Enola Holmes 2 takeaway: The perfect detective need not lack feelings

Enola Holmes 2, the sequel to Netflix's massively popular Enola Holmes (2020), premiered on the streaming platform on November 4, 2022, bringing back the familiar faces of Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill as the brother-sister duo of Enola and Sherlock Holmes respectively.

The film by Harry Bradbeer once again followed the bright and starry-eyed Enola on another nail-biting adventure as she tried to decipher the mystery of Sarah Chapman's disappearance.

Besides having every element that made the original film special, the sequel also added a more well-rounded graph for almost all the characters in the story, and had a plot that was even more complex and twisted than its predecessor. In what is a rare occurrence for Hollywood films, Enola Holmes 2 actually outdid the original one, with many redeeming qualities at its forefront.

One of these redeeming qualities was Enola's character development, which took her far away from Sherlock and gave her an identity that not many see as a "Good Detective's" playing field. Enola showed that one need not necessarily be an emotionless (read: high-functioning sociopath) machine to be a good detective. This created a contrast between her and Sherlock, thereby adding depth to her character.

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Enola Holmes 2: How did the film break away from the Sherlock stereotype?

Those who have read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes or watched the BBC drama Sherlock already know the importance of "not feeling" in the analytical world of geniuses and detectives. From Moriarty to Sherlock, all the extremely smart characters have been depicted with a twisted sense of cognitive ability to accommodate their genius thinking capacity.

This is where the character of Enola Holmes shines. Being Sherlock's younger sister, she depicted many aspects of the older and more popular detective. The previous film in the series also had traces of Sherlock in Enola's character.

But Enola Holmes 2 completely broke away from the stereotype by depicting Enola as someone completely different, effectively making her stand tall underneath the giant shadow of Sherlock Holmes.

The major difference that Enola depicts is empathy and love - two crucial elements lacking in Sherlock Holmes himself. By being a more socially cognitive person, Enola Holmes surpasses her brother in certain aspects and understands things that the genius mind of Sherlock cannot. And Enola does this without being a thinking machine.

Her genuine empathy and emotions make her stand out from the stereotype created by Sherlock's character and make her very different.

Moreover, Enola is also depicted to be someone capable of falling in love. Her recent romance in Enola Holmes 2 is a big step in breaking away from the typical genius stereotype. This does not make her any less intelligent but more well-rounded.

Enola Holmes 2 also aptly used the contrast in Sherlock and Enola's thinking patterns to aid in the case. While this established that there are things lacking in both Sherlock and Enola, it also showed that by combining their strengths, they overcome their weaknesses and become more complete detectives.

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Enola Holmes 2 is now streaming on Netflix.