Worth: $11.50
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Cast:
Harriet Herbig-Matten, Damian Hardung, Sonja Weißer, Fedja Van Huêt
Intro:
… the leads bounce of each other well, and with only 6 short episodes in the season you can at least trust the turnaround between bully to potential boyfriend not to be as interminable as it might feel in the beginning.
When your story hinges on the good old familiar enemies-to-lovers trope of the superficial rich boy falling for the studious good girl, there are two ways you can go about it: either aim for a truly unique perspective and introduce a fresh new twist to the classic tale, or lean hard into the comfort of familiarity. Maxton Hall – The World Between Us is very much an example of the latter.
Based on the best-selling book series by German author Mona Kasten, Maxton Hall tells the story of Ruby Bell (Harriet Herbig-Matten), the smart and pretty, but ultimately invisible scholarship student who is thrown into the chaotic world of the privileged elite when she witnesses something she shouldn’t have, and gains the unwanted attention of the exceedingly wealthy and arrogant James Beaufort.
While the setting may be an English private school, this is a German language series, available to stream either in German with English subtitles, or dubbed entirely in English. The cast is an ensemble of new and familiar faces, including Damian Hardung (The Most Beautiful Girl in the World, The Name of the Rose) as James, the antagonist turned love interest; and Harriet Herbig-Matten, stepping away from her teenage witch adventures in the family-friendly Bibi & Tina in favour of something a little more grown up.
The contrast between the dreary, echoing halls of their stately school, the elegant but sterile surfaces of the Beaufort estate, and the cozy, lived-in home that Ruby shares with her loving and oh-so-relatable family is unmistakable. The set-design does a lot of the heavy lifting here, but even with these glimpses into James’ background, it’s hard to empathise with a character whose behaviour hits a little too close to the toxic old adage: “he only bullies you because he likes you”. When it comes to the slowburn of enemies to lovers, the real trick is moving things along before the audience starts wondering, will they or won’t they kiss, and starts thinking, will she or won’t she drop an anvil on his head next time he walks beneath the stairs.
The fighting may be petty but the leads bounce of each other well, and with only 6 short episodes in the season you can at least trust the turnaround between bully to potential boyfriend not to be as interminable as it might feel in the beginning.