Race and gender swapping have been a bit of a controversial subject in certain circles. While there is certainly nothing inherently wrong with changing a character in a story from the source material, there are certainly more (and less) successful ways to do it. The criticism of swapping, generally, is that a character is created to be a certain race and gender to fit that story. Changing it “just” for the sake of diversity or to fit a specific actor is disingenuous to the storytelling process. At the same time, swapping can also be beneficial to tell a new and different kind of story. But there has to be a connection between the story and characterization and the change being made, and Enola Holmes 2 did just that.
There are essentially two big cases being worked on in the film. The first has to do with Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) looking for a woman who went missing while working in a matchstick factory. The other case is Sherlock’s (Henry Cavill) and involves money taken from the government. These two cases converge when it’s discovered that the mastermind behind the whole entire scheme is none other than Moriarty. But in contrast to his character in established Sherlock Holmes lore, this Moriarty is Mira Troy (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), the humble secretary of the matchstick factory’s owner.
Moriarty holds a notorious place being Sherlock Holmes’s nemesis throughout his depictions. Usually depicted as a white man, this change to a Black woman is certainly startling. Yet, the story does an incredible job providing historical context for women of color being dismissed for their intelligence. This version of Moriarty saw a life of crime as her only means to succeed. She could never travel in the British hierarchy, which is dominated by men and white faces. Her place as a Black, female secretary has allowed her to go unnoticed as she executes her plans. It’s race and gender swapping at its finest.
Enola Holmes 2 is streaming on Netflix.
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