her sharp wit. I genuinely couldn’t think of a better person to play this role. Brown draws the audience in, breaking the forth wall as though we were standing right next to her in normal conversation. 

The camera looks aren’t awkward at all. If anything they add to the story, cluing the viewer in on the emotions Enola is walking through. Being the only character who does this, the audience gets the unique perspective of understanding Enola in a way that wouldn’t be possible without the fourth wall breaking. 

Netflix really took a chance with this trilogy, choosing to push not only a feminist agenda, but make fun of other Sherlock projects. Sherlock Holmes has always been the favored character from Doyle’s tales. In “Enola Holmes” Sherlock is almost portrayed as Enola’s inferior. 

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good female lead—but so much of the push is for feminism. While I don’t think that was the writer’s intention (who is a male might I add), the male characters in the movie are all portrayed as lesser than the females in the story. This makes it really hard to root for poor dumb Tewkesberry when all he is good for is looking pretty…

Now despite this, I love the way that “Enola Holmes 3” portrays real love. So often movies with romance in them are quick to develop the relationship, leaving depth and emotionality on the curb. But Enola and Tewkesberry’s relationship is different. It’s built on a love that is genuinely caring about the other person’s experience—not just attraction. 

Tewkesberry is well aware of Enola’s doubts about marriage, but their frank conversations make it obvious that both of them are willing to sacrifice what they love for the other—and unfortunately we don’t get enough of that in the media today. 

I couldn’t tell you the last time a movie began and ended with a wedding, one built on true unshakable love rather than a haphazardly spun tale to reach the end of the story. 

What is truly splendid about “Enola Holmes 3” is how many genres it mixes. Enola is out here smacking bad guys, riding horses and casually climbing a carriage in a wedding dress. It’s a full-on action movie as well as a detective thriller, leading us and Enola along to discover who this kidnapper is. 

It is so obvious that the writers took a lot of care with the dialogue of this movie, creating the space for slow moments of deep love to be shown—while keeping up the pace to match the action storyline. Brown and Louis Partridge’s offscreen friendship really aids in the characters chemistry onscreen, deepening every affectionate glance and kind word. 

Netflix has done a lot of interesting things with their production line—cutting off truly well done series (RIP “Shadow and Bone” and new to the stage “The Burroughs,” the Duffers are crying somewhere) but one thing they have done well is keeping “Enola Holmes.” 

It is a movie that is great for all ages, clean and entertaining no matter where on the spectrum of Holmes fan you are. Fans of classic Sherlock literature might need to look elsewhere to truly see the real giftings of everyone’s favorite detective, but beyond that this is a movie that is a massive hit for all audiences. 

Everyone should go watch this movie and send Netflix the right message: to greenlight a movie franchise that is fun, character driven and ultimately focused on the right things. Because without “Enola Homes 3,” I don’t think I would have learned how to mount an on-the-move carriage wearing a veil. 

“Enola Holmes 3” is currently streaming on Netflix—where hopefully it will stay forever

Danielle Cherry is a junior communication major and writer for Cedars Sports and Assistant Editor and writer for A&E. She is a Missionary Kid from Germany and is questioning if she will ever have the opportunity to meet a lord. 

Images courtesy of Netflix and Legendary Entertainment