Aahana Swrup
Netflix’s German show, ‘Maxton Hall: The World Between Us,’ is a teen romance centering around two drastically different individuals whose fates become inextricably entangled. As a scholarship student from a middle-class family, Ruby Bell remains mindful of the differences between herself and her classmates at the Private School of Maxton Hall. As such, she moves through life without drawing any attention to herself. However, the discovery of a scandalous secret brings the unwanted attention of James Beaufort, the most influential and affluent guy at school.
Thus, Ruby finds herself under James’ scrutiny, much to her displeasure. Yet, despite hailing from entirely separate worlds, the duo find themselves unable to ignore the pull between them. As a result, the tension that lingers between Ruby and James since their first fated meet is bound to compel viewers to grow intrigued by the pair’s will-they-won’t-they relationship. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Ruby and James’ Precarious Path to Romance
At first glance, James and Ruby couldn’t be more different than each other. Ruby projects a picture of calm and cool with a single-minded focus on her academic goal of attending Oxford University. Consequently, she’s a student at the lucrative Maxton Hall, filled with heirs and inheritors of sizable generational fortunes. Amongst her unrelatable peers, Ruby makes her way through high school with her head down, disinterested in attracting attention.
On the other hand, James, a party animal, wears a metaphorical crown as the school’s Lacrosse team captain. Despite being next in line to be the Beaufort CEO, the boy has little to no idea about what he wants from his future and moves through life just the same. Since Ruby and James couldn’t be more different from each other on paper, their paths remain uncrossed. That is, until Ruby’s ill-timed visit to her teacher, Graham Sutton, reveals to her the secret relationship between him and another student, Lydia Beaufort.
As a result, James approaches Ruby to ensure the safety of his sister’s secret. The boy assumes he can buy Ruby’s silence through money or his charm. Nevertheless, Ruby ends up rebutting James’ disrespectful bribes, asserting she doesn’t need any incentives to keep her nose out of Lydia’s personal business. Since James is used to people admiring him for his status, Ruby’s defiance infuriates him, leading him to pull a prank on the term’s welcome party that Ruby organizes as the head of the student’s committee.
The prank has adverse effects on Ruby, who is waiting on an Oxford recommendation letter from the principal. Inversely, the incident also backfires on James, whose involvement in the same is easily discovered. Thus, as punishment, the principal puts Ruby in charge of organizing the upcoming Charity Ball, with the recommendation letter hinging on the party’s success. As for James, he gets taken off the lacrosse team and put on the students committee to make up for his misgivings.
As a result, James and Ruby end up spending a startling amount of time together. Consequently, James begins growing fond of Ruby and takes her on a trip to London, allowing her to use his family’s boutique to pick a Victorian gown for the Charity Ball poster. The day ends up marking a notable time for the two teens, who find themselves growing closer to one another. However, James’ father, Mortimer, interrupts their time together, asserting his disapproval of Ruby due to her social status.
While the incident and James’ unwillingness to defend her initially hurt Ruby, the pair are able to talk it through after the former makes his romantic interest in the latter known. Thus, the two begin circling each other as they attend a party together. The party brings them even closer after an incident compels Ruby to share her past trauma with James. In turn, Ruby helps James realize that he’s unsatisfied because he keeps living by his father’s design.
Therefore, the boy decides to skip a press conference to surprise Ruby at the charity ball. Although the two share a kiss the same night, Mortimer isn’t pleased by his son’s actions and threatens to ruin Ruby’s life unless James takes an exit from it. Consequently, James ends up avoiding Ruby at school, leading to months of estrangement between the pair. Ruby can’t help but feel discarded, her initial hatred for the boy returning. Even so, while she sends back James’ other gifts, she holds on to the sketch he made of her— signaling that she’s not entirely over him.
Ultimately, Oxford brings a revelation for the pair’s relationship. As Oxford applicants, Ruby and James visit the university alongside their classmates, and coincidentally, they receive dorm rooms next to one another. Nonetheless, both remain intent on avoiding the other until James snaps after witnessing Ruby growing close to an Oxford second-year student, Jude. As such, another public argument between James and Ruby follows, which ends with the two fighting outside of their dorms, away from everyone’s eyes.
As passions run high, James and Ruby end up kissing again, revealing their true feelings for each other. Yet, Ruby remains uncertain about James since she still believes his past hurtful words of indifference. For the same reason, James reveals his father’s actions. In the end, Ruby decides she doesn’t care about Mortimer’s threats, and the pair end up hooking up and spending their time in Oxford as a couple.
Although Ruby helps James take the first steps to finding his own truth, the same falls to pieces when they return home. While James was away, his mother passed away after undergoing a heart attack. By deciding against bringing his children home in time to say their goodbyes, Mortimer affirms the wrecked state of their family. For the same reason, James decides against seeking comfort in Ruby. He likely believes he would be too much of a burden on the girl. Therefore, even though James and Ruby end the season establishing the start of their relationship, James’ current predicament threatens to ruin the couple’s chances in the future.
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