Netflix's Enola Holmes true story about the Reform Bill is based on an established part of British history, a crucial moment in the development of democracy in the United Kingdom. Millie Bobby Brown's career began with the role of Eleven in Stranger Things, but Enola Holmes proves she is no one-hit-wonder. The Netflix movie was released to rave reviews and received a sequel. The franchise showcased the female intellect unrestrained by the norms of Victorian society and every bit the equal of her brother Sherlock.

The plot of Enola Holmes is a fascinating one, as the star attempts to find her lost mother Eudoria Holmes, who's joined a militant group of suffragettes to change the world. But Eudoria's efforts remain misguided, and it is truly her daughter who will rewrite British history. The House of Lords is divided on an important piece of legislation called the Reform Bill, and every vote counts. Viscount Tewkesbury's vote will be the deciding one, and in saving his life, Enola secures the Bill's passage. However, Enola Holmes Reform Bill remains mostly is largely silent on just what the Reform Bill is — and for good reason.

The Enola Holmes Reform Bill Explained

Millie Bobby Brown and Louis Partridge in Enola Holmes

The story of Enola Holmes may be fictional, but the Third Reform Act (also known as the Representation of the People Act) was a real bill that passed in 1884, with the related Redistribution of Seats Act being passed in 1885. The driving reason behind the Reform Act was a desire to extend the right to vote to a wider demographic than ever before, and to ensure more votes had meaning. It was championed by the Liberal government of William Gladstone, and although the Conservative opposition party was opposed to it, they were wary of being portrayed as enemies of democracy.

But once any bill has been approved by the House of Commons, it must then pass through the House of Lords, and there the Reform Bill met with far more fierce opposition. Matters were not helped by Queen Victoria, who thought the Lords had every right to reject the Reform Bill and told Gladstone they represented the mood of the country far better than the Commons. In reality, the passage of the Third Reform Act wasn't quite so close as shown in Enola Holmes true story, largely because of Gladstone's skill as a politician and artful compromises.

The new boundaries had a profound impact on Parliament, lessening the domination of the Commons by members of the aristocracy, and after 1885 MPs connected to industry outnumbered those closely connected to the gentry for the first time. The expansion of the working class electorate began a gradual shift in political attitudes in Britain, with the franchise expanding over the next few decades, and by 1918 it was extended to allow women over the age of 30 who met a property qualification to vote. It would be an exaggeration to say modern democracy was born in 1884, but certainly, it was conceived.

It's not hard to understand why the Enola Holmes Reform Bill storyline avoids explaining all that. The discussion is a technical one, and the significance of the event can only be understood with the benefit of hindsight - or, perhaps, by those with the prodigious intellects of Eudoria, Sherlock, and Enola Holmes.

Enola Holme's Isn't The Only Sherlock Property With A Suffragette Problem

Henry Cavill as Sherlock Holmes.

It seems that many Sherlock Holmes adaptation use suffragettes as villains, and the Enola Holmes true story about the movement isn't alone in this treatment. While the suffragette movement gave women the right to vote, and it was one of the earliest political protest movements, it seems the Sherlock Holmes movies viewed much of the movement in a negative light. In 2015, the Sherlock Christmas special, "The Abominable Bride," had Sherlock himself mention the suffragette movement, calling them one-half of the human race who is at war with the other. While he seemed sympathetic to the plight, it was not a good look with the women in hoods and robes.

With Enola Holmes showing the suffragette movement as a group of women planning a violent terrorist attack, it really paints a bad light on the entire time in history and the fight for women's rights. This actually aligns with author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He had a very high view of women and even believed they were superior to men intellectually. This played out in his stories, especially with the character of Irene Adler, who actually bested Holmes. However, maybe based on his fear, he did not believe in the suffragette movement or the right of women to vote. That makes these moments in Enola Holmes an interesting counter to Doyle's own beliefs.