The German Prime TV book adaptation show (yes, it’s a mouthful to say) Maxton Hall has finally returned to our screens for its second season, and I’ve got to admit watching that one scene where Ruby gets mad at James had my trust restored in teen dramas. To be honest, the first season had me thinking, why the heck does another enemies-to-lovers TV show need to be made when we have too many already? But this season is already proving to be slightly different, and the end of the second episode has me a little bit excited because it finally looks like it’s going in the right direction. It wouldn’t make sense for Ruby to forgive James so easily, after everything he put her through, and in all honesty, the first episode had me thinking this is going to be yet another annoying story where the girl gets taken for a ride, but I’m happy to be proven wrong. With that said, though, let’s jump straight into episodes 1 and 2 of Maxton Hall season 2.
Spoiler Alert
Why Does James Mistreat Ruby?
To be honest, I don’t know, because there was no reason for this man to go overboard and break her heart like that. Anyway, episode 1 begins with a lovey-dovey sequence of the couple, all happy, just before James learned of his mother’s death. Just before that, we see a picture of James and Ruby in bed on a phone screen that’s fully cracked, indicating an accident, but we’ll have to wait till the end of the episode to find out what happened there. In the present day, Ruby’s all smiley because she’s actually excited to get back to school. Now that the duo is together, everyone has their eyes on Ruby, who is living her dream life in every way possible. Now, the principal calls Ruby into his office and tells her that Alice Campbell is looking for someone to organize a fundraiser for her. Ruby’s delighted to help out. At the moment, she’s so happy that she’ll say yes to anything, even if it means too much work for her. I don’t know how they can expect a school kid to be able to handle an actual adult fundraiser, but she has 2 days to come up with the theme and plan before it’s decided if she gets to do it officially or not. Oh, and this is all because of the success of the Victorian gala.
The day goes by, and both Lydia and James are missing at school, which is quite suspicious, and Ruby asks Alistair, James’ bestie, if she’s heard from him. Alistair’s got no news either, and everyone’s a bit worried. But back at the Beaufort household, things are not looking up, because nobody should find out what’s happened to Mother Beaufort, or their stock price will plummet. This means James and Lydia can’t tell anyone what’s happened or grieve until a week’s passed.
James ends up going to a party and acting like a madman, which honestly no one is going to forgive. This is not grieving, sorry. Soon enough, all the friends gather, Ruby included, and what she sees shakes her to her core, because it’s James cheating on her without a second’s thought. Why are you watching them kiss in the pool, though? She shouldn’t be able to see that. Anyway, this leads Ruby to get out of there immediately, heartbroken and completely off the “I love James” wagon.
But soon enough, she realizes she has so much work left to do that she can’t just lie around and feel all sad about a broken relationship, all while James kind of regrets what he’s done. However, Lydia gets in trouble for James’ misgivings, which is obviously very unfair. It’s finally the day they announce their mother is dead, and it’s quite unfortunate that he doesn’t for a second realize Lydia’s grieving too. Also, does anybody else feel like the new consultant, Julia, might be a problem here? Tell us in the comments. When Ruby finds out what’s happened, she rushes to the Beaufort household (Lin’s the one who brings her there), and for some time she’s really there for James. This scene is very heartfelt for sure, but when she sees the picture of James and the other girl on his phone, she realizes what he did to her and leaves abruptly. Also, is she wearing this gray outfit specifically because we need to remember she’s different from everyone else? It was just after a funeral, though? Also, I guess this is the first time we see James’ father actually treat him like a son, but he’s just doing it to set James straight for whatever’s coming next. Anyway, in the stress of all this, Ruby hasn’t decided on a theme until she decides to use James and Lydia’s grief as inspiration (not in a bad way) and calls it “Fragile Hearts.”
At the end of episode 1, Ophelia, James and Lydia’s aunt, shows up out of the blue, and it looks like she and Mortimer (their dad) don’t get along at all. While the man argues she abandoned her sister, the woman says it was he who threw her out, all while the kids tell their dad to stop making a scene at their mother’s funeral. Looking for anything that’ll connect him to his mum, James is curious about Ophelia. He’s about to follow her out, but his dad happens to call him a disappointment right then, like his mother used to say, making him furious, and he drives off rashly in a random car. Lydia tries to get Percy to stop him, but it’s too late by the time the older driver even gets to where Lydia is. James tries to call Ruby, and when she doesn’t pick up because she’s working on her fundraiser plan, he zooms with the car, trying to overtake Ophelia, leading to an accident. He crashes, and the car topples over.
Is James Going To Be Okay?
Episode 2 of Maxton Hall season 2 begins with James dreaming about his mom while he’s being taken to the hospital by his aunt (did we really need a glimpse of his abs? I guess so). Turns out he’s doing completely fine, because his mum was probably protecting him from the heavens, but of course, he needs rest. Lydia takes this opportunity to ask her father to let her help out while James is recovering. She makes a promise to him because she knows the company like the back of her hand. In the meantime, Campbell liked Ruby’s idea, which means she can go ahead with the plan, but they recommended that the gala happen in their school, which would need 40,000 pounds in funding for it to work.
When James gets discharged, we see him leave behind the card of the psychiatrist the doctor recommended to him, but it comes in handy later. At the same time, Ruby’s sister, Emma, invites Lydia and Lin over for a fun slumber party to help Ruby get over her heartbreak. Lin tells them about how her mom and she have a ritual of putting out messages on lanterns into the sky so their wishes can come true. Ruby writes, “Goodbye, James, forever,” but will it really come true? Maybe we can justify it as a goodbye to this version of James, eh?
What Happens to Lydia?
Back in school, James returns as someone who is quiet and wants to help. Now, Lin’s mum has artist friends who can donate to the fundraiser, but they need to gather money as soon as possible, or it’ll be hell for Ruby. James decides to ditch the lacrosse team for this because he’s desperate to be with Ruby again, but will it really work? I don’t think so. On the other hand, Lydia asks Ruby if she knows of any gynecologists, and Ruby takes her to the place where she was born. Lydia learns that she’s got twins on the way, making it even clearer that she wants to keep these babies. But she’s clearly stressed out, which is probably why she was cramping in the first place. But while this is happening, a board meeting is called, and Lydia’s dad can’t reach her, so he forces James to show up, something that gets James very mad.
When Lydia comes home, he acts up and yells at her. She reminds him that he’s not the only one suffering, and that she was with Ruby. This makes him even more frustrated, so he goes for the liquor cabinet, but Lydia tries to stop him. He pushes her away, making her drop the desserts she got from Ruby’s mother’s bakery. This is when he finds out Lydia’s pregnant, and he’s delighted, apologizing for being so reckless. Twins and more twins, eh?
Ruby finds out that she got into Oxford, while James finds out he can give the interviews again because of the death of his mother. This is all too overwhelming for him, so he goes to find Ruby, who is celebrating with her family. She talks about how she doesn’t have a scholarship yet, but her mom’s going to work double shifts to make sure they can sustain this. The bakery will be theirs again at some point in the future. When James shows up, Ruby tells him he can’t just do that anymore and that he completely ruined her by breaking her heart like that. He says he needs her, and she says she can’t be the one to solve his problems anymore (dang, girl! Get it). When James is in the car with Percy, he finds the card of the psychiatrist in his bag and pulls it out. Hopefully, he’ll get the therapy he needs.
At school, Ruby’s all sad because they don’t have enough money for the fundraiser, but James gives Kieran (looks like they’re kind of friends now) a piece of paper with names and offers. Turns out a bunch of other people are willing to fund the gala, and the total comes to 39,900. So the headmaster himself offers to pay up the remaining amount.
At the end of Maxton Hall episode 2, Ruby has to pick up a photobooth, but it’s too heavy for her alone. This is when she sees that only James is left in the room. Also, why did the tone of the show suddenly turn comedic (what?). Anyway, they spend some time in Ruby’s car until they get to the workshop. The janitor there talks about how Campbell changed his life for good. He asks why the photobooth is so important, and Ruby talks about how it could be an icebreaker for people who don’t necessarily like each other and goes in to try it out. This is when the guy asks if she should try it with two people and sends James in. When the picture is about to be taken, they look at each other intensely, ready to kiss. Guess confined spaces solve all sorts of problems, eh? Even romantic ones.
