Maxton Hall: The World Between Us Review

Summary

• High school drama meets star-crossed lovers in the sizzling modern romance,
  Maxton Hall: The World Between Us
  .
• Intriguing characters navigate wealth, power, and teenage longing at the wonderful setting of Maxton Hall.
• A dynamic cast, steamy attractions, and a
  Bridgerton
  -esque love story await viewers.

Dangerous attractions, confrontations with wealthy power players, and achy teenage longing are part of the lesson plan in Maxton Hall: The World Between Us, Prime Video’s stellar new private school series based on Mona Kasten’s bestselling novel, Save Me. Toss in a hip-Euro music soundtrack, songs by the likes of Ariana Grande and Billie Eilish, and a scorching teenage love story, and you’ve got the makings of an A+ series that’s destined to satisfy viewers.

Maxton Hall lands high up there, a better-than-average series fueled by its dynamic cast and the exceptional performances of its two leads, Harriet Herbig-Matten (Bibi & Tina: Einfach Anders) and Damian Hardung (How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast). The German series, dubbed in English, unravels an appealing modern love story between Ruby Bell (Herbig-Matten) and James (Hardung). Ruby is smart and comes from a lower-class family, sporty James is spoiled yet bound to his wealthy family, which helms a prominent global business. Star-crossed lovers all around — part Romeo and Juliet by way of Riverdale’s Archie and Veronica — the duo can only fight fate so long before, well, an inevitable bond forms.

Maxton Hall: The World Between Us (2024)

4.5/5

Ruby unwittingly witnesses an explosive secret at the public school Maxton Hall; as a result, the arrogant millionaire heir James Beaufort has to deal with the quick-witted scholarship student for better or worse.

Release Date May 9, 2024

Cast Damian Hardung , Harriet Herbig-Matten , Ben Felipe , Runa Greiner , Fedja van Huet

Seasons 1

Writers Daphne Ferraro

Directors Martin Schreier and Tarek Roehlinger

Pros

• A wonderfully cast, deliciously plotted show.
• Great chemistry and genuine lust abound.
• Short but very sweet.

Rounding out that cast are Sonja Weißer, Ben Felipe (Pagan Peak), Fedja van Huêt (Speak No Evil), Runa Greiner (Suck Me Shakespeer), Justus Riesner (Loving Her), Clelia Sarto (Herzstolpern), Andrea Guo (The Swarm) and Eidin Jalali (The Swarm). Executive producers Markus Brunnemann and Ceylan Yildirim, and directors Tarek Roehlinger and Martin Schreier do wonders with head writer Daphne Ferraro’s adaptation, giving this outing a fine array of characters and, best of all, a sense of purpose.

Big Doses of Steamy Attractions

The pressure is on at Maxton Hall, the exclusive private school around which the series revolves. Several characters take turns narrating the episodes. The character of Ruby becomes a central figure early on. “We all have the power to shape our own destiny,” she tells us in the very first episode, hinting that actually doing that takes a lot of work.

Ruby, vying to get a letter of recommendation from Maxton Hall for Oxford University, is likable, her family even more so. Younger sister Ember (Runa Greiner), a tailor in the making, is one of Ruby’s chief allies, and her mom and dad (Julia-Maria Köhler and Martin Neuhaus) have sacrificed a lot so that Ruby can attend Maxton Hall. There’s a backstory as to why Ruby’s father is bound to a wheelchair, which Ruby can’t quite shake, but the drama unfolding at Maxton Hall suddenly changes her focus.

Prime Video

When Ruby accidentally walks in on wealthy Lydia Beaufort (Weißer) in a place the student should not be, Lydia freaks out. Brother James saunters to the rescue, at first offering Ruby money. Disgusted, she dismisses his wealthy power play, to which James is taken aback. He’s handsome, a celebrated lacrosse player, and he always gets his way. But there’s more than a hint in their initial interaction that suggests these two may create different kinds of sparks.

The series doesn’t overtly dwell on that possibility early on. The goal, at least for Ruby, is to get that letter of recommendation for a chance to get into Oxford. But with every turn, Ruby must overcome obstacles. Her run-ins with arrogant James continue, setting off disastrous ripple effects, which alarms one school official who, as a punishment for their school mishap, pits them together as head of a planning committee for a major event. Ruby can’t escape James now. Enjoy the heated repartee between these two, who seem to be intrigued that they’ve become each other’s nemesis.

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Supporting Cast Get Their Dues

Prime Video

The series effectively rounds out its supporting cast, too. Beyond James’s typical bros, Andrea Guo’s Lin emerges as a reliable side player playing Ruby’s best friend. Teacher Graham Sutton (Eidin Jalali) also figures prominently as the story moves along. You’ll notice a pattern with each episode. Ruby achieves something, then loses her grasp on it, only to backpedal to fix things. Or, for lovers of Riverdale, Gossip Girl, and any Bridgerton outing, the tension between the two leads becomes so smoldering that you’ll have to fan yourself.

In fact, if you cannot get enough of being teased and dragged through the romantic mud with two likable characters you just know will end up in bed with each other, this series serves up the best kind of Bridgerton-like erotica around — from Hardung’s shirtless sculpted torso and abs to the confusing and maddening frustration in Herbig-Matten’s facial expressions. Deep stares across a crowded room while the music swells. Check that off, too.

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At the heart of the show is Ruby, who, of course, has had to work hard for everything, and the series does a great job of showcasing that, but in James, she is given an emotional hurdle she is not fully equipped to easily leap over. She’s smart. But not so much when it comes to her own value or worth.

On the flip side, the series is surprisingly far from being a one-note outing. Daphne Ferraro focuses on the pressures facing James and Lydia and how their steely father informed their decision-making — and their occasional rebellion. Parental relationships are explored, but the surprise twist here is that Maxton Hall also gives us a realistic glimpse at the parents’ and teachers’ perspectives. The result creates a much more well-rounded drama than you would expect. (God, how we love European shows.)

Filled with engaging story twists, sharp editing, and spacious exploration of its characters, everything leads up to events unfolding in the sixth and final episode, which suggests there’s much more story to tell. If the goal was to get Ruby et al to Oxford, then what? There’s a great opportunity to explore the next phase of these characters’ lives. Sign us up. Fresh, frothy, and fiery, Maxton Hall is probably one of the best, smartly written series to come along since Sex Education. Catch Maxton Hall: The World Between Us on Prime Video on May 9. Watch the trailer below.

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