Credit: Netflix

Enola Holmes finally makes it to the altar. Well, almost. After two films of dodging danger with Tewkesbury, Enola Holmes 3 opens with the couple ready to tie the knot on the cliffs of Malta.

It should have been the easiest day of Enola’s life, or so you’d expect. Instead, Sherlock Holmes disappears before the ceremony can even begin. The wedding is abandoned, and Enola is back chasing another mystery. Peak Enola energy!

It is a rather clever twist for the franchise. Sherlock has always been the one with the answers, but not this time. He is the missing person, and our poor Enola pieces everything together with nothing more than a few cryptic clues as she abandons her own wedding. And yes, Dr Watson is every bit as baffled as the rest of us.

Of course, the investigation stretches far beyond a simple kidnapping. It has to! A Morse code message points Enola towards Khost in Afghanistan. Another clue mentions “Wrath”, which she mistakenly links to the mysterious Adeline Rathe, who is a ghostly figure whispered about across Malta. The only missing piece of the puzzle was Moriarty, and we’ve had her (yes, her) too, so it is safe to say Enola’s wedding plans never stood a chance.

So here we are, with the answers to all your questions, starting with the most important one.

Who kidnapped Sherlock?

The answer is exactly what fans hoped or dreaded it would be. Moriarty is back, and she is drawing daggers from the very start. Sherlock leaves Enola a message before he is captured, writing “Khost” in Morse code on a mirror inside his hotel room.

Later, a dying informant utters the word “Wrath”. Naturally, Enola believes both clues will lead her straight to Sherlock’s captor. Well, almost.

Instead, Moriarty has planted a trail designed to send Enola in the wrong direction while still relying on one thing she can never resist: solving a mystery.

As Enola goes further, she discovers a buried chapter of British military history. Years earlier, soldiers stationed in Khost looted gold from a shrine during the Anglo-Afghan War. The operation was led by Tewkesbury’s father, who later regretted his actions and secretly hid the treasure rather than handing it over to corrupt officials. Everyone else believed the gold had been lost forever after its ship supposedly sank.

That hidden fortune is exactly what Moriarty has been searching for. The problem? She knows the treasure exists but has no idea where it was concealed. So, she kidnaps Sherlock and Lady Tewkesbury and lets Enola do what Enola does best. Rather clever, really.

The plan nearly works. Enola eventually discovers the hidden cave where the gold has been stored for years, exactly as Moriarty intended. The villain arrives to claim it, only to realise Enola has already anticipated her next move. With help from Tewkesbury, Dr Watson and Maltese revolutionary Mikiel Mizzi, Moriarty’s men are cornered before Enola tracks the villain to the hideout where Sherlock and Lady Tewkesbury are being held.

Following one final confrontation, Sherlock is rescued, and the stolen gold is returned to Khost. Moriarty survives the ordeal, though the film makes it pretty clear she is unlikely to give up her games anytime soon.

What is Adeline Rathe?

Right, this is where the film pulls off its biggest trick. For most of the story, Adeline Rathe appears to be a real person. Every rumour paints the name as that of a mastermind controlling Malta. Naturally, Enola spends a good chunk of the investigation trying to find her.

Except… she never does. That is because Adeline Rathe is not the answer at all. It is the question Enola has misunderstood. Remember the clue “Wrath”? Enola reads it as “Rathe”. With that, she sends herself down on a totally different path. Moriarty counts on that mistake because it keeps everyone’s attention away from the real clue.

The reveal happens after Enola and Tewkesbury finally get the wedding they have been denied all along in the film. Smaller ceremony and fewer guests.

As the newlyweds head into the sea, the camera drops beneath the water and settles on an old shipwreck. Its name is finally revealed: The Wrath of Adeline.

So the legendary Adeline Rathe never existed. Sherlock’s clue had always pointed towards the ship that once carried the stolen Khost gold, not a mysterious woman hiding in the shadows. It is a classic Holmes-style misdirection, built around a single misunderstood word.

And really, that is what Enola Holmes 3 does best. Every clue appears straightforward until the final piece clicks into place. Then you realise the answer was hiding in plain sight all along.