Beyond The Gates Weekly Recap – 4/14

Beyond The Gates

The Duprees

Nicole and Anita get ready for Kat’s party, heavy product placement here with Febreze. I do not mind this, but don't overdo it in the scene by being heavy handed. Nicole reflects on the rocky time before their miracle child, while Ted was off hanging with the boys.

Vernon shows up for Dani when she needs him most. He speaks on surviving a rough decade and his early activist years. Paul “Cheeks” Dupree, founder of Fairmont Crest, built it as a safe space—but folks questioned if Vernon was about the cause or just living cushy behind the gates.

Vernon encourages Dani, telling her there’s no shame in needing help and that Bill will one day realize his mistake. She opens up about the kiss and how she’s finally seeing that Bill really loves Hayley. Karla is really good in these scenes.

Anita sings at the piano when Naomi visits. They talk Bill—Naomi says she’s proud of herself for walking away. They plan a night out at The Uptown for Dani.

Dani’s Passion

Dani, clearly headed toward her second vice—Andre—gets drunk before he even arrives. When she wakes up hungover next to him, he’s had enough. He tells her she’s got red flags, and she hits back with sarcasm. Despite everything, Andre tries to be there, reminding her she fell for Bill when she was a kid and it’s time to reevaluate. He suggests therapy or a life coach to help her rediscover her fire.

Pam, her self proclaimed true ride-or-die, arrives and helps launch “Operation Gemstone” to get Dani shining again. Dani admits the last time she felt her spark was when she modeled. They head to the club to brainstorm.

Later, Dani lies about drinking when Pam stops by. Pam pushes her to be real—Dani admits she’s been knocked down and is just trying to get back up. Pam suggests starting a modeling agency, and Dani’s in. She’s soon invited out to a night out on the town. It is Naomi set it up with Anita to be a surprise for Dani. However, she tells Dani that it is a surprise celebration for Anita to uplift her spirits. Naomi senses that she misses the days when she was singing.

The Richardsons & Leslie

Tomas gives Kat a birthday cupcake and necklace, which she doesn’t like until he explains the meaning—then she melts.

Leslie wants to picnic with Eva, but Eva’s still upset. Leslie’s jealous of her bond with Ted and Nicole. When Leslie gets petty, Eva warns her the truth will come out and Kat might be right after all. Leslie fishes to see if Eva’s upset over Tomas, which causes Eva to storm out.

Eva goes to get her coat from Ted and Nicole's. Kat's party is happening. Eva looks on with jealousy, not at the things that she has but at the family and acceptance that she has. She is offered cake but feels left out, especially when Kat is nasty to her. Ted comforts her after.

Later, Leslie tries to play nice with a cake, even though Eva's birthday isn’t for two weeks. Oh wow, Turtleneck Ted had two women pregnant at the same time and those children are just two weeks apart. That is nasty work. Oh Ted, how you have fallen.

Nicole gets a call from Andre while Ted flashes back to his confession. Andre wants to do a video tribute to Nicole for their anniversary, but Nicole says it has to show the whole picture, not just the happy moments. She blames herself for their rough patch, and Ted snaps—he’s clearly struggling with the weight of his secrets.

Martin’s Crusade Against Bullying

Martin sees the viral photo of Tyrell. Tyrell downplays it, asking his parents not to interfere. But Martin meets with the principal anyway. Smitty finds out and confronts Martin. He’s tired of being left out and treated like a child. Martin’s heavy-handed tactics only escalate things.

When Tyrell finds out, he asks “What did you do?”—because things have gotten worse. Martin brushes it off as an overreaction. He makes it all about himself, per usual. Honestly, he’s controlling, bordering on narcissistic, and rarely listens. I struggle to like him.

Future Moguls

Kat and Chelsea attempt a dance challenge—Kat is adorably off-beat. Samantha barges in, saying she dropped out of school for modeling. Thankfully, she was joking. Still, she's eager to join the brand. They will incorporate her slowly, allowing her to gain experience and build her brand.

Kat and Chelsea brainstorm how to integrate Samantha. Kat suggests Dani for head of marketing. Chelsea pushes back—Dani makes her feel small, even when it was for her own good.

Legal Battle: Father vs Daughter

Naomi visits Bill, accusing him of stalling. He mentions a doctor visit, and she insists on taking him herself. He may be using her concern to wedge back in.

She tells Bill she’s off the case. Her soror will take over pro bono. Bill taunts her, saying she backed out because she knew he’d win. Naomi finally admits it’s personal—she still loves him too much to let the fight ruin what time they have left.

Bill later fires Mike, who threatens to sue. Mike nearly calls Naomi a name, and Bill shuts it down quickly.

Naomi and Jacob eat ice cream in bed (a Tide ad moment), and Naomi reflects on how hard it is to have a father you respect. The slang? “It’s pretty lit.” is out of place, please fix the slang usage.

Naomi meets her clients at The Uptown. She explains why she left the case, but they want her back to help with new settlement terms.

The Country Club

Vanessa runs into Diego. He wants a hookup—she declines. Meanwhile, Doug is working overtime to manage his gambling addiction.

Hayley is being iced out at the country club. Dani ends up helping her out. Dani and Pam chat with Hayley. Dani tells her Bill loves her and offers advice. Hayley, being Hayley, gets rude when Dani doesn’t fawn. Dani and Pam laugh it off.  Bill later thanks Dani for helping Hayley—hmm.

Garland Memorial

Andre’s files are corrupted. Randy, likely working for Joey, shows up under false pretenses. Doug opens up, admitting he’s trying to quit gambling. But Joey wants Doug back in the game, and Randy is the bait.

Doug even tries betting on making a paper basket. Meanwhile, Shanice expresses concern about him. Joey's using Vanessa and her business to launder money, but Vanessa’s too smitten to see clearly. Nicole calls it like it is, but Vanessa doesn’t listen. Doug later confronts Shanice about talking to Vanessa. She’s honest—she’s just worried. Hmm, since we all know that Vanessa will end up in Joey’s orbit, could Doug heal with Shanice? A nice chemistry there.

Weekly Highlights and Thoughts on The Week

Highlights/Hits

• Vernon and Dani’s close relationship continues to shine. I love their father daughter moments.

• Dani realizes that Bill does love Hayley. This inspires hope that she will finally let go.

• Ted confessing to his cheating ways.

• Kat and Chelsea’s siblings like best friend cousins relationship. I really would like to see more of them.

• Eva and Leslie, Ambyr does such a wonderful job portraying Eva’s vulnerability. Trisha Mann is masterful as Lesle/Dani/Etc. She is a villain but so easy to love. She may be the only villain I wanted to see redeemed.

Highlights/Misses

• Martin’s story, as I said he needs to be humbled but with the latest casting news, that day could be coming sooner than later.

• Samantha, Samantha should have been Chelsea’s friend who left modeling due to an eating disorder. In scenes with Chelsea and Kat she looks to fit better with that group than the high school group.

• The lawsuit, I am quite disappointed that we will not see the courtroom drama that this story promised to provide. Viewers invested in that story only to have Naomi back down because she is concerned about her father’s health. Nevermind that he is duplicitous. The fallout could have led to weeks of drama but it was wrapped in an all too tidy bow. This is a big miss writers. You hooked us with drama that needs to continue. Soap vets are running this show, they know how it goes and how to keep fans invested.

• Filler week, this week felt like a filler week. I understand that when you have a serial that runs daily, filler episodes are necessary. However, I would rather have filler days than a full week of filler. Please consider this, no one week should just be filler. Especially when some stories need movement and the younger set isn’t being utilized to its full potential.

• Telling and not showing. We are still getting a lot of exposition, after two months it is not quite as necessary. An example is bullying, we should see more and be told less. Another example is Martin’s story. We do not see any campaign offices, nothing but blurred headlights when it comes to his nightmares. This show is great, and I want it around for decades. Hopefully the feedback viewers have been giving is being considered.

What a week on Beyond the Gates. We cannot wait for next week.