Beyond The Gates Weekly Recap - 6/16

Monday

The fallout from the proposal. Ashley turned Derek down, and yet...here we are again. Blah blah, they’re back on. Andre to the rescue to comfort her for making her own life crumble. Honestly, free, my man. Free Andre.

Tuesday

Ashley storms into the country club, on ten, confronting Naomi for gasp being her friend while also helping Derek. The entitlement made it hard to stay in the scene. Naomi, the good friend and professional, even rescheduled a client appointment just to talk to Ashley who calms down but still manages to annoy me with her whining about manufactured problems. Naomi spots a rattled Martin and tries to reach him, and for a moment, it almost works. He nearly lets her in before shutting it down. I’d love to see this explored more.

Martin tries to trip up Kenny and has him say; “Show me the color of your money,” which seems to trigger a blurry memory.

Madison voices her concerns about Chelsea’s presence on social media. Chelsea explains it’s her job. Madison understands but remains wary.

Derek and Jacob have a conversation. Later, Andre joins them and receives a frosty welcome. Jacob suspects Andre has a thing for Ashley/

Andre tells Dani that Kat and Chelsea are on to them. Dani lists all the reasons this is a bad idea. He’s listening but feels this is really about Bill. She opens up; she’s scared and tired. What happened with Bill nearly broke her. Andre assures her that he sees her and that he’s not leaving her for Hayley. Dani asks if he’s sure there's no one else, someone younger, with less baggage. She calls him a player. Andre says since they started, it’s only been her. I call lies. He wants to go public. Dani agrees as Chelsea walks in. Dani begins to tell her the truth, but Chelsea cuts her off, declaring that she's in love.

Elsewhere, Vanessa plays hardball with Joey and cleverly loops Doug into the deal. Doug, for once, stops being a pushover and stands his ground against mobster Joey. Growth.

Wednesday

Naomi and Jacob wake up in bed. Their pillow talk? Dashley. Even in bed, we can’t get romance, just talk about the cling-ons. Meanwhile, Ashley has a dream about Andre (the real root of her Derek issues). She doesn’t want Derek, she wants Andre. Period. As soon as Andre almost kissed her, she shut down with Derek even though she claimed to love him dearly.  Yes, Ashley picked fights with Derek, but he had his own insecurities that could have fueled his need to move into living together and, when that did not work, marriage. If she doesn't want to live with you why would she be ready to marry you? It was a very odd turn in the story. Free Andre. Again.

Still, it’s Derek who brings her coffee and checks in. Say what you will—he’s duller than dishwater but too good for her.

At Maison Dupree, Dani is doing the most in introducing Madison to the family. Chelsea and Madison are overwhelmed, and same.

Bill and his child bride, Hayley, return to the screen. Can we please do something with her? This version lacks spark. Leigh-Ann Rose, anyone? She'd bring fire and actual chemistry to the role. Credit to Exhausted Liz Fan for suggesting that she join the cast. Hayley just doesn’t look or act like she belongs next to Bill or on this canvas. He needs a woman who could truly rival Dani, and that woman could be a new character played by Leigh-Ann.

Nicole doesn't take news of Andre and Dani well. And honestly, while I think she overreacted, she’s justified. She’s tired of people lying to her face.

Thursday

Smitty and Tyrell share father-son bonding time. Ty is curious about his dad’s work, and Smitty opens up.

Jacob is upset after a lead falls through. Marcel steps in and tries to offer advice, but Jacob brushes him off. Marcel says Jacob has that dog in him. Later, Elon and Marcel talk about Smitty’s research.

Hayley’s back...whining again. Bill set up a policy for her in case he dies. She makes a show of caring about him more than money, but it rings hollow.

Kat and Chelsea meet at Orphey's. They discuss love and how quickly Chelsea fell for Madison. There's also a copyright infringement lawsuit that could derail the launch.

Jacob arrives, and Kat wants an update on their case. Jacob tries to take full credit. Kat reminds him that there wouldn’t be a case without her. My JaKat dreams were immediately dashed when Naomi walked in. Thankfully, those beef rumors were squashed. The cousins embraced, and the tension was absent.

Martin and Vernon talk over breakfast at the club. They discuss the busboy/Kenny issue. Vernon wants to talk to the manager, Martin urges caution. Vernon’s ready to take the risk, they need to find out the busboy’s game.

Friday

Things come to a head between Martin and Kenny. Kenny's here to make Martin pay for past sins. Not sure the buildup delivered a full payoff, but the umbrella nature of the story is working. I like how many characters are involved.

Vanessa has a new angle for Joey, real estate, and empty homes as a meeting place. Meanwhile, Doug skirts around the fact that his wife sleeps with her business partners. He prefers making insinuations and subtle jabs.

Nicole visits Ted’s office to talk about their living trust. It begins awkwardly, but Ted finally says what’s on his heart, he wants to come home. Nicole loves him too, but she lost herself in their marriage. She needs this time to find herself again. I want them to be endgame, but Nicole deserves at least a flirtation arc with someone new before circling back.

Anita calls Vernon. He lies and says his frustration is with the contractor, not missing her. Meanwhile, the concert is going beautifully.

Jacob and Smitty meet to discuss corruption in the police department. Jacob is afraid his dad is being used as a pawn. Oh, Jacob. You sweet summer child. Meanwhile, Elon and Marcel are gambling with Joey and talking about Smitty and Jacob. Vanessa interrupts and isn’t fooled. She knows poker talk when she hears it.

The week ends with Joey telling Vanessa that boundaries are essential, as in things they don’t ask, don’t say. She couldn’t handle his business, he says. Jacob starts connecting the dots and realizes he’ll have to go undercover in his own department. He’s unsure Denzel can pull it off. Um...have you seen The Equalizer? Denzel can pull anything off. Martin and Vernon begin to plot.

Final Thoughts

Overall, it was a solid week. It's not high drama, but definitely not filler-heavy either. Ted and Nicole finally had an honest conversation, more of this, please. If the showrunner is bothered by criticism, they shouldn’t be. We critique because we care. The corruption storyline had a glaring lapse, and that kind of inconsistency is frustrating. Soap fans complain about this on other soaps. Why repeat mistakes that are known to harm ratings? We want the show to succeed but some things are frustrating. Anita's reveal about her bandmate was a big let down for the promotion it got. I expected something big.

Andre is not being honest with Dani, and her worst fears may come true. If he dumps her for Ashley, I will riot. Because in the real world, Ashley could neverrr compete with Dani. Ashley and Derek continue to leech off of others and still don’t work. It’s glaring across social media, everyone sees it. This week, no, Eva, and yet we had almost a full week of Dashley. Why are we never given a break from them? In fairness, we do not see as much of Derek as we do Ashley.

Despite the slow burn, I’m looking forward to next week. Side note: Derek showed signs of life in scenes with others, so maybe the problem is… well, you know.