So first things first, romantic TV shows haven’t really worked since shows like Modern Love and Normal People stopped airing. That somewhat changes Prime Video’s new romcom, Maxton Hall. The heir of one of the richest business families in England, James Beaufort, is everything one expects a spoiled brat to be. Adding to his good luck and fortune are his freakishly good looks; he’s a force to be reckoned with in his school. He’s also the headliner of his family’s latest fashion line, Young Beaufort, and his life seems pretty seamless until he finds what he truly craves for himself.Â
Spoilers Ahead
How does James meet Ruby?
James’ sister Lydia asks for his help when Ruby walks in on her making out with a teacher, Mr. Sutton. James immediately reaches out to Ruby and tries to bribe her with cash. Ruby belongs to a modest family with poor financial status, but she refuses to take James’ money in exchange for her dignity. James goes one step further and tries to throw his body at her, and Ruby respectfully denies his offer of prostituting himself. Ruby’s rejection of him hurts his ego, and he declares war on her, despite her silence over what she witnessed. The king of the lacrosse field humiliates her in front of a crowd when he sees Ruby chatting with one of his teammates.
Why are James and Ruby forced to work with one another?
Ruby is the head of the events committee at Maxton Hall, and she wants a letter of recommendation for Oxford from Principal Lexington. She must organize the welcome party for freshmen in a smooth manner to achieve this, but James had other plans in mind. James pays off the DJ and invites strippers to the welcome party, sullying the reputation of Ruby and Maxton Hall. Principal Lexington punishes both of them; he asks Ruby to wait for her letter, suspends James from the lacrosse team, and makes him join the events committee. James immediately hogs all the spotlight when he joins the committee meeting for an upcoming fundraiser gala and suggests the theme be of the Victorian Era.
Why does James fall for Ruby?
Ruby gets back at James in an Oxford prep course and bashes him for being too full of himself in front of the entire class. James leaves the course because someone, for the first time in his life, has hurt his little manly ego. Ruby feels bad about it and apologizes to him the next day, and that’s when James sees the beauty she is. He starts texting her, and Ruby reciprocates. Suddenly, he finds himself sketching her face and asks her if she wants to go to London to check out the Victorian dresses from his company’s archives. James is nervous, and that nervousness turns into sheer awe when Ruby tries on one of the dresses and walks down the stairs. The beginning of their romance is in full flow, and that’s when Daddy Beaufort arrives at the store. He insults Ruby and humiliates James in front of her, and Ruby returns home heartbroken by what happened.
Why is James scared of his father?
Mortimer Beaufort, James’ father, is an intimidating figure, and he wants James to carry the company forward. James is not interested in that, but he has no other choice but to obey. His sister Lydia is the one who came up with the idea of Young Beaufort, but Mortimer’s resentment towards her makes him dump the responsibility on his son. James’ wishes have always been suppressed by Daddy Beaufort (it’s weird to call someone Mortimer, excuse me). Daddy Beaufort wants James to be the perfect man who’ll lead the company someday, and his plans for him directly contradict what James wants for himself.
How Do James And Ruby Fall In Love?
James reassures Ruby that he doesn’t want things to go back to how they were between them. He invites her to Cyril’s party, and he absolutely ignores Elaine, another rich girl who’s after him, when he sees Ruby walking in. James and Ruby dance together, and the tension between them hits the roof. Elaine decides to spill a drink on Ruby. James decides to take Ruby out of the party, and Cyril pranks her and throws her in the pool. Seeing that she’s not coming out, James jumps in to save her. On the way back, James comforts her and gets her home. Their feelings for each other now become obvious, and they flirt on text the next day. James pulls out his ultimate rebellious move when he ditches the launch of Young Beaufort to attend the gala with Ruby. Ruby and him find an excuse to be alone when the power goes out, and they go to fix the fuse. They finally get to express their love for each other and indulge in a passionate kiss while both of them are blushing red. The perfect moment is perfectly ruined when the enemy of love, Daddy Beaufort, shows up while their lips are still on each other.
Why does James turn cold toward Ruby?
Daddy Beaufort makes it clear that he wouldn’t tolerate James dating a gold digger. When James retaliates, he punches him, and he crashes to the ground. Daddy Beaufort threatens to make sure that Ruby’s scholarship will be gone and her family will need to look for social housing if he doesn’t leave her. The next day, James goes back to being the person he was before he fell in love, and he completely ignores her when he sees her. Ruby confronts him about it, and James reminds her of the class divide that separates them and how they never could be together. James is actually heartbroken, and he can only communicate his pain to Lydia, who’s going through something horrifying herself, thanks to Daddy Beaufort.
Does James get back with Ruby?
James makes it clear to his mother that he doesn’t want the life she and her husband had. He doesn’t want to follow in their footsteps and wants to find himself, but his mother doesn’t say anything that approves of his feelings. He promises her he’ll be obedient and become the perfect Beaufort clone, as he’s supposed to be. He soon leaves for the interview at Oxford University, where he sees Ruby again. He doesn’t talk with her the first day but fails to hold himself back when he sees an Oxford guy trying to woo her. Ruby lashes out at him for insulting someone for no reason and leaves the room. James follows her to the dorm and tells her everything that’s happened to him. Ruby tells him that she’s not afraid of his father, and the couple makes love for the first time. James is ecstatic that he finally got Ruby all for himself, and he tells her that even though he doesn’t have a traditional goal set for himself, he has dreams he wants to pursue. James decides not to give the final interview and breaks out of the shell. Ruby leaves Oxford happy, while James comes back to his house to find that his mother is dead.
What happens to James in the end?
James attacks Daddy Beaufort when he justifies not telling him or Lydia anything because they were busy with the interviews. Percy, his driver, pulls him off his father, and James blames him too for not telling him the truth. A man who always wanted to separate himself from the heavy family name he carried, James finds himself wondering where he stands now. He remembers his mother standing on the porch the day he left for Oxford, and he didn’t even talk with her. He goes to Ruby’s house to see the family spending an absolute happy moment together and leaves without knocking on the door. The cliffhanger this show ends with suggests that there’s a second season coming, and it’d be interesting to see what choices James makes for himself. Stuck with his abusive, narcissistic father and a pregnant sister, how he manages to maintain his newfound love for Ruby is going to be dramatic, if not anything else. Overall, it’s a rich guy who has a heart for change, and that’s something to always be appreciative of.
