Spoilers for the first three episodes of Maxton Hall Season 2 are ahead! If you aren’t caught up, stream them with an Amazon Prime subscription, and then catch new episodes every Friday.
Finally, Maxton Hall is back and airing new episodes on the 2025 TV schedule, and I’m here for the drama. What I’m not here for is the horrendous mistake James made in the premiere that I really thought was unforgivable. However, somehow, in the span of three episodes, he's gotten back in the good graces of both Ruby and me, and I’m shocked by how quickly this all happened.
While James Is Mourning, He Makes A Terrible (And Nearly Unforgivable) Mistake
Season 2 of this book-to-screen adaptation picked up right after the death of James’ mom. As was promised by Damian Hardung, who plays James, his character took a very dark turn and spiraled big time in the first episode of the season.
Now, I can sympathize with him to an extent. While I didn’t agree or approve of any of his choices, he just lost his mom, and he had no idea how to cope. What was basically unforgivable was his kissing another woman, and it gets worse because Ruby was right there.
It’s obvious that he deeply regrets his choices the next morning, and when Ruby learns about his mom, she goes to comfort him. Everything goes bad again, though, when she sees the photos from that night, and I think she was right to get angry and leave him.
Overall, Ruby’s heart was broken by this situation, and so was James’. I really didn’t see how they’d be able to fix their relationship in a way I bought into. However, the groundwork is being laid for that to happen.
By Episode 2, James Was Working Overtime To Get Ruby’s Forgiveness, And He At Least Got Mine
Well, Ruby told James that he needed to get help, and while he didn’t like hearing that, he actually started to take her advice in Episode 2.
Also, once we went back to school, he worked overtime to prove to Ruby that she can trust him. He’s also working hard to change himself for the better and heal after his tragic loss. He’s also realizing that to do that, he has to save himself. He can’t rely on Ruby to do that.
While I think what he did in Episode 1 is absolutely horrible, his self-awareness is admirable, and I respect that he’s actually putting in the work to become a better and more honest version of himself. I also love that he’s helping Ruby so much with her event, and he gets bonus points for that, especially after the events of Episode 3.
Episode 3 Really Solidifies James’ Redemption Arc, And I Need Him And Ruby To Be Together Again
Not only does James go to therapy in Episode 3, but he also actively begins to work against the toxic people and structures in his life. We see this most prominently at the end of the episode, when he stands up and gives a speech at the gala after learning that the original speaker, who was going to speak about the importance of mental health and resources for it, didn’t show up.
In front of a big crowd, which included his father, James spoke about losing his mom, how he suppressed his emotions, and eventually exploded. He also explained how he hurt both himself and the people around him. He specifically brought up Ruby, saying:
I have involved people in it who did not deserve it. And I have harmed the woman who I love, instead of telling her that I was completely lost.
He ended his speech saying he wanted to “live” and “love,” and it seems like Ruby believed him. And you know what, I did too.
Now, hopefully, we stay on this positive and healing trajectory. I think I’m at the point where I’ve forgiven James. I can’t believe how quickly it happened, but I hope it can stay that way. He’s obviously putting in the work to heal himself, and by doing that, he'll likely be able to rekindle his romance with Ruby, too. And I cannot wait to see how he keeps doing just that as Season 2 continues.
