Maxton Hall S2E6 Ending Decoded: Mortimer’s Ruthless Gambit Upends Ruby’s Future

Maxton Hall Season 2 closes the door with a slam, not a click. The finale plants a landmine under pretty much every character, and then steps on all of them at once. If you were feeling good about Ruby and her shot at Oxford, or James and Lydia finally breathing after the will drama, that optimism was... premature.

The photo that blows everything up

Episode 6, 'Reaching for the Stars,' opens with Principal Lexington still chewing on that message he got last episode. He tells someone that teacher Graham Sutton has been sleeping with a Maxton Hall student but won’t name names. The misdirect points toward Lydia, but the twist is he meant Ruby.

From there, the screws tighten fast. While Ruby is literally getting ready for her scholarship exam, Sutton sits down with Lexington and the parents' council. Mortimer is there too, because of course he is. Sutton admits he knew the student before either of them ended up at Maxton Hall and that they’re in love. Mortimer then needles him about what the girl’s parents will think, which throws Sutton. He asks to see the photo everyone keeps dancing around.

Cut to Ruby being summoned to the principal’s office. Her mom is already waiting. Lexington shows Ruby the image: her and Sutton at the Season 1 welcome party, framed to look like they’re about to kiss. James took it back when he and Ruby were still enemies, which explains the angle and the intent, but not the timing. Ruby denies any affair, Lexington does not care, and he suspends both Ruby and Sutton on the spot.

Ruby leaves in tears. Police escort Sutton out while Lydia watches, also in tears. We don’t get official confirmation, but the show loudly hints that Mortimer is the one who fed the machine. In the previous episode, he was seen rifling through James’s photos, and this is exactly the kind of scorched-earth move he specializes in. If he also suspected Lydia and Sutton were together (he warned her he’d been watching since her last scandal), this stunt hits two targets at once.

Mortimer goes after Ruby’s family, too

Meanwhile, James skips a critical investor meeting to play in a Maxton Hall game, hoping to repair things with Cyril and help him lock a scholarship. It backfires. Cyril fixates on the scouts in the crowd, the team loses, and so does his Oxford shot. When James tries to console him, Cyril blames Ruby, claiming things only went sideways after she entered their lives.

Back at the meeting James bailed on, Harold — Mortimer’s main investor and Elaine’s father — pulls his money and walks. Mortimer is livid and, again, pins it on Ruby. He tells his assistant to get him a number, which is never a good sign on this show.

The fallout hits Ruby at home. Her mom has been fired, and the family bakery they’ve been trying to buy back? Sold out from under them after a better offer arrived. Ruby quickly clocks what happened: Mortimer bought the bakery. It’s petty and brutal, which is basically his brand.

The will that changes everything

Cordelia Beaufort’s will has been a cloud over Season 2, especially once Ophelia showed up. The reading finally happens in the finale, and James and Lydia walk in expecting a soft landing. Lydia even tells Sutton she’ll soon have a real role in the family business, and they start picturing an actual future together.

Then the lawyer reads the bombshell: Cordelia left everything — assets, property, and every share in Beaufort companies — to Mortimer. Not divided among the kids. Not a trust. Everything. James, Lydia, and Ophelia are stunned and immediately suspect something’s off. James confronts Mortimer about the will and about what he’s done to Ruby’s family. Mortimer’s response is icy and simple:

'I warned you to stay away from her.'

With no quick fix, James and Lydia decide to appeal the will and leave. They crash at Cyril’s place afterward, where the friend group gives them a breather, and Cyril apologizes to Lydia, smoothing over their earlier fallout.

James tries to save Ruby’s scholarship (and hits a wall)

Before the will reading, James makes one last play to protect Ruby’s future. He visits Alice Campbell, who originally granted Ruby’s scholarship, and calls her out for pulling it at Mortimer’s request. He accuses her of abandoning her principles.

Alice explains the calculus: Mortimer’s money underwrites the foundation, and she won’t risk its broader work for one student, however deserving. She refuses to reinstate the scholarship. Even after that, James and Ruby stay tight. He tries to steady her, tells her it’s going to be okay, and wishes her luck on the exam — right before Lexington’s suspension blindsides her.

One more grenade waiting to go off: the incriminating photo that got Ruby suspended? James took it back in Season 1. Even if he didn’t leak it, that detail alone could mess with their trust once she learns the origin.

• Season 3 setup checklist: Cordelia’s will fight; whether Mortimer actually forged or manipulated anything; Ruby’s suspension and Oxford dreams; James and Ruby trying to survive the photo fallout; Lydia and Sutton’s relationship, plus her pregnancy; and whether Mortimer keeps tightening his grip on Maxton Hall and everyone orbiting it.

The season ends with almost everyone in free fall and zero closure on the big questions. Maxton Hall Season 3 doesn’t have a release date yet. Until then, your theories are as good as mine. Do James and Ruby make it through this? Does Mortimer finally overplay his hand?

Maxton Hall is streaming on Prime Video.