Fix: Private School, Rich/Poor Romance, Forced Proximity, Enemies to Lovers, Perplexing Production Choices, Great Uniforms
Platform: Prime Video
Prime Video Summary:
When Ruby unwillingly witnesses an explosive secret at Maxton Hall Private School, arrogant millionaire heir James Beaufort is forced to confront the quick-witted scholarship student, much to his chagrin: He is determined to silence Ruby. Their passionate exchange of blows surprisingly ignites a spark…
FYA Summary:
Despite attending the same school with very small class sizes for presumably years, star student Ruby Bell and golden boy James Beaufort have somehow never crossed paths — UNTIL NOW. Because James is now determined to destroy Ruby For Reasons*. But, of course, the more they keep conveniently crossing paths, the less he wants to crush her… and the more they start crushing on each other. (Yes, I’m a regular Carrie Bradshaw with the blatant word play.)
* Which are revealed within the first few minutes, so I’m the one being cryptic and not the show.
Gossip Girl is an obvious comp for the rich kids in private school aspect (esp. since this is also an adaptation, of Save Me by Mona Kasten), although not quite at that level of scandal and dramz, and thankfully Ruby is way more tolerable than Dan Humphrey as the Lone Normal. Funnily enough, it does have a teenage titan of industry subplot, because who needs education or experience to do business when you have generational wealth!
Familiar Faces:
Harriet Herbig-Matten as Ruby Bell and Damian Hardung as James Beaufort
Smart outsider Ruby is as tightly wound as her signature top bun. She can be a bit intense, but is usually more endearing than annoying, esp. when she’s with her family.
Obnoxious rich kid James has perfect floppy heartthrob hair. He’s supposed to be a player on and off the lacrosse field, but as is the case with love interests whom you’re supposed to like, most of the philandering predates the story. (Not that I need proof, but writers do tend to not show and only tell in these circumstances.)
Couch-Sharing Capability: Medium
I binged this in less than ideal couch-sharing circumstances (i.e., starting at 10pm on a weeknight), but there’s plenty to dish about with the right YA-loving company. The episodes are a little longer than those of The CW shows of yore, but there are only 6 of them to get through over a few sittings or one very ambitious hang.
Recommended Level of Inebriation: Variable
Despite the slightly larger-than-life premise, Maxton Hall doesn’t require too much booze and/or suspension of disbelief to be enjoyed. The biggest offenders were some of the soapier elements and one particularly silly and obviously telegraphed sitcom-y scene. But those are far from my biggest issues with this show.
An important fact that I’ve withheld is that this show is in German. As someone who’s bilingual, I usually choose sub over dub, but Prime Video actually defaults to the English dub — and might actually count on it being the primary (har) viewing option. I did think it was weird that all these German kids are obsessed with getting into Oxford University, and it wasn’t until some characters DROVE to London and back within a day that I finally realized that THIS ENTIRELY GERMAN-SPEAKING SHOW IS SET IN ENGLAND. I assume it’s similar to how Sex Education‘s high school experience was Americanized for broader appeal, but the England setting makes so much more sense in retrospect; even the character names seem way more English than German. My headcannon is that this is an alternate history in which one of the Saxe-Coburgs decided to colonize the world in German instead. (Queen Victoria actually does come up a lot lol so my theory has legs!)
Another aspect of the show that I somehow missed until halfway through the season is that two of the characters are twins lololol. In retrospect, it makes sense and can be inferred from them being in the same classes etc., but it’s very rare for there to be twins in fiction without early exposition of HERE BE TWINS.
However, the biggest gripe I have — and I don’t give a shit about spoiling this — is a dreaded teacher-student predatory relationship. The show treats them like doomed star-crossed lovers, and the characters try to justify their ‘romance’ because they met years ago before the teacher taught at the school — but also meaning when the student was even younger?!??! In the words of Chidi Anagoyne: OK, but that’s worse!?!?! You do get how that’s worse, right?!?!?!? (Also does not help that the teacher is played by someone who looks solidly in their 30s!)
Use of Your Streaming Subscription: Decent
With a show so rich in tropes, you know exactly what you’re getting — aside from the whole German-but-not-German thing. It’s not trying to reinvent the wheel, and it doesn’t have to! The people yearn for proper yearning! (I am people.) The people also yearn for full-length seasons instead of a handful of hours, but the people will take what they can get!
