Beyond the Gates Weekly Recap: Y&R Crossover and Secret's Linger

Last week on Beyond the Gates, Martin wins the election, Bill finds out Hayley really is pregnant, and Kat and Eva get stuck planning a wedding together. With all that going on, how was I still this bored?

Monday

Bill goes with Hayley to her ultrasound and gets confirmation that she really is pregnant. He wants a paternity test immediately, and the doctor gets it done right there. Bill asks Shanice to deliver the results herself so he can be sure nobody tampers with them. Bill spends the rest of the episode regretting his life choices. He can’t imagine loving a child Hayley brings into the world, and he’s already decided he wants no part in raising the baby. Meanwhile, Dani reaffirms her love and commitment to Andre, and Naomi and Chelsea talk about what it would mean for Hayley’s baby to be their sibling.

Tuesday

The Duprees are throwing an election watch party. Martin checks in with Kat about her truce with Eva because he wants to invite her. Kat gives him the okay, and Naomi reassures Jacob that he can come, too. Across town, Eva says she understands why she didn’t get an invite. Then Martin calls and invites her and Izaiah, and she accepts. Why does everything have to come back to the Duprees with Eva and Leslie? It irks me every time.

At the party, a video of Smitty surfaces. Something about pills, and the timing couldn’t be worse for Martin. Chelsea goes off on Jacob, blaming him for the position Smitty is in. Naomi defends her husband, and Chelsea lets it slip that Jacob thinks Smitty is guilty. Naomi told Chelsea and Kat that in confidence. Eva, Izaiah, Jacob, and Naomi all decide they’ve had enough and leave. And to the surprise of absolutely no one, Martin wins the election.

Wednesday

Barbara, Barbara, Barbara! The Articulettes record a song incorporating Barbara’s vocals, and I’m ready for this story to wrap up. Surely the writers and producers have more for Tamara Tunie to do. Devon and Lily stop by, and Lily is supposed to keep Leslie in check. Of course, she ends up loving Leslie. Insert heavy eye roll.

Kat and Eva start bickering over the wedding plans, and Shanice leaves them to it. Ma’am, you’re the one who put these two together. I used to beg for more Shanice, and now I can barely watch her. She’s so wrapped up in her man and this wedding that her future stepdaughters seem to matter mostly when she needs somebody to handle a task. This is the woman I was rooting for? Yikes. Kat and Eva do share a moment that might move them into frenemy territory. Later, Izaiah urges Kat to forgive Eva, then goes to talk to Joey about it. For what?

Randy tells Deanna that her mother is angry with him and that he’s bad news. Deanna sticks up for him until he admits he works for Joey. Then she accuses him of befriending her to get information for Joey. Vanessa shows up, and the two of them tell him to leave.

Thursday

More Barbara. Anita gives Leslie a picture of Barbara and offers her the scarf. Leslie is touched and takes it over to Eva, who worries her mother has been stirring up trouble. Leslie tells her to have a little faith and gushes about the recording session.

I wish I’d enjoyed that song half as much as Leslie did. It sounded like ’80s pop, which is a long way from how the show has described the Articulettes. And with all the buildup around Barbara’s voice, I was expecting a powerhouse. What we got was mediocre at best. Le sigh.

Hayley goes to see Bill, and he tells her exactly where he stands. He’ll be financially responsible for the baby, and that’s it, and that’s all. Hayley calls Randy over and says she’s giving the baby up for adoption. She never signed up to be a single mother. The plan was to sell the baby, but Bill wants nothing to do with the child. Randy asks her to give him time. Martin finds out Hayley knows his secret. At this point, just expose it already.

Friday

Joey cuts Heather off. Yawn. Bill decides to be a deadbeat for real, and Naomi agrees to serve Hayley with papers seeking to terminate his parental rights. I wanted Naomi to hold his feet to the fire on this one. Hayley did what she did, and Bill still chose to cheat on Dani, marry Hayley, and make a baby with her. He could at least try for custody. Watching the show lean so casually into the absent Black father stereotype makes me cringe. Bill made his choices, and now this child is supposed to pay for them.

Now, Naomi going head-to-head with Hayley? That was fun. I love it when Nae Nae comes out to play. We met her in season one, and I’d love to see more of her. Arielle is a decent actress, and the show rarely gives her material she can sink her teeth into. Scenes like this give actors room to go from decent to good and from good to great. Dani and Vanessa talk about Bill, and here comes Heather to collect bones. I’m sure she’ll dig them up later when she’s trying to lure Andre into her bed.

Chelsea crashes out over the pregnancy, and Vernon tells Joey to never ask Martin for a favor. Y’all already know how I feel about that, so I’ll leave it there. And the cliffhanger this week is… dun dun dun… the paternity results are in. Now we all know who the pappy is. Tell me that test rules Bill out and then you’ve got a cliffhanger.

Final Thoughts on the Week

This week was just okay. The Hayley scenes were fun, but between a wedding that keeps eating up airtime and a secret Martin’s been sitting on, I spent too much of the week waiting for something to happen. And Lily and Devon’s scenes could’ve been a text.