This article contains spoilers for Enola Holmes 2.Enola Holmes 2 revealed its version of Moriarty, Miss Mira Troy. In 1893, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle released what he hoped would be the last Sherlock Holmes story. "The Final Problem" introduced readers to the one man who was a match for Holmes, a criminal mastermind and professor of mathematics named James Moriarty. Sherlock and Moriarty fell into the Reichenbach Falls, locked in mortal combat, and Conan Doyle hoped to move on to other pursuits. Those hopes were dashed, of course, because in the end he caved in to public demand and brought Sherlock Holmes back from the dead.
Professor Moriarty may have been created simply as a plot device to kill off Holmes, but he has left his own enduring legacy. There's a sense in which Sherlock Holmes was the superhero of Victorian London, the epitome of cold logic with martial arts skills to boot. If that is the case, then Moriarty was the first mirror-image supervillain, for his fearsome intellect is equal to that of the Great Detective. He typically embodies what Sherlock Holmes would have been had he turned his mind to evil rather than good. Enola Holmes 2 introduces a brand new version, though, one who is instead a twisted mirror-image of Sherlock's mother.
How Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes Names Moriarty
Henry Cavill's Sherlock Holmes faces his greatest challenge in Enola Holmes 2, as he attempts to unravel a suspicious web of financial transactions. Holmes is deeply impressed by this network of transactions, concluding they must be orchestrated by some kind of mathematical genius - and that comment alone will tip most Sherlock Holmes fans off as to who the real villain is. This is confirmed when Holmes discovers a cipher hidden within the transactions, one containing an anagram, and he learns it's a message to him - one apparently sent by "Moriarty." What Holmes does not realize, though, is that he's misread the message. The name "Moriarty" is actually an anagram of "Mira Troy," the real villain.
Miss Mira Troy Is A Twisted Mirror-Image Of Eudoria Holmes
Elona Holmes' Mira Troy feels like a mirror-image of Eudoria Holmes, Sherlock's mother, now a militant Suffragette. Both women are too intelligent to fit comfortably into Victorian society, which tended to take a very repressive view indeed of women. Mira Troy grew bitter and frustrated with her lot, and decided she would use the fact she was overlooked to her own advantage. It wasn't just about a desire to make herself rich; she came to view her ability to manipulate the men around her as a game, using her position as secretary to the head of the Treasury to access government funds. She wove a web of financial transactions across London mostly for the fun of it.
It took Sherlock and Enola working together to discover the truth, mainly because they came at the problem from different angles. Enola found herself looking into a missing matchgirl, Sarah Chapman, who'd stolen evidence the matchmaking factories were deliberately covering up the poisonous effects of phosphorus on their workers. Moriarty had seen the potential for blackmail, and sent her agents to hunt for Chapman - and, soon, to make Enola's life a misery. The game came to an end, as all games must, and Miss Mira Troy was arrested.
Enola Holmes' New Moriarty Completely Changes Sherlock's Story
The Enola Holmes films are telling a very different version of Sherlock Holmes' story, one in which Holmes clashed with Moriarty long before Enola sent John Watson to his door. They've also woven some of this franchise's main themes into the character by turning Moriarty into a woman, giving her a backstory that's all about the need for female empowerment. The interesting question is whether Moriarty is right to blame society for her evil, or whether in fact she's simply finding a convenient excuse for her actions. The latter is more likely to be the case, simply because Eudoria's example proves there are other intelligent women who have found their own way to navigate (and challenge) this men's world.
Although she is arrested, this new Moriarty is clearly set up as a potential recurring villain. The credits include newspaper clippings revealing she escaped prison, and is once again at large. Millie Bobby Brown's Enola Holmes and Henry Cavill's Sherlock will clearly find themselves crossing paths with Mira Troy again, and that will be particularly dangerous for Enola. Moriarty is obsessed with Sherlock, eager to prove herself his superior, and she's likely to continue trying to manipulate his little sister to do so. Enola is the more exposed of the two siblings, because Sherlock deals with clients who are wealthy and prestigious, while she's out on the streets dealing with the kind of crimes her brother would never become aware of.
But it's important to this series of films is centered around Enola Holmes, not around her older brother. Sherlock Holmes may be an important member of the cast, but he is fundamentally a ing character for the protagonist, meaning the ongoing conflict between Sherlock and Moriarty must not become the franchise's focus. What's more, the Enola Holmes franchise will surely continue its spirit of modernizing the world of Sherlock Holmes, using Victorian London as a sort of looking-glass through which to explore real-world issues. This can't be the same old story that's been told a thousand times since the days of Conan Doyle, in which everything builds up towards an epic confrontation between the latest Sherlock and his Moriarty as they confront one another on the Reichenbach Falls.
Fortunately, Enola Holmes 2 strongly suggests the franchise understands this. Moriarty's story begins in a most unusual way, and it is certain to continue along a similarly unorthodox path. The ing cast are growing in number - the film also introduces Himesh Patel as the new Doctor Watson - and the critical response to Enola Holmes 2 hopefully means Netflix will greenlight a threequel. It will be fascinating to see where Moriarty's story goes from here.
Enola Holmes 2 is streaming now on Netflix.
