I have never seen such a range of romances in my life.Enola Holmes · 2020 — Chapter 10 of 12 · 4'04" · B1
Sherlock Visits Enola, Explained: pick my brains
Sherlock comes to see his sister, and the visit is warmer than either of them admits. He says he is there "because I care for you," but Enola hears the old doubt underneath: "I'm just a case to you, aren't I." The scene is a family reunion played as a mystery — both of them trying to read the other.
What happens
Sherlock comes calling on Enola, and though he jokes that she is trying to "pick my brains," the real subject is the two of them. He insists he is there because he cares for her, while she suspects that to him she is "just a case." He offers a piece of his philosophy — nothing is wasted — and leaves the decision in her hands.
Listen for
pick my brainsthe choice is yoursnothing is wastedget involved in something
00:00 / 04:04Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Tap a line to replay it
Phrase of the scene
pick my brains
to get information from someone's knowledge
伊诺拉质问哥哥来这里，是不是为了从她这里套取破案的想法。
Can I pick your brains about this contract?
Also in this scene
- the choice is yours
you are the one who decides
- nothing is wasted
everything can be put to use eventually
- get involved in something
to take part in or become entangled in something
Everything marked in this scene
22 notes across 67 lines
I have a right to be mad in a place like this.elision
everything can be put to use eventually
Nothing's wasted.I went to the tearooms where Edith threatened me with a teapot.You've become quite the detective, Enola.Perhaps she wants to change the world.Perhaps it's a world that needs changing.need plus gerund
Perhaps it's a world that needs changing.to take part in or become entangled in something
I don't get involved in politics.liaison
I don't get involved in politics.But you found out about the money. You told him.to get information from someone's knowledge
A curiosity. Is that why you're here, to pick my brains?No. Or possibly you're feeling guilty?A bit more complicated than a simple disappearance.How did you know that?relative clause with stranded preposition
I traced your departure to the same station that he left from.purpose clause with in order to
liaison
you are the one who decides
The choice is always yours.Sherlock Visits Enola, explained
What's really going on
The scene is built on the tension between Sherlock's cool logic and the family feeling he rarely shows. Enola has grown used to being treated as a problem to be solved, so when he arrives she cannot simply take his concern at face value: "I m just a case to you aren t I". He answers with the nearest thing to tenderness he can manage: "I m here because I care for you". Around that exchange sit his principles. He admits he does not get involved in politics, yet insists that nothing is wasted, that even a wrong turn adds to the picture. By the end the power is handed back to her — "The choice is always yours" — which is the film's way of letting the younger sibling take the lead.
Theme
Family loveSherlock says he is there because he cares, and finally leaves the choice to his sister.
IdentityEnola resents being treated as a case rather than a person her brother loves.
What you'll learn
- 'in order to' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'dangle your feet' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
Listen for
- handwriting doesn t — elision
- get involved in — liaison
- dangle your feet — liaison
sometimes you must dangle your feet in the water in order to attract the sharksA tactic explained: you sometimes have to show a little weakness on purpose, so that the dangerous people come to you.
The choice is always yoursHis closing line, handing the decision over: whatever happens, the choice belongs to her.
I m just a case to you aren t IEnola's sharp accusation that her brother sees her as a puzzle to solve, not as family.
I m here because I care for youSherlock's plain answer to her doubt: his reason for coming is affection, not curiosity.
Questions about this scene
Why does Sherlock visit Enola?
He says he has come because he cares for her, though Enola suspects he only wants her help. The visit is a rare attempt to mend their relationship.
What does 'pick my brains' mean?
It means to get ideas or information out of someone by asking them questions. Sherlock jokes that Enola may have come to pick his brains.
Why does Enola think she is just a case to him?
Sherlock has always treated mysteries as puzzles to solve, and she fears that to him she is another puzzle rather than a sister he loves. Her accusation is a plea for real affection.
Why does Sherlock leave the decision to Enola?
He respects her independence and refuses to make her choice for her. Saying the choice is always yours hands the power back and closes the visit on a generous note.
Enola Holmes · 12 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 11see right through someoneEnola Sneaks into the Finishing School
Chapter 1one's own companyEnola Confronts Her Brothers
Chapter 2unpickEnola Decodes Her Mother's Message
Chapter 3leave someone strandedEnola Hides on the Train
Chapter 4the game is afootSherlock and Mycroft Argue Over Enola
Chapter 5prepare the groundEnola Bluffs Her Way Into Basilwether
Chapter 6for better or worseA Talk of Power Over Tea
Chapter 7lead someone astrayEnola Meets the Dowager
Chapter 8do funny things to someoneTewkesbury Finds Enola's Hideout
Chapter 9fend for oneselfEnola at Miss Harrison's School
Watching · Chapter 10pick my brainsSherlock Visits Enola
Chapter 11see right through someoneEnola Sneaks into the Finishing School
Chapter 12right a wrongEnola and Tewkesbury Flee the SchoolChapter 10 of 12 · about 7 min to go