Maxton Hall – The World Between Us: Season 1 Episode 1 – Review/ Recap
A working-class girl butting heads with a rich boy – who wants to set a bet that they’ll fall in love?
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Plot Recap
Pulling Yourself Up By The Bootstraps – Ruby, Lin, Ember, Angus
In “Maxton Hall – The World Between Us,” there are those like Ruby, Lin, and the ultra-rich. Lin was one of them, but her family fell from grace, and now she is like Ruby. Maybe not solely at Maxton Hall due to a scholarship, but certainly not having wealth rivaling royal families.
But, focusing on our lead, Ruby, she is one of two sisters in Angus’ household, and Ruby does her best to earn her keep. She works at a café to help pay for her dad’s new special chair so he can go upstairs (he currently uses a wheelchair), and she studies hard to get into an elite school like Oxford. As for her sister, Ember? It seems she wants to get into fashion design and borrows their mom’s clothes to repurpose what was old and make it new.
How The Wealthy Live – Mr. Sutton, Lydia, James
Life is relatively easy for those like James, who is the star lacrosse player, rich via his parents, and considered one of the hottest guys in school. However, life gets complicated with a little sister like Lydia, especially since she invites scandals.
The latest one? She is caught making out with her philosophy professor, Mr. Sutton, by none other than Ruby.
When Worlds Collide – Ruby, James, Lydia, Mr. Sutton, Mr. Lexington, Allistair
Being that Ruby is ambitious, getting a letter of recommendation is on her to-do list, and having a good relationship with Mr. Sutton made him seem like a good choice. However, seeing him with Lydia led Ruby to want someone else’s recommendation, Mr. Lexington, the headmaster.
Regarding him, he’s very particular. Ruby had almost solely focused on her academics, and now she seems to have taken up extracurriculars at school, like the event committee. He outright says he doesn’t know her enough to write anything. But, with the welcome event and one for donors, she has two chances to impress him.
James ruins the first one since he tries to pay Ruby off to protect his sister. However, with her not caring if he gives her ten or twenty thousand for her silence, he moves on to offering sex. When that doesn’t work, he seems ready to ruin her reputation by any means necessary, and in the process of that, he ruins the welcome party.
But, in doing so, he is suspended from lacross and forced to be on the events committee, where Ruby has to keep him in line. Which he makes seem impossible, but with Ruby getting the attention of James’ lacrosse buddy Alistair, maybe she may have an ally who can help?
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- What does Ruby want to do in college?
Cast Guide
| Character’s Name | Actor’s Name |
| Ruby | Harriet Herbig-Matten |
| Lin | Andrea Guo |
| Ember | Runa Greiner |
| Angus | Martin Neuhaus |
| Mr. Sutton | Eidin Jalali |
| Lydia | Sonja Weißer |
| James | Damian Hardung |
| Mr. Lexington | Thomas Douglas |
| Kiernan | Frederic Balonier |
| Allistair | Justus Riesner |
New Character Description(s)
Ruby
The eldest of two, Ruby has studied hard to get into Oxford, the best college for her to transition into the illustrious university, and she also works to help support her household. To say she is doing what she can is an understatement.
Lin
Lin is Ruby’s best friend, who used to be part of a wealthy family like most of those who go to Maxton Hall. But unfortunately, some bad decisions have left her family far from destitute, but certainly not in the income bracket they once were.
Ember
Ember is Ruby’s flirty little sister, who is into fashion and as kind as Ruby is shown to be, as long as you don’t get on her bad side.
Angus
Angus is Ruby and Ember’s father, who, after an accident, now needs to use a wheelchair.
Mr. Sutton
Mr. Sutton is the Maxton Hall philosophy professor.
Lydia
Lydia is James’ little sister who is scandal-prone.
James
James is the star lacrosse player of Maxton Hall, comes from one of the richest families, and is considered the one of the sexiest men around.
Mr. Lexington
Mr. Lexington is the school headmaster at Maxton Hall, who is very particular and not the fuzziest of people.
Kiernan
Kiernan is a member of the event committee, and Lin teases and pushes the idea that he has a crush on Ruby.
Allistair
Alistair is a member of the lacrosse team, with whom James is cool, but he is also aware that he is also his competition.
Review
Highlights
While There Is A Sense Of Predictability, The Players Involved Seem Interesting
From the girl with a scholarship who keeps her head down to the guy who has it all but finds himself trying to throw money at his problems, if you’ve been watching young adult productions for a while, “Maxton Hall – The World Between Us” can come off very familiar. However, while very few stories reinvent the wheel, actors can bring their own spin and make it so, even if you know the end game, you can at least enjoy the journey there.
That might be possible, considering Herbig-Matten has something about her that doesn’t feel like your usual scrappy overachiever type. With her trying to keep her head down enough not to get noticed, yet on paper being one of the top in her class, that is a balance not often exploited.
Now, I will admit, Hardung doesn’t really bring anything unexpected to the table as James and may seem like a dime-a-dozen type, but sometimes a strong lead pushes the others to places we need them to go. So maybe, as the two become frenemies, maybe even date by the end of this season or the unconfirmed next, we’ll get what these two seem to be bound for.
Supporting Characters Who Might Be Of Note
While we didn’t catch everyone’s name, I will admit that certain characters, especially for a six-episode season, have definitely got our attention. Lin, for example, learning what caused her family to lose their wealth is of interest, and how and if that changed her.
Alongside that, learning more about Ruby’s family will be appealing, considering they are loving and Ruby isn’t the usual academic black sheep trying to get away from them fast.
Lastly, there is Alistair, who could be a wildcard. His flirting with Ruby could be meaningless or something for James to worry about. After all, with everyone in their last year at Maxton, it is time to make a statement, and James being suspended means someone needs to step in. And what’s better than watching the rich duel in arenas where their money can only get them so far?
Background Information
| Episode Title | Under The Radar |
| Release Date | May 8, 2024 |
| Network | Prime Video |
| Director(s) | Martin Schreier |
| Writer(s) | Daphne Ferraro |
| Previous Episode | N/A |
| Series Page | Maxton Hall – The World Between Us |
| Character Guide | Maxton Hall – The World Between Us: Character Guide and Noteworthy Information |
