Save Me

I'm not normally one for shows like this, and tend to avoid them like the plague, but I'd recently given a thumbs up to Where the Crawdads Sing, so I guess the algorithm threw this at me. It didn't take long to be swept up in the world. It's very strange at first that we're in the UK and everyone speaks German. Almost as if the brits lost WWII or something. That strangeness does linger on throughout the season but not in a serious way. The quality of the writing, acting and directing is top notch. I left it in German and kept English subs on. Much better than the dub. The production values are superb. Everything from costume to art dept to cinematography, excellent. But in truth, it's the two leads that make it so good. Harriet Herbig Matten is stunning in a type of cinderella fairytale kind of way. She's so gorgeous that you literally can't take your eyes off her, and you fall in love the way James falls in love. He himself is also very dashing and charismatic. Neither of them are just pretty faces though. They are both brilliant actors and deserve lots of success off the back of this show. Bravo!

Okay binge watched this in ONE SITTING - exam days truly do bring out the best in me lol

I liked the trailer but I was half expecting another trashy guilty pleasure thing BUT NOPE THIS WAS ACTUALLY UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD??

The CHEMISTRY was off the charts and the leads are hawt together!

The chemistry was oozing since their first scene together lol I loved this but wtf is that cliffhanger GIVE ME S2 ASAP.

I wished for a longer enemies arc than 2 eps - like y'all could've made it 8 eps - but it's okay cause the love part hit all the right tropes too!

It's been a while since a teen drama has given me everything I wanted as a romance girlie AND I LOVE THIS.

#rubyjamesforever.

Before I write a review of the series itself, I must first address and clarify some mistakes or misunderstandings in the bronwynmdavis review.

First of all, the characters in the series are already 18 years old or are turning 18 during the development of the story (Ruby's Birthday).

The legal drinking age in the UK where the story takes place, as well as in the rest of Europe, is 18. So despite what bronwynmdavis wrote, they can legally consume alcohol. I also have to disagree with the assessment that the cast is too old. In my opinion, most of the characters look 18 years old compared to the 18-year-olds I know.

As for the series itself, I have to agree with the opinions that it is one of the better productions based on wattpad stories.

I was disappointed with movies like After and Through My Window, although I really liked the books. But maybe the problem was that these were films with very limited time to properly build the plots and characters. As a result, the main characters' portrayals were often very flat and their motivations seemed unclear, sometimes even over-dramatized and therefore not serious.

The series allows for a deeper insight into the characters' stories, which makes them more real. And this series manages to do just that, maybe not 100%, but enough not to treat the whole story as unrealistic.

The acting is good, emotions are well conveyed. In my opinion, the actor cast as James deserves special praise - he is perfect for this role.

I agree with bronwynmdavis that the character of Ruby Bell is a bit wooden, especially at the beginning, but I think it's more a matter of the character herself than the actress's performance.

Of course, I also agree with the opinions that the character of James' father is greatly exaggerated and over-dramatized, but I understand that it has its purpose in the entire story and this type of conflict is quite characteristic of this genre.

After all, this is a typical teen drama and not a deep study of the realities of young people's lives.

A well-chosen soundtrack also makes watching more enjoyable.

Overall, I think the series is nicely produced and fun to watch, so I recommend it.

So the basic storyline is : rich boy meets poor but ambitious girl whose biggest goal in life is to get in OXFORD, they hate each other at first but when the girl gives the guy a reality check, he falls for her but rich parents no like his association with poor ppl so threatens him with consequences if he kept it up and then boy girl back to square one.

A few days ago i was questioning myself about what is the feeling of everything after watching Prime's latest obsession because ppl of that project kept talking about feeling everything and bla bla bla which I didn't feel anywhere near to their description. And seeing Maxton Hall's promo, one might think it's another of those rich ppl high school drama. Yes it is. But it is more than just that.

The script is very generic but how do u keep ur audience enthralled with to keep watching for 6 episodes in a row? Very easy. Amazing acting and the making. Unrealistic age aside (where no one looks 18 yrs old), every actor was so good! Because I felt every emotion they were feeling! I felt for every situation they were going through. The show portrayed two sides of the social dynamics in such a gripping way. U get to see how rich parents put pressure on their kids and the said rich kids keep a nonchalant attitude to keep themselves safe from the world but inside, all they want is someone to understand them.

On the other side, u see a girl with a loving family who despite being poor gives her the freedom to choose her path and love her for no matter what.

But the best part, how the actors acted out each and every scene. It was like watching ppl showing real emotion and not "ACTING". The lead actress stole my heart. Especially whenever she was on screen with her father, those were such wholesome scenes because that's how parents should be, showering u with unconditional love. The lead actor was also not just a pretty face. He was equally matching her pros to pros.

Coming to direction and screenplay and cinematography, loved them. (The main duty in the school being arranging parties aside). The seamless transition of scenes are a plus point from me.

And now i feel how underrated Non- English contents are, also the actors. But thanks to the online streaming platforms the world is getting to see how there are wonderful actors aside from "Hollywood" ppl. I bet if this show was made with "Americans", they would have brought over the top out of place emotions and called it their best artistic display from the raw place of their hearts.

Anyhow, i am glad to watch this show, i laughed, i cried and i am waiting to see more of their journey.

And whoever chose to put the song "Run Like a River" in the show deserves a raise.

I'll be brief..this series had me wanting to watch it again immediately after finishing. The script and writing were great. Although it's a classic enemies to lovers, it felt different. It was so well paced that you didn't want to stop watching. When I tell you you'll be hooked, you WILL. One of the best things, IMO, is how they are on a roller coaster with one another just when you get a tease of something, boom, back down to the bottom. The leads' chemistry is insane and makes the draw so good. Definitely one of the best romance series in a long time!! I don't know of anything I would compare it to, because it's leaps and bounds better.