Class is back in session! German teen drama Maxton Hall — The World Between Us‘ first outing captivated so many fans that it became Prime Video’s most-watched international original series in a matter of weeks. Season 1 chronicled a glorious enemies-to-lovers arc when driven scholarship student Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten) clashes with the rich and arrogant James Beaufort (Damian Hardung).
But Maxton Hall‘s premise, which comes from Mona Kasten’s bestselling book trilogy, isn’t the sole reason it earned such a high grade from fans. After all, it only takes a handful of episodes for Ruby and James’ animosity to subside and their tension to turn romantic. As they open up to each other, their intense connection becomes impossible to ignore, even though the odds are stacked against them.
When co-producer and head writer Ceylan Yildirim saw the leads’ chemistry in action for the first time, she knew Maxton Hall had something special on its hands. But even then, she didn’t expect Prime Video to greenlight Season 2 so quickly. “We had to develop the concept and the scripts and get everything production-related up and running in a fraction of the time we had for Season 1,” Yildirim tells TV Insider. “It was crazy and extremely challenging, but also a very exciting process.”
In the second season, which premieres November 7, more obstacles block the path of the young couple’s road to happiness. The biggest one is the fallout from the sudden death of James’ mother at the end of Season 1. In the finale episode, a grieving James goes to Ruby’s house seeking comfort, but he walks away after watching her family through the window.
Prime Video / Stephen Rabold
In that moment, Ruby’s happier than ever. Her goal of attending Oxford University is within reach — and she just got the guy. James rejected his father’s ultimatum and stopped pushing Ruby away, leading to a passionate reunion the night before. “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,” Yildirim says.
James will be on the verge of emotional collapse in Season 2, which Yildirim says is a major focus and gives the story a more “mature” tone. “The experience of loss confronts the characters with substantial questions,” Yildirim adds, “about life and death, about the meaning of love and other interpersonal relationships, and about their own place in life.”
None the wiser about James’ inner turmoil, Ruby is “deeply in love,” according to Herbig-Matten. Until now, Ruby’s never experienced a love like this one. Getting into Oxford has been the most important goal so far, but now she also has an all-consuming romance to contend with. The intensity of Ruby’s feelings, however, also means that James has the capacity to hurt her more than anyone else.
“She has to suffer through her first heartbreak,” Herbig-Matten teases. “She is out of control, neglects school, all really untypical behavior for her. Let’s say, Ruby is a mess in the beginning of Season 2. I personally loved it because it gave her a realness in this world of perfection.”
Ruby tries to fall back into her old life, when she was entirely invisible to the man she fell in love with and his elitist world. However, James doesn’t make it easy for her to fade away in Season 2. He sets his sights on winning Ruby back, but will she open up her heart to him again?
Prime Video
“Ruby is constantly in conflict with herself between loving him and wanting to support him, but also knowing he has to and can only help himself,” Herbig-Matten notes. “She starts setting boundaries. I think that’s an important message, especially for all the young women out there.”
Still, Ruby is still very much in James’ orbit in the next installment. “The second season is about finding out whether a love like this can ever exist in such different worlds,” Yildirim says. “We learn a lot about James’ family dynamics and his toxic influences, and we have to ask ourselves whether this system can even allow for the kind of authentic, pure love that James and Ruby feel for each other.”
An angsty emotional rollercoaster lies ahead, but Yildirim confirms viewers can look forward to the “tried-and-tested formula of love, romance, fun, and passion” that Maxton Hall’s first season delivered.
“I truly hope that we have been able to bring a little spark of hope to a world that currently seems so bleak,” Yildirim says. “It would be my heartfelt wish to encourage people with our story to believe in their dreams and in the wonders of love.”
Maxton Hall — The World Between Us, Season 2 Premiere, Friday, November 7, Prime Video
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