Beyond The Gates Weekly Recap: 10/27–10/31/25

This week on Beyond The Gates, trick-or-treating takes over Fairmount Crest. Izaiah gets the lowdown on Eva and faces off with his father, Elon. Nicole tries to date, but her ex just won’t let her move on. Let’s get into it.

Nicole Moving On

Nicole and Dani meet for lunch at the club. Leslie is there—of course—and the two sisters talk about her. Nicole is proud of Dani for showing self-restraint. Leslie calls Eva to join her, but Eva’s already at The Uptown.

Nicole admits to Dani that she and Ted almost went there too, in a moment of weakness, which only solidified her decision to divorce. Then she drops the bomb about Ted sleeping with Leslie again. Dani’s ready for the fisticuffs, but Nicole talks her down.

Hayley floats in, breathless as ever, talking like she’s trying to remember her next line. She hears the divorce is final, but Nicole quickly sends her packing while Leslie watches.

Nicole agrees to go out with Carlton, but after he and Ted nearly come to blows at the nurse’s station, she’s turned off by both men. They each try to apologize later, but she’s done.

Later, Ted gives another one of his faux-noble speeches—he’ll “be waiting” but “won’t pursue her.” As if he ever stopped. Insert heavy eye roll.

The New Guy in Town & Sibling Rivalry

Eva meets Izaiah at The Uptown. He’s been offered a job at Banneker. Eva assumes she’ll see him around, but he hasn’t accepted yet—he’s waiting for Yolanda. She talks about Tomas like he’s hers, offers to hang out, and asks for Izaiah’s number just as Kat walks up.

Kat calls Eva out for meddling in Ted and Nicole’s situation. Eva storms off. Kat explains to Izaiah what really happened, but he only sees that there’s no blood relation between him and Eva. He points out that Leslie used her daughter in her revenge plot. Izaiah says flatly that he can handle Eva.

Eva rushes home to tell her mother all about it—naturally casting herself as the victim.

Meanwhile, Elon tears into Jacob for his past mistakes just as Izaiah walks in. The tension explodes. Apparently, Izaiah used to hustle weed and ruined Elon’s dream of having three cop sons. (There’s also another Hawthorne, Luke—because apparently this family breeds handsome men like a factory line.) Izaiah ends the rant by announcing he’s been hired at Banneker.

Later, Elon meets with Joey about Marcel, the dirty cop. Elon wants him gone; Joey refuses. Joey even jokes that Jacob should replace Marcel, and Elon loses it. Joey insists he was kidding, but Elon, for reasons unknown, tells him all about his “criminal” son Izaiah. This makes Elon look like an incompetent fool while Joey walks away untouchable. What is this—General Hospital? Is Joey Sonny Corinthos now with plot armor?

Izaiah later calls Eva, and they talk about family dysfunction. He says something has changed between his brother and father; his brother’s no longer sipping the Kool-Aid. They commiserate over their parents. Eva claims she wants to be better than Leslie—and I ask, then why follow in her footsteps?

Later, Eva and Tomas cross paths at the club. When Tomas mentions Izaiah, Eva snaps about privacy—after she’s the one who violated Kat’s. Hypocrite much? She then learns Izaiah’s a Hawthorne, and Tomas (correctly) points out that with her mother under investigation, maybe dating him isn’t the smartest move.

Bill Hamilton

Bill chats with Tomas about work while Tomas is clearly still hurting. Kat arrives, and Tomas suggests going to his office, but Bill insists on meeting in his office because he misses his niece. He just wanted to rib Tomas and Kat over the broken penis incident. Clearly, Kat’s humiliation ritual is not yet complete and the town knows about the incident.

Hayley rushes to Bill, pretending to be frightened by Leslie. Bill comforts her like a fool while she plots his downfall. They hug, and she smirks like a Disney villain.

Later, Hayley’s browsing real estate in St. Barts. Bill walks in, and she slams the laptop shut—zero suspicion raised. Then she casually mentions homes on the island, and the “brilliant lawyer” immediately buys a vacation home there. Genius in the courtroom, idiot in love.

The Rebellious Nuisance

We saw far too much of Samantha this week. I’ve tried to be patient, but my dislike for her rivals my disdain for Ashley.

She meets Nathan at Orphey Gene’s. He lies that he didn’t ghost her—he was “grounded.” He claims he doesn’t care about sex (sure, Jan). June overhears and tries to intervene, but Nathan is disrespectful.

Samantha shows him her pictures from her portfolio, and he calls them “hot.” They look G-rated. He tells her to wear something he can take off. They kiss, and June “accidentally” dumps a milkshake on him.

June tries to talk sense into Samantha, but the girl’s a lost cause. Later, she invites Nathan over and asks him to take her virginity after eavesdropping on a conversation between Kat and Chelsea. Of course, they get caught, and she’s grounded. She tries to move in with Nicole, who wisely refuses but hears her out. Samantha spends the rest of her scenes whining about the consequences of her own actions. Insufferable.

Leslie, Leslie, Leslie & Halloween

Sometimes this show should be renamed The Leslie Show. At the club, she tries to rope Hayley into her side, but Hayley isn’t biting, though she might just have the idea to frame Leslie for Bill’s death later. Leslie tells her to keep manipulating Bill. Hayley warns her to stay out of her way.

Over at Nicole’s, she and Vernon plan a Halloween movie night. Leslie shows up trick-or-treating. Nicole reminds her that the candy is for kids. Leslie snatches a handful on her way out, annoying and childish.

Later, Leslie meets Ted at the bar,  where they drink and he reminisces about holidays at Nicole’s house. Then, after lunch with Eva (where Eva officially calls him “Dad”), we cut to the hospital, where Leslie and Ted meet again. They talk and reminisce over their affair. This time, emotions bubble over, and that’s where they embrace, right there in public view—just as Nicole walks in and catches them.

The Wrap-Up

This week was solid. A few plot holes, and Joey still sits pretty in his power. My biggest gripe? The Duprees are supposed to be powerful, but they’re written like everyone else is holding the strings. For a show built around a Black core family, it doesn’t sit right that the most powerful man in town is a mob boss. Be serious.

I was hoping Vanessa’s endgame was revenge, but it’s starting to look more like she’s just drunk on power and d!ckmatized. Sad.

And let’s talk about these rebellious teens. I grew up watching girls like Sami Brady and Robin Scorpio — they had layers, they had purpose. Samantha? None. She’s just a brat who refuses to learn, and I’m over it.

Nicole and Ted are done. I see no way forward for them, and I truly do not understand the writer's choice to have him reminisce about his affair with Leslie while chuckling. They discussed it fondly. I don’t want them back together. I used to, but not anymore. The writers have ruined them beyond repair, and Ted spent most of his time trying to make amends with Eva rather than trying to put his family back together.

Also, casting 30-year-olds as teens is so 1990s. Samantha looks older than Tyrell, and so does Nathan. So having him try to fight Tyrell looks ridiculous.

Thumbs Up

• Izaiah’s introduction adds intrigue and balance.

• Less Ashley on screen—thank you.

Thumbs Down

• Samantha’s brain-cell deficit is exhausting.

• She has shown constant disrespect for her parents.

• Joey’s unchecked power trip—lazy and unbelievable.

• Ted and Leslie. Just put them together at this point.