The Amazon series ends on an emotional note but deviates drastically from the book in the final episode, which is actually much more tragic for Ruby and James.

– Warning: Spoilers for the end of “Maxton Hall” and the novels follow! –

After just six episodes and a gripping finale of “Maxton Hall – The World Between Us,” fans can rejoice that Season 2 of the Amazon series is already in the works. After all, Ruby (Harriet Herbig-Matten) and James’s (Damian Hardung) story, based on the novels by Mona Kasten, is just getting started. Considering that Amazon withholds the most crucial part of the novel “Save Me” at the end of “Maxton Hall,” fans are naturally wondering what happens next. Although the series mostly sticks to the original and provides a touching conclusion, the final episode misses the complete events from the last chapter. The novel “Save Me” ends much more dramatically than the “Maxton Hall” series.

The emotional ending of “Maxton Hall” and what it means

Let’s recall: While Ruby seemingly achieves everything she wished for at the end of the Amazon series, James’s world falls apart when he learns of his mother’s death. After attacking his father, James drives to Ruby’s house but doesn’t ring the bell. From outside, James watches the Bells celebrating Ruby’s triumph in Oxford and the new stair lift for her father. For Ruby, everything feels like a happy ending; they have just reconciled, and she is unaware of the tragedy in James’s life. James looks at his pocket watch and disappears before Ruby can see him. This is where the last episode and thus Season 1 of “Maxton Hall” ends.

In various interviews, Harriet Herbig-Matten and Damian Hardung discussed the significance of the season finale for Ruby and James’s relationship and the further development of their story. Speaking to TVInsider, Damian Hardung explained why the last sequence is a key scene and why James doesn’t ring Ruby’s bell at the end:

“There’s this contrast when he sees Ruby’s happy family and then the blood on his own hand and the ring with his family name. This makes him want to protect her from his problems. But I feel it’s a setback for him and their relationship. They were so happy, and all he can offer her is complete chaos. That’s all he can offer her in his own world. There’s just all this pain and hatred. He loves her so much that he leaves.”

Shortly after James disappears, Ruby looks out the window, and it almost seems like she saw him. Harriet Herbig-Matten is sure that Ruby could subconsciously feel James’s presence:

“She looks out the window and feels his spirit, his body […] She feels him, and that shows their connection and the love they have for each other. It’s really beautiful and sad.”

This contrast does not bode well for their relationship. Symbolic of his decision to withdraw from Ruby and protect her from his problems is also the pocket watch that James received from his mother. Just before he disappears, he opens it one more time and looks inside. As Damian Hardung explained to Glamour, this image represents “his legacy, his family. It stands for everything he has to live up to, everything he owes his family, and his entire old burden.” A burden that will crush James, as Harriet Herbig-Matten suspects in the same interview, predicting a darker future:

“I guess that James will fall back into old patterns and just look for something to compensate for his pain. And that has often been alcohol, drugs, or women. So I believe he will fall back into that. For Ruby, it’s a terrible pain to see the love of her life like that and to lose a part of him. But I hope that she puts herself first and prioritizes herself.”

In the book, Ruby and James break up at the end

While the Amazon series leaves it open what James’s problems mean for his relationship with Ruby, the novel “Save Me” draws a much more drastic conclusion. After the shocking news and confrontation with his father, James disappears, and Lydia desperately searches for her brother. Instead of finding him at Ruby’s, she finds him at his friend Cyril’s, where he indulges in alcohol and drugs. When Ruby and Lydia arrive, James is completely high. He ignores Ruby and breaks her heart by kissing Elaine Ellington. Lydia tries to talk to Ruby to explain the situation, but Ruby wants nothing more to do with the Beauforts and leaves the party devastated. Ruby feels betrayed and realizes that she and James live in different worlds and never had a future together.

You can dive into this even more dramatic ending for Ruby and James with the audiobook of “Save Me.” You can find the “Maxton Hall” audiobooks, for example, on BookBeat, which you can currently test for three months for free. If you prefer a physical book, you can get “Save Me” as a stylish special edition.

“Maxton Hall” Season 2 must address the ending of “Save Me”

Since the end of Volume 1 plays a crucial role in the second novel (“Save You”) and Amazon has otherwise stayed close to the original, we can assume that Season 2 will begin with the missing breakup between Ruby and James. According to Amazon’s official storyline description, Ruby is devastated by James’s actions in Season 2 and wants to return to her old life. But while James struggles with his grief, he doesn’t want to give up on Ruby and does everything to win her back.

If the next season also consists of only six episodes, the content of Book 2 will surely have to be condensed to make room for the final chapter from Book 1. Exactly where Season 2 will pick up and how “Maxton Hall” will incorporate the missing book events into the new episodes remains to be seen. Good news is that the filming at Marienburg Castle can continue despite structural issues.

Until the new episodes hit our screens, we will probably have to wait a little longer. To shorten the wait, you can already read Volume 3, “Save Us,” which concludes Ruby and James’s love story.

Already familiar with the “Maxton Hall” books? Then test your knowledge about Ruby, James, and Co. in our quiz:

“Maxton Hall” quiz: How well do you know the series and book series?

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