Beyond The Gates Weekly Recap - 07/21-07/25/25

The New Fixer

Martin finally decides to come clean to Nicole—yes, all of it, even the murder. But Nicole’s reaction? Classic deflection. She pins it all on Bill. Meanwhile, Martin retreats to Orphey’s where Jacob just happens to sit beside him, fishing for information. Martin dodges like a man who's been trained by lawyers.

But Nicole is far from done. She storms over to Bill’s place for a verbal showdown. And oof, it’s brutal but so needed. Bill doesn’t deny the mess, but he asks a cutting question: Why does this family even need a fixer? He suggests that Vernon is the mastermind, but Nicole isn't buying it. She doesn’t flinch. “I’m the fixer now.” .

Elsewhere, Dani and Nicole commiserate over Martin, just as Kat walks in. Nicole is this close to telling Kat the truth when Jacob shows up to arrest her. Leslie pressed charges. He ultimately doesn’t cuff her and says he’s going to dig deeper. Kat rushes off to find Eva to put a stop to her mother's madness.

Snakes, Bruises & False Flags

Ted, clearly trying to sweep things under the rug, is on the phone with Bill, getting assurances about Kenny being gone. Leslie stops by unannounced and immediately plays damsel. She wears a scarf, knowing he'd ask about it. She shows him a bruise and vaguely blames "someone he knows", conveniently dropping hints about Nicole. Ted, the genius that he is, starts blaming himself. Leslie doubles down, and the conversation becomes about Eva and her work at his office. Leslie conveniently lets it slip that Kat framed Eva. She manipulates the moment, spinning herself and Eva as tragic victims while suggesting he rethink which mother/daughter duo truly has his back. Just when I think the sisters might have a chance everyone stands in the way of said chance.

Later, Nicole visits Leslie and touches her bruise, and you guessed it, it is makeup. Leslie admits it and taunts that by the time the cops can reach her, the bruise will have healed. 

Meanwhile, Naomi visits her grandparents, demanding answers about Martin's troubles. They hedge, but she sees right through it. Naomi knows it is due to her being married to a cop. Ultimately, they spill the truth.

Ladies at the Club & Family Counsel

Nicole and Dani run into each other at the country club. Nicole laments that she should have shown restraint; her tete-a-tete with Bill was exhausting. Dani teases that she just needs to build her stamina. My favorite sister's bond briefly. Nicole later meets with her grandchildren to offer some guidance about the chaos at their home. She's leaning all the way into her fixer era.

Unnecessary Triangle

Tomas and Eva...sigh. After some soul-baring and a kiss (ugh), Eva regrets it. Tomas doesn't. He casually lets it slip that he and Kat haven't had sex and if that weren't enough he continues to tell Kat's business. He reveals that Kat is a virgin, and they almost went there, but it felt like something to check off her 'To Do' list. What did Tisha Campbell say in Boomerang? He's a "Sleazy, slimy, slithering...snake." Only she didn't say snake.

He insists on walking Eva home to her hotel, and when she declines, he claims it is for her safety. At the hotel, they get too cozy. Eva ultimately pulls back, refusing to become a side piece like her mother. Kat shows up at the worst time, needing Eva's help, and Kat isn't someone who would ask this of Eva unless it was for someone she loves deeply. Her approach seems genuine, but... Eva wants Tomas to hide, but he insists on facing her. He lies right to Kat’s face while Eva silently watches.

When Kat leaves, Eva calls Tomas out, if he really didn't want to hide anything, why did he hide what happened between them? It is because he does want to be exclusive with Kat, unlike what he said earlier, that they weren't exclusive. Eva sees him for who he is. When he tells her that he wants her in his life, she hesitates, but when he leaves, she says she is done.

During Friday’s episode, the triangle gets messier. Chelsea is excited about the launch, but Kat is angry and distracted. She tells her the issue is Eva. She explains that she found Tomas in Eva’s room. She blames it all on Eva, and she is not going to let Eva have her man. Abeg, please stop making women stupid for a man. As much as I want Tecole back together, he has to earn it, and I appreciate that she is not just swooning over his gestures. What I don't enjoy is his attitude about it. Back to this triangle, Kat calls Tomas to come over. He does and is surprised to see Chelsea, but she is on her way out.

Kat tells Tomas that he should have been the one to call. He says he wasn’t sure how to go about it. She tells him not to insult her intelligence by lying to her. He said he didn't, but defends Eva, saying that her family isn't giving her a fair shake. See, he frames it as though he just feels sorry for Eva and can relate to her, so he is being a friend. Kat doesn't like it. She tells him full stop if he wants Eva to go get her. He turns it around on her when she asks for clarity, saying Eva is just a friend. Kat asks, "What am I?" He said he thought that was clear, but he says he is not clear on where HE stands. Insert Kandi GIF here, "The Lies, The Lies". Kat holds him to the fire, but in the end, she falls for his gaslighting, or maybe she just wants to make sure that Eva doesn’t get her man. Either way, the look of regret on her face at the end of the episode says enough. She gave her virginity to a snake and doesn't fully understand why.

Taken Black Female

Allison fakes an injury and blames Craig. Chelsea offers help through her father, but Allison gets mad and declines. Madison isn't buying it and pushes Chelsea to reconsider her blind support. Chelsea confronts Allison, who continues acting shady. Even Chelsea is now stepping back.

Baby Hamilton & Family Feuds

Hayley and Bill take up space and continue looking awkward together.

Later, Naomi and June eat at Orphey’s where June pays with fake money. Hayley interrupts their lunch, asking if Bill killed someone. Naomi tells her: Ask Bill. It should also be noted that Hayley somehow got an ultrasound and is making mysterious phone calls. Yeah, that baby does not exist. The running speculation is that she hired a surrogate, but I don't think so. I think she has a doctor on retainer and, with access to Bill's money, she will have the means to buy a child.

Model Behavior

Pam visits Dani, who's struggling with Martin’s drama. Pam boosts her spirits with news about the agency’s success. Then she brings backup: Andre. They do a photoshoot that goes so well, Dani ends up back in Andre’s bed. It’s giving second chances… until the preview ruins it.

Next week’s tease? Andre is in bed with Ashley. No one asked for a triangle with Ashley, Dani, and Andre; it doesn’t even make sense. Additionally, adding Shanice into the mix does not help things for Ashley; it only highlights that Ashley is the weakest link.

Final Thoughts

Nicole is stepping into her power, and it's riveting. Watching her call out Bill, and school her grandchildren is peak matriarch energy. Tomas, on the other hand, is repulsive. Kat AND Eva deserve better. We could be seeing the start of a genuine bond between them if Tomas were tossed and Eva were to detach from Leslie.

Dani and Andre? I could still root for them, but only if Ashley is left out of the equation. I will say this, I absolutely will not watch a triangle. I already fast forward through Ashley's scenes when I can't watch live. This triangle, I will skip.

Thumbs Up:

• Nicole’s “fixer” arc and reading Bill down.

• Dani’s modeling return and Andre’s support

• Madison clocking Allison’s mess

Thumbs Down:

• Tomas being rewarded for snakery

• Kat being dumbed down over a man

• The potential Ashley-Dani-Andre triangle