Summary
The new German TV show,Maxton Hall: The World Between Us, has made waves in the romance community, and this is thanks to the changes it makes to the original book. While the novelSave Me, by Mona Kasten, isn’t enormously different from the series, there are enough alterations to be noticeable for fans of the books.Kasten wrote a trilogy that includesSave Me,Save You, andSave Us,which bodes well for future renewals and multiple seasons ofMaxton Hall. After the intense cliffhanger ending, audiences can’t wait for more.
Even though they both attend the elite school, Maxton Hall, Ruby is there on a scholarship with dreams of attending Oxford, while James' family is one of the most wealthy and influential in the country.
Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten) and James Beaufort (Damian Hardung) are part of theMaxton Hallcast and characters. They’re the protagonists and the central romantic couple. As the show’s title suggests,Ruby and James couldn’t be from more different worlds.Even though they both attend the elite school, Maxton Hall, Ruby is there on a scholarship with dreams of attending Oxford, while James' family is one of the most wealthy and influential in the country. This juxtaposition between their families and social standing causes friction between them. However, they soon realize they have more in common than they dreamed.
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10The Halloween Party From The Book Is Cut
One of the biggest ways that Ruby and James are brought together in both the show and the book is through the headmaster, Mr. Lexington, having them work on an event together.After James ruins Ruby’s party, which was supposed to impress Mr. Lexington, they’re tasked with working togetherso Ruby can get a recommendation letter to Oxford and James can play on the lacrosse team. Although they are put in the awkward position of collaborating regardless, the party they have to organize is different.
James and Ruby still get to dress up and feel their connection grow stronger, but it’s not as pivotal that the party revolves around Halloween.
While James and Ruby must put together a gala for the school’s donors in the show, it’s a Halloween-themed party in the book. James and Ruby still get to dress up and feel their connection grow stronger, but it’s not as pivotal that the party revolves around Halloween. Halloween isn’t as big a deal in Europe as it is in the U.S., so it makes sense that the school wouldn’t be as concerned with the holiday. Additionally,the fact that the night has to go smoothly for the donor fits in better with the overall themes of classand wealth.
9The Show Elevates The Reveal Of The Initials
It’s a bigger moment for the development of Ruby and James' relationship.
Like most romance novels,the relationship portrayed at the center ofSave Meisn’t always the most healthy or realistic.As it’s fictional and rooted in fantasy, this isn’t a bad thing, but it’s important to keep in mind when adapting romance books for the screen. How the relationships are represented has an impact on the viewers, especially if they’re at an impressionable age. Though James and Ruby grow to respect and trust each other, their initial interactions are extremely combative, and James does everything he can to sabotage Ruby’s life.
Whileenemies-to-lovers rom-com moviesand TV shows are enormously popular, the loving and positive side of the relationships must be shown as well. This is something theMaxton Hallseries does well, as showcased in the increased importance of the initials.At first, James doesn’t even bother to learn Ruby’s name, even calling her Robin on purpose. However, as they grow closer, the pair bond over discovering the other’s middle name through the use of their initials. When James calls Ruby by her full name, it’s clear they’ve crossed into romantic territory they can’t come back from.
8The Show Adds James' Drawing Ability To His Character
Giving him depth and vulnerability that Ruby and the audience are drawn to.
Besides feeling out of place and isolated, it’s sometimes difficult to glean what they have in common in the novel.
Though it’s only a small addition to his characterization, James' interest and talent for drawing is an intriguing aspect of the show. In the book, one of his biggest interests that doesn’t solely revolve around the Beaufort name is lacrosse, but this doesn’t do much to connect him to Ruby. Besides feeling out of place and isolated, it’s sometimes difficult to glean what they have in common in the novel. While Ruby doesn’t draw,she’s taken aback by James' ability and warms up to him when she sees that there’s more to him than she thought.
Their relationship and budding romance is easily the most compelling part of the story, but it only works because they’re each strong characters alone. Ruby has the untamed desire to go to Oxford and a deep love for her family.James initially seems like a spoiled kid who wants to shirk his responsibilities,but additions like the sketching give him a necessary depth. If there are more seasons ofMaxton Hall, seeing James commit himself to drawing and more of his passions would be amazing.
7The Show Tones Down James' Partying
While he’s still hedonistic, the series opts to focus on other aspects of his personality.
Partying, drinking, and doing drugs are all characteristics that audiences associate with teenagers when they’re struggling to find themselves and are trying to mask deeper issues. This is the case with James and many of his friends, who turn to these outlets to avoid the immense pressure placed on them by their parents.Ruby has no interest in partying, only attending one of James' friend’s events at his behestand then having a terrible time. Other than this party and a few at the beginning, the audience only sees James when he’s growing as a person alongside Ruby.
Decentering James' partying also comes into play at the end of the season,when he makes a pivotal choice about his future. How this change will impact the story from the other books remains to be seen, but it’s a relatable and refreshing change. Teen television has leaned into depictions of partying and intense substance abuse, and whileMaxton Halldoesn’t pretend this isn’t happening, it chooses to focus on interpersonal relationships even more.
6Ruby Is Accepted By James' Friends More Quickly In The Show
A few of them are ready and willing to see her as an important part of James' life.
Most of the conflicts that keep Ruby and James apart throughout the book and show come down to misunderstandings and the fact that they come from different backgrounds. When people start taking notice that they’re spending more time together, at first, it’s Ruby who pulls away because she doesn’t want to deal with the attention of James' friends and receive backlash over their potential romantic involvement. Despite James' efforts to bring them closer, she tries to keep her distance because she wants to focus on her goal of going to Oxford and doesn’t want to be associated with James' behavior.
Though she still faces harsh words and unwanted invasions of her privacy, it’s not as terrible as in the novel.
However, in the book, his friends are an even bigger reason for this, as they treat Ruby terribly. Though she still faces harsh words and unwanted invasions of her privacy, it’s not as terrible as in the novel.The worst of it, in both the book and show, is when she goes to the party with James,and someone pushes her into the pool. However, this ultimately brings James and Ruby closer than ever because he saves her after she freezes up and can’t pull herself out because of a traumatic event in her past.
5Alistair & Ruby Show Relationship Is More Positive
Alistair isn’t out to get Ruby and is much more interested in supporting James.
Alistair (Justus Riesner) is one of James' best friends and an amazing character in the series. He’s openly gay and has a relationship with one of the other students in school, which serves as a positive representation for viewers. However, there’s much more to his character than his sexuality. The series does a great job exploring the friendly and supportive sides of his friendship with Ruby. In the book, Alistair threatens Ruby when she catches him in a compromising positionand doesn’t come around to her relationship with James for a long time.
This dynamic between Ruby and Alistair is markedly different in the show, as he’s one of Ruby’s only allies among James' group. Though Alistair also comes from a family of wealth and privilege, he loves James enough to see past the material things that separate him from Ruby and understand what brings them together.He’s continually friendly and kind to Ruby throughout,even when she and James are on the outs. It’s nice to see Ruby less alone in the series than she is in the book.
4The Show Makes James' Father’s Abuse Less Prominent
While he’s still controlling and physically intimidating, it’s not explored as fully.
He tries to ensure that James will take on his role in the family and their business affairs by orchestrating every aspect of his life.
Mortimer Beaufort (Fedja van Huêt) is one of the biggest villains inMaxton Hall, as he treats his family terribly and comes between Ruby and James time and again. He tries to ensure that James will take on his role in the family and their business affairs by orchestrating every aspect of his life. This includes his romantic relationships, as when Mortimer catches James and Ruby together,he threatens to ruin Ruby’s life if James doesn’t stay away from her.Additionally, the audience sees Mortimer physically hurt James in an emotionally harrowing scene.
The book implies that this physical abuse is recurring and something that James has faced his whole life. Conversely,the show doesn’t delve as deeply into this part of James' relationship with his father.However, Ruby and James are one of thebest opposites-attract couples in TV shows, and this is seen through Ruby’s unwavering support and care for James when she learns of his situation. As their relationship progresses and Ruby learns more about James' life, she’ll likely be a constant source of comfort from his family situation.
3The Show Sees Ruby’s Actions More Impacted By Her Accident
Her near-death experience as a child is brought to the forefront.
When Ruby is thrown into the pool at James' friend’s party, the reason that she can’t get herself out of the water is the accident she suffered as a child. She was in the water and began to drown, only to be saved by her father. However, this permanently injures him, which is a factor that Ruby carries with her.Getting pushed into the pool immediately brings back these memories and makes Ruby even more vulnerablein front of a group of people she previously tried to keep at arm’s length.
The book includes this as well, but it doesn’t go into as much detail or focus on the implications of the accident on Ruby’s family dynamic. Her financial situation is frequently discussed in the book and show, but the show seamlessly connects the result of her father’s injury with money being tight.That fateful day hangs over every scene with Ruby and her family,demonstrating their resiliency and how much they’ve gone through as a unit.
2Lydia’s Past Is Uncertain In The Show
The events that led her to be with Mr. Sutton aren’t as well explained.
James' sister, Lydia (Sonja Weißer), is one of the most troubled characters in the series, and while she’s given more time in the show, significant parts of her backstory are omitted. It’s assumed that she had a similar upbringing to James and that her parents were both absent and controlling. Additionally,in the show, the viewer sees how much she wants to be taken seriously, but how her father only wants to pass the family legacy on to James.All of these elements are part of why she sought out a connection with her teacher, Mr. Sutton (Eidin Jalali).
The relationship between Lydia and Mr. Sutton is one of the hardest parts of both the book and show for audiences to grapple with, as it’s between a student and a teacher.
The relationship between Lydia and Mr. Sutton is one of the hardest parts of both the book and show for audiences to grapple with, as it’s between a student and a teacher.Learning about Lydia’s difficult relationship with her ex-boyfriend in the book provided some contextas to why Lydia would be drawn to someone like Mr. Sutton. The fact that she decides to keep his baby at the end of season 1 means that he’ll be a part of her life moving forward in the series.
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1James Doesn’t Revert To His Old Ways At The End Of The Show
Maxton Hall: The World Between Usstill ends on a note of uncertainty, but it doesn’t undo James' development as intensely as in the book. When James discovers that his mother has died, it’s a terrible moment, and it sends him running to Ruby for comfort in the show. This makes sense, astheir trip to Oxford bonded them together, but he shies away when he sees her happy with her family in their home.Ruby’s stable home life is a reminder of how James never had that, even when his mother was alive.
Audiences might not know where James heads after leaving Ruby’s house, but in the book, the outcome is tragic.In his grief, he kisses someone else and goes right back to partyingdespite the moments he shared with Ruby in Oxford. Hopefully, season 2 will also opt out of this plot point and see Ruby and James getting back on track. However, the fate of their relationship and where the show will take it remains a mystery.
Maxton Hall: The World Between Us
Cast
Maxton Hall: The World Between Us is a TV series that explores the complexities of human relationships and the blurred lines between reality and fantasy. The show follows a diverse cast of characters as they navigate the intricate web of their interconnected lives, uncovering secrets and lies that threaten to upend their worlds. As the characters' paths converge, they must confront their deepest fears and desires in a world where the boundaries between truth and fiction are constantly shifting.
