Maxton Hall is finally back, and the second season is already making a strong impression with its first three episodes!
At the end of Maxton Hall season 1, Ruby Bell and James Beaufort finally seemed to be on the same page after all the tension, misunderstandings, and class differences that kept them apart. Their chemistry had been undeniable throughout the series, but it all came to a head in the season finale. They hook up while at Oxford, and everything seems to be smooth sailing.
However, their happiness didn’t last long. When James and his sister Lydia returned home from Oxford, they learn from their father that their mother had suffered a stroke and passed away. The news devastated James, leaving him broken and overwhelmed by guilt and grief.
In the final scene, James goes to Ruby’s house, desperate for comfort and support. But when he looks through her window, he sees her laughing and spending time with her family. Overcome with sorrow, James quietly walks away without knocking on her door. The season ends on that heartbreaking note. Ruby is left unaware of what’s happened, and James isolates himself in his pain. This sad ending sets up Maxton Hall season 2. Follow along with our extensive recap of the first episode of the new installment for a breakdown of what all happens.
Major spoilers are ahead from Maxton Hall season 2 episode 1!
James spirals out of control
The first episode opens with a flashback to Ruby and James's passionate night at Oxford. It then cuts to a smoking car turned upside down with a woman running towards it. Oh no! Who’s in the car? Are they okay? Before we can get any answers, the show jumps back to Maxton Hall, hinting that the car crash is a glimpse of what’s to come later in the episode.
There are only a couple of weeks left before graduation, and Ruby has a different outlook on her future than last season. Now that she's met and fallen in love with James, she believes she can still focus on her studies while being in a relationship. Her interview at Oxford seemed to go well, so her future looks really bright at the moment. As Ruby heads towards the school building, she has a smile on her face while listening to a sweet voicemail James left for her. She tries to call him, but he doesn't pick up.
Mr. Lexington approaches and asks Ruby to meet him in his office. Since her Victorian-themed donation gala event went off without a hitch last season, Mr. Lexington has volunteered Ruby to organize the upcoming charity gala dinner for an influential human rights activist, Alice Campbell. According to Mr. Lexington, Mrs. Campbell hosts this dinner every year through her Campbell Foundation. Donations are collected during the event to benefit children and young people with mental health problems.
Mr. Lexington explains to Ruby that it would be the perfect opportunity for her to get her name out there and meet other powerful and influential businesspeople. Ruby is unsure at first whether she can take on the task, as she already has a lot on her plate. However, she eventually gives in. The only issue is that the application is due in two days. Later, Ruby notices James hasn't shown up for class. Now she's really worried. She asks Alistair to check up on him, but he doesn't know where he is either.
At home, Ruby notices James's driver pull up. But instead of James getting out of the car, it's Lydia. Lydia receives a phone call while they're talking. It's Cyril, and he knows where James is. Ruby tags along with Lydia to look for him. They arrive at a party, and find James heavily under the influence. He tells Ruby that she doesn't belong there before getting into a pool. He then starts making out with Elaine. Ruby storms off while crying. It appears that Cordelia's death is having a profound impact on James.
The next morning, Ruby wakes up in a bad mood. She receives a voice message from Lin reminding her about the gala dinner, which she had completely forgotten about.
Ruby distances herself from James
James wakes up that same morning in a daze after a night of partying and drinking. Meanwhile, Mortimer and Lydia discuss James's actions the previous night and how they could impact their company. While going through his phone, James finds pictures of him and Elaine kissing at the party. Suddenly, memories of the night before start coming back, including the one of Ruby's sad face.
After speaking with his father and sister, James returns to his room and starts trashing it before taking cocaine. Lydia bursts through the door and yells at him to stop. She then snatches the bottle of alcohol from his hands and leaves the room. Back at Ruby's house, her family listens to the news. Cordelia's passing has officially been announced. Ember and Lin break the news to an unaware Ruby.
Although she and James aren't on good terms at the moment, Ruby doesn't want him to face such a devastating loss completely alone. She arrives at his house to find him lying on the floor in his room. She comforts and tries to be there for him, but things change after she looks over at his phone. Elaine just texted James a picture of them at the party, and memories of that night start coming back to Ruby.
She's reminded of how much James hurt her, and she begins to pull away. James begs for her to stay, but Ruby tells him he needs help. James then yells for her to leave. Ruby storms out of the room and the house completely. After receiving an encouraging call from Lin, Ruby decides to shift her focus back to her studies and planning the gala dinner.
James gets into a car accident
While at home brainstorming ideas for the concept of the gala dinner, Ruby watches Cordelia's funeral on the news. At the funeral, a mysterious woman shows up. Mortimer frowns at her, so it appears there's bad blood between the two. We find out later that the woman is Cordelia's sister, Ophelia. Apparently, she had been forced to stay away and forbidden to contact James and Lydia. Mortimer claims that Ophelia is only at the funeral because she wants money, but Ophelia also makes the claim that Mortimer was stealing money from Cordelia.
Mortimer tells Ophelia that she needs to leave. However, she doesn't go without stating that she'll see him again at the reading of Cordelia's will. Mortimer then says some hurtful words to James, and he storms off. James hops into his car and speeds down the road. While driving, he tries to call Ruby but she doesn't answer.
After swerving to avoid oncoming cars, he loses control of his vehicle. It flips several times before crashing and coming to a stop upside down. So, it looks like that car from the beginning of the episode was James's car. The first episode ends here.
Maxton Hall season 2 is now streaming on Prime Video.