Netflix’ “Enola Holmes” Charms Using Flowers As Clues
By Jill Brooke
When Sir Arthur Conan Doyle created Sherlock Holmes in 1887, little did he know how popular the fictional detective would become,
Now Netflix just released “Enola Holmes” about a younger sister we never knew he had.
Turns out that the language of flowers plays a BIG role in the new series which was a delight to see.
Among the stars in this movie is Henry Cavill as Sherlock and Harry Potter alumnae Fiona Shaw and Helena Bonham Carter as Enola’s mother who left her at the age of 16 for mysterious reasons. Millie Bobby Brown plays the lead character. You may remember her from the hit series “Stranger Things.”
Brown positively shines in this movie as an energetic independent girl trying to make her way as she tries to escape from a confining finishing school her brothers want her to attend while she goes on an adventure to find her long lost mother.
At a time when we are mourning the loss of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, it is a reminder of how pioneering women at all ages had to fight for equality and a voice of their own.
On the run, Enola meets Tewkesbury (Louis Partridge), a young lord also trying to leave the stifling role his family is trying to enforce. They form a bond and collaboration.
In the backdrop, England is on the cusp of change with a debate about voting rights in the House of Lords and the behind-the-scenes battles to maintain the status quo vs. having an open heart and mind.
Henry Cavill does an exceptional job as Sherlock Holmes combining both charm and wit to the role. He could easily replace Colin Firth as the go-to English gentleman with a heart.
Directed by Harry Bradbeer, and based on the book by Nancy Springer, this film also references flowers in wonderful ways.
As you may know, a yellow chrysanthemum signifies neglected love or sorrow while a white chrysanthemum is a symbol of devoted love. Blue flowers also play a role here in clever ways.
A scene in a flower shop also elevates flowers in a special way.
After all, consider this lovely quote that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gave Sherlock to say in the original books.
“Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers. All other things, our powers, our desires, our food, are really necessary for our existence in the first instance.
“But this rose is an extra. Its smell and its color are an embellishment of life, not a condition of it. It is only goodness which gives extras and so I say again that we have much to hope from the flowers.”
Roses as well as chrysanthemums and other flowers are featured in this fun film that is now streaming. Guess how many flowers are referenced as clues in this film? It’s fun to count.
Jill Brooke is a former CNN correspondent, Post columnist and editor-in-chief of Avenue and Travel Savvy magazine. She is an author and the editorial director of FPD.