Maxton Hall: The World Between Us – Season 1 Episode 2 Recap & Review

Noblesse Oblige

Maxton Hall: The World Between Us episode 2 starts with a flashback of a young James playing Chess with his father. According to Mortimer, James should always annihilate the enemy and make them think they have only one choice. From an early age, Mortimer taught James that to win, you must dominate and force your enemy to surrender.

Presently, James gets ready for school and assumes that the Dean’s Lacrosse ban was merely a suggestion. He argues that his dad is basically bankrolling the team, and they can’t kick him out. He is surprised to learn that the order came directly from his dad, and he will have to attend the party planning committee. He vows to speak to his dad and get back at Ruby, but Lydia warns him not to provoke Ruby any further.

On the first day, James manages to get under Ruby’s skin by suggesting a better idea and forcing the committee to pivot to the new plan with the party coming up in a few days. James convinces them to switch from a black-and-white theme to a Victorian theme. The two bicker back and forth, but after voting, Ruby loses.

With the new changes, Ruby struggles to come up with the right poster for the new theme. Lin asks her to talk to James and convince him to allow them to take a picture of the Beaufort luxurious collection. However, James refuses to help, further annoying Ruby. With no options, Ruby turns to her sister Ember to quickly design a dress for her. The two pull an all-nighter, but Ruby accidentally burns the dress while ironing it. She got distracted bickering with James on the committee group chat.

On the other hand, James tries to talk to his dad about Lacrosse, but his dad insists that he must learn the consequences of his actions. Mortimer asks James to focus on the business and the upcoming reception to introduce their new collection. The reception goes well, and James is officially named the face of the collection. 

As the days pass, Ruby stresses out about the poster and tries to devise a new plan. She gets into it with James during a class debate. She spares him no mercy and personally attacks him. She tells him that he is nothing but a privileged boy riding on his family’s name, and that strikes a chord with James. He abruptly leaves the class, and Ruby is remorseful. After class, Lydia meets with Sutton in a café, and they agree it is best if they break up. Sutton is worried that Lydia will lose her chances to make things right with her dad if they continue to date. He says that he wants her to live to her full potential, and Lydia is hurt that they have to end things. 

Meanwhile, James and his friends throw a party. Alistair talks tries to talk to James about Ruby’s words but the former refuses to discuss it. During the weekend, Ruby talks with her dad, and he tells her to apologise if she is worried she hurt someone. Ruby takes his advice and meets with James. She apologises to him and admits his party idea was the best. He asks about the poster, and she tells him the gown burned down—the two seemingly call for a truce, and things quiet down.

James spends the weekend thinking of Ruby and drawing a portrait of her face. He also meets with investors as ordered by his dad. Mortimer is interested in getting Mr Ellington to finance their new collection. He tries to hook James up with Elaine (Ellington’s daughter, who has a crush on James). After the meeting, James texts Ruby and informs her that he is on his way to pick her up. He has changed his mind and will allow her to use one of the dresses in the Beaufort vault for the posters.

The Episode Review

James has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders. His parents have high expectations of him, and he is struggling to live up to them. This is probably why Ruby’s words hit him hard. She point-blank hit him on his weak spot. James is afraid that he is nothing without his family and thinks people only tolerate him because of his wealthy, influential family. It must have hurt to hear Ruby bear his soul publicly like that. However, Ruby is a better person than most of us because she feels remorse and apologises.

Given some of the things James has dared to say to her face, she could have been given a pass. The two are now in a truce and actively working to make the donation gala a success. We can’t wait to see the new dynamics of their relationship through this process. It is clear that James can no longer hide that he likes her.

On the other hand, we feel for Sutton and Lydia. Their relationship is out of order, considering he is her teacher, but it still doesn’t change the fact that feelings got hurt and hearts were broken. Hopefully, they will stop dating for good.