By Alisa Oden (She/Her)
October 26, 2020

“Now, where to begin?”

Everybody knows who Sherlock Holmes is. Famous detective, punctilious sleuth, anti-social eccentric- iconic! But we might have a new household name under “Holmes” after the release of the Netflix movie, Enola Holmes.

Based on the book, Enola Holmes and the Missing Marquess by Nancy Springer, the Netflix adaptation stars none other than Milly Bobby Brown as our leading lady. The movie follows Enola, an independent young girl raised by her widowed mother Eudoria, played by Helena Bonham Carter. Taking place in twentieth-century England though, her upbringing is all but typical, as is explained in the opening scenes; stringing sea-shells and embroidery go out the window, and in with sports, English literature, science, and politics.

But only after her mother’s sudden departure on her sixteenth birthday, does Enola really start to understand the reason behind her unusual upbringing. After finding clues to the disappearance through Eudoria’s love of anagrams, she makes away to London to escape her brothers, Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes (played by Sam Claflin and Henry Cavill), and to find her mother. Fleeing to the city by train, Enola finds herself with a string of unlikely allies… and enemies. Using her sleuthing skills to outsmart her brothers, Enola helps unravel another mystery… one of a certain missing marquess.

Not only were the characters amazing in this movie, but so were the clever camera angles. Enola often speaks directly to the camera, in a Dora-The-Explorer-esque fashion, and while this is normally viewed as cheesy, Enola Holmes actually pulled it off, establishing a sense of companionship between Enola and the audience. The flashbacks with Enola and her mother help us understand more about our main character, providing insight on why she is the way she is, and even gives subtle clues about her mother’s disappearance.

So, for those of you who still are asking, “Should I watch Enola Holmes?” It’s elementary, my dear readers: Of course!