Maxton Hall swiftly reunited James and Ruby, yet now the series seems poised to test their bond with a new cheating storyline.

In the November 13 episode of the popular Prime Video series, James, portrayed by Damian Hardung, visited Ruby, played by Harriet Herbig-Matten, at her home, leading to a possible reconciliation after James’ betrayal. Initially, they opted to keep their rekindled romance under wraps until a party prompted them to reveal their relationship publicly.

James surprised Ruby with a romantic evening that escalated into an intense kissing session. He then invited her to his house, believing his disapproving father was away. However, unexpected weather conditions forced his father to cancel his travel plans and return home, leaving viewers on edge as the episode concluded with this tense moment.

The likelihood of James’ father disrupting his relationship with Ruby has grown, given the numerous hurdles they have already faced this season. The second season premiere earlier this month showed James grappling with his mother’s unexpected passing and his subsequent infidelity in front of Ruby.

Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten have developed a close friendship while portraying the on-screen couple, James and Ruby, in Maxton Hall. Premiering in May 2024, this Prime Video series, inspired by Mona Kasten’s Save You book series, offers a six-part German-language drama exploring an unlikely romance that evolves from enemies to lovers in a private school setting.

Based on the second part of Mona Kasten‘s Save You novel, season 2 of Maxton Hall picks up after James and Ruby’s “passionate night together in Oxford and her greatest life goal within reach, everything seems to be going perfectly for Ruby.”

Things take a turn, however, when “a stroke of fate in James’ family changes everything and James himself, of all people, brings her back from cloud nine to a harsh reality. Ruby is devastated. She has never had such strong feelings for anyone as she does for James — and never before has anyone hurt her so deeply.”

The logline continues: “She wants her old life back, where no one at Maxton Hall knew her yet and she wasn’t part of the elitist world of her classmates. But she can’t forget James — especially since he’s doing everything he can to win her back.”

Before they returned to film season 2, Herbig-Matten, 22, and Hardung, 27, discussed what they would like to see for their characters.

“[I would like Ruby] to stay true to herself and to set boundaries. She’s already doing this, but to keep doing this. And not changing for him,” Herbig-Matten exclusively told Us Weekly in June 2024. “And I would like to focus on female friendships. That is really important too. And don’t let a man destroy your life.”

Prime Video knew exactly what it was doing by casting Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten to bring James and Ruby to life on Maxton Hall. Based on Mona Kasten‘s Save You book series, Maxton Hall centered around an evolution of enemies to lovers between scholarship student Ruby Bell (Herbig-Matten) and her wealthy classmate James Beaufort […]

The actress told Us she learned some important lessons from filming the first season that she planned to take with her into season 2.

“What I’ve learned from Damian is he worked out a lot after shooting. That’s what I learned from him. And I think there’s really to get out of your head and to just process the day,” she added. “I’ve learned that from him and that has really worked for me.”

Hardung, meanwhile, wanted to see James work on himself more.

“I’ve been saying this a lot. I truly wish for him that he and his family ideally go to family therapy and figure out what’s been going on,” he told Us. “They could have better communication of their wants and their needs together and kind of figure out how they can fulfill that. And they can learn how to go forward and not make life so hard for each other.”

Maxton Hall airs on Prime Video Thursdays.