‘Maxton Hall’ Study Session: A Recap of James & Ruby’s Romance Ahead of Season 2
Maxton Hall – The World Between Us Season 1 sees the rich, entitled James (Damian Hardung) and quiet scholarship student Ruby (Harriet Herbig-Matten) go head-to-head. After Ruby discovers that James’s twin sister is having an affair with a teacher, James immediately tries to buy Ruby’s silence. When she turns down his offer and tells James she has no plans to tell anyone, James immediately becomes suspicious and clashes with Ruby at every turn.
Of course, Ruby and James‘ animosity evolves into interest once they get to know each other. But even once they get together, their relationship is far from easy. Season 1 ends on a dramatic, angsty note—so what does that mean for Ruby and James? Are they still together going into Season 2? We have your full refresher below before James and Ruby are delivering some delicious angst in Maxton Hall Season 2.
When do Ruby and James get together in Maxton Hall Season 1?
We’ll give you the Maxton Hall CliffsNotes. It doesn’t take too long for Ruby and James to become friends, especially after James is forced to join Ruby’s gala committee in Episode 2. (As punishment for hijacking the school event she organized in Episode 1.) In Episode 3, they bond when James takes Ruby to one of his family’s fashion archives in London, looking for Victorian-themed outfits to wear in the gala’s promotional poster.
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They get closer during their outing, but nothing happens yet. They have a setback when James’ father arrives and berates not only James but Ruby, too. The latter is offended when James doesn’t defend her, which James later apologizes for. Further in the episode, James and Ruby have fun together at a party, though it ends on a dramatic note: James has to dive into the pool to rescue Ruby, who is tossed in as a prank. She’s afraid of water after her father’s boating accident, which left him paralyzed.
After James takes care of her and drives her home, they realize the depth of their feelings for each other. In Episode 4, they start spending time together at school, which gets the attention of their peers. Ruby and James don’t make anything official at this point, but they do share a romantic kiss at the gala, which is a major a turning point for their relationship. Once again, James’ dad walks in and cuts their moment short. The next episode, James’s dad threatens to ruin Ruby’s life if James doesn’t end things, so James pulls away from her without explanation.
Are Ruby and James still together at the end of Season 1?
Technically, yes. James and Ruby decide to be together earlier in Episode 6. During their Oxford interviews, James gets jealous when a student gives Ruby attention. It manifests in front of their fellow students during a question session, which prompts Ruby to call James a coward in front of everyone. She adds that James just like his father, for good measure. James follows Ruby as she escapes to her dorm, and she demands to know why he pushed her away with no explanation.
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Once James admits that he wants her — but he still doesn’t mention his father’s threat — they kiss. Just as they’re about to take their relationship to the next level, Ruby hesitates, remembering James’ awful treatment of her. James notices, and finally, he tells Ruby the truth and apologizes. Assuring him that she’s unafraid of the consequences of being together, they sleep together.
The next day, Ruby encourages James to go against his father and find out what he wants for his life. James decides to cancel his remaining Oxford interviews and tell his parents how he feels, which leads directly into Season 1’s tragic ending.
How did Maxton Hall Season 1 end?
Maxton Hall Season 1 ends differently than the book it’s based on, Save Me by Mona Kasten. In the Episode 6, James finds out that his mother died of a stroke — and that his father didn’t immediately tell him. Upon learning the news, James strikes his father and leaves his house. Overwhelmed by grief, James heads to Ruby’s house, only to spy a happy scene unfolding through her window. Ruby, closer than ever to achieving her dream of going to Oxford, is joyful as she spends time her family.
James decides to not make his presence known and walks away. “While Ruby seems to have found happiness, a dark abyss opens up for James, into which he does not want to drag her under any circumstances,” the show’s producer and head writer Ceylan Yildrim told Swooon. “For us, this moment was the strongest beat in the narrative, leaving no sense of destruction for the lovers, but rather raising questions about how they will face this stroke of fate. In the spirit of love and hope, we wanted to leave it at that.”
Yildrim told us that “while James’ emotional collapse at the end of the first novel, Save Me, still plays a significant role [in Season 1’s ending], we decided to focus on this theme in the second season and pick up exactly where we left off.” It sounds like Maxton fans are in for an angsty ride.
Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, Season 2, Episodes 1-3, November 7, Prime Video
Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, Season 2, Episode 4, November 14, Prime Video
Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, Season 2, Episode 5, November 21, Prime Video
Maxton Hall – The World Between Us, Season 2, Episode 6, November 28, Prime Video
