Insider trivia, easter eggs and more that you possibly missed in Enola Holmes 2

Sherlock Holmes’ sister and teenage sleuth Enola Holmes is back in Enola Holmes 2, the second film in the detective franchise which has been received with much critical acclaim and love from fans. The film finds the young detective grappling with a new case where she must uncover the mysterious disappearance of a woman who happened to be employed at a match stick factory.

Based on Nancy Springer’s book of the same name, this one carves the young detective as an instinctive and witty private investigator who meticulously combs over facts before arriving at educated theories to solve curious crimes. But we’re not giving away any spoilers here. If you’ve watched the film or even plan to, here are a few interesting things you’d like to know about the second installment of the successful Netflix franchise.

1. Let’s begin from the beginning. The film opens with the line ‘some of what follows is true’. This makes audiences curious about the references in the film which are actually inspired from real events. As it turns out, the film does showcase a protest in a matchstick factory led by a woman named Sarah Chapman who seeks to improve the working conditions for the workers of the factory. As it turns out, this uprising is a nod to the 19th century London Match Girls Strike where women workers of a matchstick factory protested the use of phosphorus which caused them to fall ill and even led to several casualties. In fact, the film also shows a character who has been inflicted by a condition whose symptoms include a swollen and visibly disfigured jaw. This is an actual condition called ‘Phossy Jaw’ which is caused by coming in contact with phosphorus, a harmful chemical which workers were exposed to in the production of matchsticks.
2. A popular, clever and effective way of depicting the Victorian period is often through newspaper advertisements of the time. One such ad which is shown in a particular scene in the film is about Dr. Pavlov's Patented Pooch Persuader. The ad copy reads: “Approved by Socks, the Wonder Dog. Just one ring and your canine conundrum is corrected.” As it turns out, there actually was a Russian physiologist called Ivan Pavlov who is credited for several canine clinical studies, including the one where he examined why dogs salivate when their food is placed in front of them. Interestingly, the Russian scientist also observed that canines have the ability to associate food with those who served it to them and thus, they would begin salivating when approached by the person who regularly feeds them.
3. Enola Holmes 2 has an Indian connection. It’s famously known that Sherlock Holmes’ companion and friend Dr Watson had been a British army doctor who had served in India among other countries. As it turns out, Enola Holmes 2 actually introduces Dr Watson for the first time and even insinuates that Enola had a little more than something to do with how he happened to meet Sherlock. But interestingly, the character of Dr Watson is played by a British actor of Indian descent, Himesh Patel. Patel is best known for playing the lead in the romantic comedy Yesterday and for featuring in films such as Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and the HBO miniseries Station Eleven for which he received a Primetime Emmy nomination.
4. A lady never makes the first move– is something we’ve always been told. But in the Victorian period, as shown in a ballroom scene in Enola Holmes 2, a lady could transmit secret messages to her suitor of choice, merely by whipping a fan in different ways. Holding a fan over one’s cheek is a declaration of love and swaying it with the left hand is warning that the two are being watched. In the Victorian era, a lady who attended a ball was said to be armed with around 24 different moves involving her handy paper fan to send different messages wordlessly. This was surely the equivalent of sliding into one’s DMs in the Victorian era.

Well that's the OTTplay Now You Know for today, until the next episode it's your host Nikhil signing out.

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Written by Kunal Guha