Maxton Hall Review: Damian Hardung, Harriet Herbig-Matten Star in Forgettable YA Drama

Maxton Hall Review: Arrogant millionaire heir James Beaufort finds himself face to face with quick-witted scholarship student Ruby Bell when the latter sees an explosive secret that can destroy everything. However, what starts off as a relationship based on rivalry and hatred soon turns into something more when sparks fly between the two.

The series has 6 episodes and is based on Save Me by Mona Kasten.

– No Spoilers –

Maxton Hall Review

Angsty YA drama Maxton Hall is all about the push and pull of two vastly different people whose lifestyles and personalities clash in every way possible, but after a brief period of animosity, these two individuals find themselves inexplicably falling for one another against their better judgment. The series, much like almost all other YA shows, tries to show these two angsty individuals as more than shallow humans with little personality, but suffers greatly from having nothing new to say ultimately becomes its demise.

The storyline of this show is a shallow and meandering affair that somewhat makes sense, but doesn’t catch the attention. We have seen the rich person falling for the poor one and then facing obstacles in their path many times (please watch Young Royals), so the challenges and complexities that come from it have nothing new to offer. This makes up for the bulk of the issues that millionaire heir James Beaufort and poor scholarship kid Ruby Bell face throughout the season, but it is so done to death that it’s difficult to sympathise with their struggle to understand and educate about privilege and whatnot.

It’s the classic story of one person having it all except for a happy home life, while the other has a great family but no money to support it. It’s boring when you do it the same way every time, and Maxton Hall does exactly that, but with very little depth. The bickering between James and Ruby also gets stale fast, leaving us to bemoan their ill-fated relationship, which you know will happen in a subsequent episode. In the end, I was left to wonder why we are seeing this – Young Royals (and many like it) already have multiple seasons with layered characters and storylines to keep us occupied and entertained, what’s the point of another one?

Another problem was the fact that the last episode doesn’t seem like a last episode – it rushes through the different points of the first season but doesn’t answer any of the burning questions, leaving us with no conclusion and adding an odd twist that feels forced and unnecessary, that adds nothing emotional to the storyline. I mean, you feel bad for James and Lydia, but in the grand scheme of things, it would’ve made sense to be left out.

Mortimer Beaufort, the head of the family, is another Disney villain whose villainy has no nuance. On the other hand, the last episode also adds some extra relationships that were not set from the first episode for some reason, making it seem like another forced entry to milk from in the inevitable second season.

That being said, I liked the small stories of compassion and love among the family members. Although the “poor” person always has a great family life and all, it’s nice to watch Ruby and her family empathise with each other’s distress and try to help each other. Meanwhile, Lydia and James’s camaraderie is sweet and believable as they have each other’s backs in the wake of their father’s ire. Thus, even if the romance angle doesn’t make much of an impact, I liked the smaller moments of sweetness.

Damian Hardung and Harriet Herbig-Matten have no chemistry in the scenes where we are supposed to feel the tension and spark between them. Both seem like they are very awkward, and their dynamic doesn’t make you feel anything other than sheer boredom. The series doesn’t have any other memorable characters, and thus, you are left to watch these two try to leave an impression, which they fail to do.

Final Thoughts

YA drama should leave you breathless and giddy and probably remind us, middle-aged people, about the more fun times from our youth. Maxton Hall does neither of those things and rather leaves you feeling confused about the direction of the story. There is none of that either and on top of that, we get a forced cliffhanger ending that benefits no one.

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