Enola Holmes 2: Not matchsticks, typhus or poppies but sisterhood lies at the heart of this film

In Enola Holmes 2, Enola is not the only coming-of-age teenage girl fighting an uphill battle to find acceptance and validation as a woman in a world dominated by men in-charge. We have Sarah Chapman, the mastermind behind discovering that it was not Typhus but cheap white phosphorus which was killing the girls at the matchstick factory. Chapman, unlike Enola, is no Holmes. Still, she managed to get just as close as Enola (and her brother Sherlock) to crack the case and thus expose the corrupt McIntyre. Like Enola, Sarah, too, has made a conscious choice to not abandon the girls at the matchstick factory who are losing their lives. Another similarity between Enola and Sarah – both believe that as women, they must support each other in their battles. Then there’s Mira Troy who, owing to her race, is “treated like a common servant despite having twice the mind” as the Sherlocks and McIntyre. The commentary on racism and intersectionality is palpable here – Mira is marginalized both because of her gender and race.

Her character therefore raises a rather pertinent question – are Black women like Mira who wish to have a share of the “ill-begotten riches” of the White men who oppress them and punish them at the same time wrong if they choose the path of a criminal? “Why shouldn’t I be rewarded for what I can do? Where is my place in this…society?” Mira asks a bewildered McIntyre who is less than impressed that a Black woman outsmarted him and exposed him – all while being under his nose. “I am a woman. I cannot join clubs, I cannot own shares, I cannot advance myself as they can…So, I found my own way”, says Mira as Sherlock looked her dead in the eye.

What separates women like Enola, Sarah and Edith from Mira? The former three choose the righteous path to find a place for themselves in the male-dominated world. They do not resort to violence – even when it is used in self-defense. Take Enola’s mother for instance, who, despite being attacked by the prison guards chose to throw harmless smoke bombs to ambush them twice before she used an actual bomb to cause some real damage. Perhaps, women like Mira have walked through tougher roads than an Edith or a Mrs Holmes. Mira, who didn’t budge even after the death of Mae and William Lyon certainly wouldn’t throw just harmless smoke bombs if men and guards from the prison were to chase her. It is important to mention that towards the end of the film, Mira managed to escape from the prison – as revealed in a newspaper clipping.

Enola Holmes 2, while validating the experiences of Enola, Sarah and Edith also gives space to Mira who just the other three is fighting patriarchy albeit in a ruthless manner. Mira’s backstory is not known or even slightly hinted at in the film. Or, perhaps, there was no need to hint at it. Being an African American woman in the 1880s came at a cost and Mira was willing to pay it to find an equal fitting as those around her. And if she didn’t, she would have ended up like Mae who, despite fighting bravely, succumbed to the powers operating against her and died a painful death. Mira is different  though- she wants to live, breathe and get her dues. If the world isn’t willing to give her a space and an equal footing as others, she would snatch it – even if it means taking up crime.

Enola Holmes 2 also sees Enola struggle to find her own footing. Her character arc in the film is complete when she turns down Sherlock’s offer to join forces with him and work collectively as ‘Holmes and Holmes’ – because, then, she would be in his shadow. The most powerful scene in the film comes towards the end though. Sarah and Enola walk into the matchstick factory to call a strike which is followed by all factory workers walking out. The over-the-top, rousing speech trope is now a cliche but cliches work well if they are written and executed well. The speech, followed by an anti-climactic silence and then the reverberating sound of powerful foot-thumping, is a treat to watch.

The film ends with the images of The Match Girls Strike of 1888 – the first industrial strike led by women for women in age when words and phrases like feminism, women supporting women were not a part of pop-culture. Enola Holmes 2, is therefore less a tale of a teenage detective going on a fun adventure while solving a mystery but more a tale of women who refused to bow down to men and fought to make a space for themselves in a male-dominated world. It is a tale of women who are troublemakers – they refuse to take instructions from those in-charge and unapologetically question the powers that be.

It is these women who bring a change. As they say – it only takes a flame to start a fire.

Deepansh Duggal is an entertainment, pop-culture and trends writer based in New Delhi. He specializes in op-eds based on the socio-political and gender issues in the world of entertainment and showbiz. He also writes explainers and occasionally reviews shows in the OTT space. He tweets at @Deepansh75. 

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