Warning: spoilers for Maxton Hall season 2 episode 4 ahead.
After last week's three-episode premiere, it should have felt as though Maxton Hall season 2 had slowed down the pace. However, the final few moments of season 2 episode 4 proved anything but.
James (Damian Hardung) and Ruby (Harriet Herbig-Matten) have decided to give their relationship another go, keeping it a secret from prying eyes this time. However, it quickly becomes school knowledge after Elaine (Eli Riccardi) decides to throw a white party picnic after school, bringing tensions between her and Ruby to the surface.
However, the Prime Video show hasn't stopped there. After her interview with Alice Campbell (Proschat Madani) got her an offer of a full scholarship to Oxford and a part-time job, James asks Ruby to stay with him while his father, Mortimer (Fedja van Huêt), is away in New York City.
Little do they know that Mortimer isn't going anywhere, having his flight grounded by bad weather. With all three of them heading back to the house, it's a race against time to see if James and Ruby will be discovered.
But why is this a problem? James has been forbidden to see Ruby by his dad, who wants him to marry into Elaine's much wealthier family instead. Mortimer's rage against James grows more physical as each episode passes, and that life-changing disaster only ever feels a few scenes away.
I don't think it's James who will feel the real wrath of Mortimer's rage, though... but rather Lydia (Sonja Weißer), his secretly pregnant sister.
Mortimer's anger will be bad news for Lydia after Maxton Hall season 2 episode 4
Surprise! We found out during episodes 1-3 that Lydia is pregnant, initially only telling Ruby before James accidentally found out. The only person who doesn't know is Mortimer, and it's unlikely to be a happy occasion for him.
As much as James is a disappointment, Lydia seems to have even less favor with her dad. She's trying to balance school and a social life with caring for her brother after their mom's death, but also prove to Mortimer that she's worthy of joining the family business.
Because James has disobeyed the rules by being with Ruby, Lydia is punished. It's seen as her fault for not keeping her brother on the straight and narrow, leading Mortimer to believe she's not fit to join the family business. "Trust needs to be earned," he sneeringly tells her in episode 4.
There's another spanner in the works, though. The baby's father is Graham Sutton (Eidin Jalali), a teacher at James and Lydia's school. She had an affair with him during season 1, and now that he's been made Deputy Principal, Lydia is insistent about never telling him the truth.
Personally, I think we've really glossed over how morally abhorrent this relationship was in the first place, and the combination of the pregnancy and relationship with her dad will lead Lydia to a dark place. So much attention is being given to James, but to me, she's easily the most vulnerable.
For now, she's putting on a brave face. But if Mortimer discovers James and Ruby together in Maxton Hall season 2 episode 5 (which, let's face it, is likely), that's another nail in Lydia's metaphorical coffin. There's currently no duty of care to her in any area of her life, and I don't see how that's going to change any time soon.
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