Did Beyond the Gates Just Kill Off Doug for Good? Let’s Talk About That Fiery Exit

Farewell to Doug McBride

Yesterday marked a sad day for Beyond The Gates fans, affectionately known as Gatekeepers. We’ve watched Doug McBride spiral through some of the most devastating storylines: a gambling addiction, his wife’s affairs, and relentless bullying by a mob boss who piled on debt only to get his hands on Doug’s wife. Yesterday, Doug met the tragic end some of us dreaded but saw coming. Lured by his vice, drugged, put behind the wheel of a car, and sent crashing into a tree before the vehicle went up in flames. In the soap world, we call that "room for a return", after all, no body was found. Doug’s life was stolen in one of the cruelest ways possible, all while his wife was in the arms of his nemesis.

I wanted more from Doug and I’m left unsettled. Doug’s downfall lacked the nuance it deserved. We were given glimpses of his arrogance and desperation, but little of his life from his point of view. Then they tried to villainize him in a way that didn't make sense. His wife’s reckless entanglement with the mobster was given center stage, while Doug’s perspective was left underdeveloped. It felt like a conscious choice by the writers to emasculate him rather than explore the cracks in his marriage. Maybe one day I’ll write a full piece on it, but today isn’t that day.

What could have been. That's what lingers. Doug leaves behind a void at the hospital, a doctor we barely got to see practicing medicine. A man whose potential as a character was never fully realized. Jason Graham, to his credit, brought depth to every layer Doug was allowed to show: bold and arrogant, clueless and hopeless, desperate and unraveling. He portrayed a man fighting to hold onto the fraying strands of his marriage, all while blind to the dangers closing in around him. He thought that he could turn the tables by seeking help from those he trusted.

My hope? That Doug isn’t truly gone. That his fiery exit was part of something larger, perhaps an investigation. It's a speculation for now. I had long hoped for a romance between Doug and Shanice; the chemistry was there. Instead, we watched him remain devoted to a woman who did not deserve his loyalty. A woman who carried on an affair with a man dangerous enough to try to kill Doug's best friend.

Doug McBride, you deserved better. Jason Graham, thank you for giving him more than the script allowed.

What did you think of Doug's Exit?

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