Everybody loves a good romance film, even the ones that proclaim the romance genre a ‘sub-genre’ (which it totally is not), people just can’t help but love a well-written love story. Maybe there’s a part in all of us that yearns for that spark that finds itself stuck between two people who just can’t seem to stay away from one another.
When watching Maxton Hall: The World Between Us, one can instantly see that spark. Maxton Hall, a German TV show, debuted its first season earlier last month. The show is based on the book trilogy, Save Me by Mona Kasten, and follows the two main protagonists, Ruby Bell and James Beaufort. Bell, a scholarship student attending the prestigious college of Maxton Hall, and Beaufort, an heir to a million-dollar company who attends the school with his sister, Lydia.
The main conflict that unites these two characters begins as follows; Ruby, who’s dream of attending Oxford rides on whether her recommendation letter is good enough, walks in on a teacher, Mr. Sutton, in a compromising position with Lydia Beaufort. Lydia is terrified of Ruby telling the British press, as the Beaufort’s don’t exactly fly under the radar, so she confides in James to do something about it. James confronts Ruby and tries to pay her off, but Ruby refuses. In retaliation, James ruins the donor gala Ruby and the student committee presented, resulting in Ruby losing her chance at a recommendation letter from the headmaster. James also gets kicked off the lacrosse team and is forced into helping plan the next donor gala after someone comes forward with proof of him planning the prank.
From that point on, the audience is hooked onto what could be described as an eventful few months. Love, anger, family pressure, and the class difference between their two lives threatens to tear them both apart, and by all accounts it should. However, the spark between the two of them means that they just can’t seem to stay away from one another.
The season finale ends with James deciding to stay away from Ruby when he, arguably, needs her the most. James comes to a sort of realization that Ruby is happy, and with the threats from his father, he understands that this love affair is bigger than just him and Ruby. He walks away from Ruby’s house, and the final scene cuts out.
While this is only the first season of the book adaptation, it has been renewed and season two is currently underway with filming. To watch the first season, Amazon Prime Video hosts the show. It’s filled with drama, suspense, tension, and a love story dramatic enough to fulfill any hopeless romantic’s beating heart.
