Enola Holmes did a good job of modernizing the Sherlock Holmes franchise by confronting social issues that echo on into the present day. Its titular character, played by Millie Bobby Brown, was a compelling heroine who simply didn't fit in well with Victorian society.
Enola Holmes featured its own version of Sherlock, played by Henry Cavill. This incarnation of the Great Detective met with universal acclaim as a man who's a little more at ease with his humanity, understanding the emotions of others rather better than some iterations, and he clearly cares a great deal about his little sister. The dynamic between Brown and Cavill was a highlight of the first Enola Holmes film, with each serving as a delightful foil for the other.
The first trailer for Netflix's Enola Holmes 2 builds upon this. Enola has settled in London as a would-be rival to her big brother, but the two soon find themselves working together on a single case. The story is clearly adapted from Nancy Springer's second novel, The Case of the Left-Handed Lady, but the trailer makes it clear there will be major departures from the book. These changes haven't been made at a whim, however; they're an opportunity for Enola Holmes 2 to hold on to the elements that made the first film such a success.
Enola Holmes 2's Sherlock Holmes Arc Is Very Different
It's immediately clear the relationship between Enola Holmes and her brother Sherlock will have evolved for the sequel. There's a good reason for this; the end of Enola Holmes actually borrowed from the second book, in which Sherlock was continuing to look for his sister and successfully cracked the coded messages she was using to communicate with her mother through the newspapers. Other elements of The Case of the Left-Handed Lady also found their way into the first film, with Enola adopting multiple identities to confuse the people who were looking for her.
It seems Enola is no longer in hiding, however. The trailer for Enola Holmes 2 kicks off with the revelation she has founded a detective agency of her own, and Enola's name is in the window. There's no way someone trying to hide from Sherlock Holmes would be quite so bold in London, so presumably Enola has made peace with her siblings. This is a smart approach because it allows Enola Holmes 2 to capitalize on the relationship between Brown's Enola and Cavill's Sherlock Holmes. The cat-and-mouse dynamic worked for one Netflix movie, but it would become rather repetitive if it were maintained. It's much more fun to see Sherlock and Enola became rivals.
The Return Of Lord Tewkesbury In Enola Holmes 2
Meanwhile, the Enola Holmes 2 trailer also confirms the return of Louis Partridge's Lord Tewkesbury. He played a major role in the first movie, and the dynamic between Brown and Partridge received a lot of praise from audiences and critics alike. Lord Tewkesbury only appeared in the first of Nancy Springer's novels, but Netflix's Enola Holmes franchise has graduated him to the primary love interest. He is also, of course, the Watson to Enola's Holmes; he stands as an audience surrogate, asking Enola to explain herself when she's just demonstrated her deductive skills yet again. It's hard to imagine any Sherlock Holmes spinoff working without a Watson figure, so it was logical to bring back a fan favorite like Tewkesbury.
Eudoria Holmes' Story Will Be Very Different In Enola Holmes 2
Meanwhile, Enola Holmes 2 continues the story of her mother, Eudoria. In the books, Eudoria left the Holmes family to live with the Romani, and never saw her daughter again. This plot was massively rewritten in Enola Holmes, with Helena Bonham Carter's Eudoria instead tied to a particularly militant group of Suffragettes. Enola uncovered some of Eudoria's secrets, but it was clear there were many mysteries yet to be explored. The character is returning in Enola Holmes 2, which means there will be another subplot entirely absent from The Case of the Left-Handed Lady. Again, though, this won't be controversial; viewers were eager to learn more about Eudoria Holmes after the first movie, and it's pleasing to see Enola Holmes 2 recognize that. It will be thrilling to see how Eudoria's thread ties into the main mystery, of course.