Enola Holmes 2: The mystery, ending & post-credits scene explained

Enola Holmes 2, which has just dropped on Netflix, is full of mystery, and has a twist at the very end that is a delight to watch.

Enola Holmes 2 is a sequel to the surprising Netflix hit of 2020. A fun introduction to Sherlock Holmes’ teenage sister, which was adapted from the books of Nancy Springer, it packed a charming sense of escapism through lockdown.

In the sequel, we follow Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) as she sets up her own detective agency in 1880s London, and struggles to get clients due to her age and gender. A case soon rears its head though, and leads into a conspiracy much bigger than first assumed.

But what is the mystery of the film? And how does that mystery solve itself? Enola Holmes 2 has its fair share of twists and turns, so here’s the mystery, ending, and post-credit scene, explained. But first, warning: major spoilers ahead…

Enola Holmes 2: What is the mystery about?

Enola Holmes 2’s mystery is less personal to Enola herself, unlike in the first film. In this sequel, she is approached by a young girl named Bess (Serrana Su-Ling Bliss), whose older sister Sarah (Hannah Dodd) has disappeared after being accused of theft at her workplace, a match factory, where most of the workers are young women.

Taking the case – since it’s her only one – Enola infiltrates the factory and find that pages have been mysteriously torn from the company’s logs, presumably by Sarah. Meanwhile, typhus has been leading to the deaths of many workers there.

However, this turns into a bigger conspiracy later down the line, as Enola is framed for murder, uncovers potential blackmailing, and is chased by a corrupt police officer Inspector Grail (David Thewlis). But in the end, with the help of her brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill), Enola is finally unable to unearth what is going on.

See, its not typhus which is killing the factor workers, it is phosphorus, which was a new component being used in the making of the matches. The pages that Sarah stole were records of all the workers who had died from this, and she intended to reveal the illegally poor working conditions to the public in order to gain justice for the victims.

While this mystery is uncovered, things don’t quite go to plan. The owner of the factor is able to grasp the document and burns them, destroying any evidence of his crimes and ruining Sarah’s case. It seems like justice will never be served.

However, Sarah and Enola are able to do something. They return to the factory, and insight a strike, which is actually based on the true story of the first female industrial action taken in England. The film’s main plot ends with all of the young women walking out, hopefully towards a better future.

Enola Holmes 2: What happens at the end of the film?

However, while the mystery is solved, this is not where the film ends. There is one final twist, which Sherlock had been dealing with throughout the film, on his own cases.

See, a number of the crimes had been committed throughout the film, including blackmail and outright murder. And while we assume that it’s part of the bigger narrative mystery, Sherlocks notes that he believes someone is trying to play with them; leaving behind false clues and codes which keep the man up at night.

Because it turns out that these have not been committed by who we think. Instead, our favourite Victorian villain is back: Moriarty.

Moriarty (played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster), who had been going by the name Mira Troy throughout the film, had remained somewhat in the background, unassuming and unimposing. However, during the final battle, she reveals herself as Sherlock accuses her of her crimes.

She of course reveals herself with as much chaotic joyful malice as Moriarty does, and happily accepts her own arrest, though not before explaining how she’s grown tired of being underestimated by those more foolish around her, and how limiting being a woman can feel.

While Moriarty has been gender swapped before – think Natalie Dormer in Elementary – this still feels like a twist, and it fits into the feminist themes of the whole movie. Though surprisingly her race isn’t mentioned; while being a woman was hard in the 1800s, it was a lot harder for a black woman. Seems like Enola Holmes isn’t quite ready for those conversations yet.

Though this may come into play in the future, as there’s no doubt she’ll be back for a third film, but what’s her big plan? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Enola Holmes 2: What happens in the post-credits scene?

To answer your first question: Yes, Enola Holmes 2 has one post-credits scene, which takes place in the middle of the credits.

And it’s a delightful scene at that, which sets up a new character, and potentially a new sequel.

See, throughout the film, we see that Sherlock has begun to feel rather lonely. He is messy and much less impressive than we were first led to believe, which leads to him and Enola growing closer as siblings.

At the end of the film, he offers that they work together as partners. Enola politely declines, stating that she would likely remain in his shadow if they were to join forces. But she does think that him getting a partner would be a good idea, in fact she heartily encourages it.

This leads to a certain someone appearing at the door of 221B Baker Street: Doctor John Watson, played by Himesh Patel.

In the post-credits scene, Sherlock answers his door to find Watson, who claims that he has been sent by a young lady (no doubt Enola, who had previously agreed to visit Sherlock at the time of Watson’s arrival) for an appointment. According to said young woman, Sherlock is looking for a flatmate.

And while Sherlock is unsure at first, he shortly invites the man in, no doubt beginning a new adventure for a new film.

Enola Holmes 2 is currently available to stream on Netflix.