My View From Beyond the Gates: Occupy His World

Occupy His World: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending December 12, 2025.

As the year inches toward a close, some things on Beyond the Gates are just getting started. Nicole may or may not be ready to ring in the New Year with a new beau — and Mona might be on her way to the North Pole to get cozy with Santa. Some things are on ice, like Tomás’ invitation to have Kat move in with him. Meanwhile, Joey’s casino is taking bets on which will drop first — the ball in Times Square or Bill Hamilton (who had a practice run this week).

Maybe She’s Just Not That Into You

I’ve been pretty vocal about my opposition to Kat and Tomás as a couple – and it has nothing to do with Kat.

The warp speed at which Tomás was willing to sleep with Eva after he and Kat maybe, kinda, sorta broke up was alarming. And even before that, there was that time when he was willing to sleep with Eva because Kat wasn’t ready to have sex. Plus, I think, as Bill hinted, Tomás still has a thing for Eva.

When they got back together, I was willing to accept that maybe Tomás really did have legitimate feelings for Kat. Then along came Bill with his dangled potential law firm partner carrot. The moment that Bill mentioned that the firm needed partners with stable homes and happy marriages I went back to questioning Tomás’ every move.

I’d like to believe that Tomás asking Kat to move in with him was a natural progression of their relationship, but clearly it wasn’t. Now that Bill showed Tomás the other potential partner’s flash mob proposal video, I expect Tomás to up his pressure game.

Knowing Kat the way we do, she should be doing cartwheels over Tomás asking her to move in with him. But she’s not. Why? Is she really not that into Tomás? Is she still distrusting of him because he slept with Eva? Does she want to have sex with other men before settling down (with the first man she slept with)? Does she know that I find Tomás super slimy?

First Kat claimed that moving in together would be “upping the intensity” of their relationship “by, like, 1000%.” I get that. It’s a big deal to share your space with someone. It’s entirely different moving into someone else’s space. Later, Kat admitted that she feared that living with Tomás would expose him to the “real” Kat, flaws and all. That, Kat said, was someone that he might not like.

Whatever the reason for the reluctance: Kat, trust your gut, girl. You were right about Eva being up to something, so don’t stop listening to the little voice now.

Dani Dupree: Guru of the DMV

It often seems to me like Kat is an afterthought to much of her family. I was glad that this week Kat seemed to get her relationship back on track with her brother.

If you are playing the “Dan J Kroll Commentary Drinking Game” and selected “only child” as your special phrase, get ready to enjoy a tasty libation. I’m an only child, so I can only imagine what it would have been like to have a younger sibling, but the idea of texting or talking to your sibling every day… is kind of sweet. It’s like a built-in, biological BFF. For only children, we either talk to strangers, imaginary friends, or ourselves. I chose strangers, myself, and learning computer programming, but that’s neither here nor there.

I really enjoyed Dani and Kat, and their heart-to-heart chat in Wednesday’s episode. A few months ago, I’d have said that anyone taking advice from Dani was either crazy or destined to land in jail. But my how times have changed. Dani is now — against all odds — the sage, village elder. Clearly marriage to Andre has done wonders for her.

It was nice to see Aunt Dani actually listen to Kat. Her advice for Kat to accept that life will be messy and to put herself first was some of the best advice I’ve ever heard on a soap opera. She also backed my advice from a few paragraphs ago: Kat needs to trust her gut. While Kat wasn’t ready to hear it, I also liked Dani pointing out that her niece had found it in her heart to forgive Tomás… but not Eva.

It was a valid point. Even more valid was Kat turning it around and asking if Dani was planning to forgive Hayley anytime soon.

While forgiveness might not be in the cards for either woman, I do think that Kat needs to somehow find a way to let go of the anger. It has had a negative impact on Kat’s life and it’s downright painful to see her turning into someone that she’s not. Like Samantha said last week, I want Kat to be happy.

Making A Scene

Vanessa was not a very happy Winterfester this week. Then again, she was probably too tipsy to even know that she was unhappy. Or why she was unhappy.

If you’ve been a regular reader of my column, you’ll know that I’ve been questioning whether Vanessa’s feelings for Joey are real or not. If you’re a newer reader, I’ll give you to condensed version: At first, I thought Vanessa was working with the authorities to bring down Joey. Lately, I’ve felt she is determined to make her relationship with Joey work because she feels guilty about Doug’s death and doesn’t want to be alone.

After watching the blonde drown her sorrows in martinis, wine, and whatever else made its way into her glass, I no longer believe that Vanessa is working to take Joey down. I’m still wavering on whether she truly loves the guy or if she feels she has to be in love with Joey to atone for being with him when Doug died.

I expected Joey to stand firm on his decision to not flaunt his relationship with Vanessa in public. He made a good point when he said that people might start to dig deeper into their connection if they were seen out and about together. Vanessa, though, also made a valid point when she said that being seen out together might make people less inclined to think that they were hiding something. *Cough* Money laundering. *Cough*

The Boogeyman of the DMV

What I did not expect was for Joey to sashay into the country club and very publicly plant a kiss on the widow McBride. I could almost hear Anastasia and the rest of the Fairmont Crest “snottiest… stiff necks” catching the vapors and passing out in the background.

Will Joey and Vanessa’s now-public relationship bring the scrutiny Joey feared? Will no longer hiding in the shadows bring Vanessa the joy she has been searching for? It’s a soap opera, so I am sure it’s “Yes” and “No,” respectively.

Before I forget, I laughed giddily when tipsy Vanessa stuck her tongue out at Leslie as she was escorted out of Winterfest by Ted.

Doctors Without Boredom

Move over, Izaiah with a Z – Kial with a random I and A is here!

I’ve had the opportunity to watch Greg Vaughan on… two… three… five different shows now. In daytime, he’s appeared as Diego Guittierez on The Young and the Restless, Lucky Spencer on General Hospital, and Eric Brady on Days of our Lives. In primetime, I watched him on Queen Sugar. Now, he’s popped up on Beyond the Gates. Even though he only appeared in a few episodes, I thought that Greg’s work on Queen Sugar was some of his best soapy work.

I’ll be upfront: I am still hoping that a Christmas miracle brings Ted and Nicole back together, but I am also fairly confident that will not be happening. If the Ted and Nicole days are over for good (or at least for now), I’d be okay with Nicole and Kial testing the waters.

Nicole Dupree, Phase Two

Carlton always struck me as a little too arrogant. His swag game is strong, but… it clashes with Nicole’s calm and steadiness. Sure, opposites attract and all that, but what Paula Abdul didn’t tell you is that being too opposite is not a good thing.

Kial seems very grounded. He’s dad of two grown children and a widower. He’s traversed the globe, but the travels were done mainly because no place has felt like home since his wife’s sudden death. Kial has tried to keep things relatively drama-free when Ted is around. So I don’t see any immediate red flags.

Since every point has a counterpoint, Pam dropped me a line on Bluesky to say that… she’s not feeling the Kial/Nicole romance at all. In fact, she used the word “Ew” to describe them. What seems to be the issue? “The awkward start they’re giving Nicole and Kial is a miss. Inexplicably in her house after a first date? Dropping by her office unannounced with a neck rub? Ew.”

Dropper It Like It’s Hot

I really want to know what is in this little bottle of potion that Hayley keeps shoving into her bosom and other various locations on her body. It’s mildly funny to see her at every turn using that little medicine dropper to lace Bill’s drinks. She’s like a mad scientist or a contestant on the Great British Bake Off.

What’s even more amusing is hearing Hayley complain that Bill isn’t dying fast enough only to have her flip out about him dying too fast when she upped the dosage. Ma’am, I’m going to need you to pick a lane. Do you want him dead or not?

Rather than call 9-1-1, Hayley called Randy. As a semi-professional grifter, Hayley should know that the cops would immediately check her phone records if Bill were to die under mysterious circumstances. Her calling the guy she randomly encountered at Uptown? Probably not the best alibi. Also, she knew Bill wasn’t dead, so why did she assume he wouldn’t hear her rather incriminating conversation?

But who needs 9-1-1 when you can just smack the hell out of an unconscious person. It was like a 2025 remix to Cher’s “Snap out of it!”

Kill Bill? Maybe, Maybe Not

It does appear that the stage is being set for Bill and Hayley to part in some way, shape, or form. First Bill had some alone time with Vernon, and now he’s had one-on-one time with a very insightful Anita.

It’s been clear to anyone (even if they lack Anita’s unaided 20/20 vision) that something is up with Bill. On the surface, it seemed like he was just sad that Dani was no longer pining over him. Now it seems like more than that. Did his health scare make him take another look at his life? Has the fun of sexytimes with Hayley worn off? Or is it the low-hanging fruit: Bill wants what he can no longer have.

Let’s be clear: I do not think that Bill will be killed off any time soon. I also don’t think that Beyond the Gates would let go of Marquita Goings (Hayley). Does Hayley change her mind? Do she and Bill get a divorce? I can’t envision Bill being single, but there isn’t another available woman on the canvas that would work as a romantic partner for him (other than, obviously, Dani).

On the other hand, Beyond the Gates initially was only picked up for a 200-episode season. Maybe some of the original cast members have already booked just-in-case projects. That could mean that every character is expendable…

Grey’s Anita-omy

But Anita Dupree is not one of them.

Beyond the Gates has done a good job of misdirecting and faking out viewers. That doesn’t seem to be the case with Anita’s multiple doctor visits. At first, it seemed like Anita’s visits to the hospital were just routine or, as she said herself, part of her 50,000-mile tune-up. But Dr. Ahn’s name has been mentioned way too many times for these visits to be routine.

If you are playing the “Dan J Kroll Commentary Drinking Game” and selected “Grey’s Anatomy” as your special phrase, get ready to chug. If you picked, “I was almost a doctor,” you can take a bonus sip.

I don’t think we’re going to have any sort of crazy medical mystery like we’d see on a primetime series like Grey’s Anatomy. Let’s be honest, Beyond the Gates doesn’t have enough hospital sets to do a full-blown medical mystery storyline.

Not everyone knows this, but in another lifetime I was almost a doctor. I’d wanted to be a doctor from the time I was in kindergarten all the way through college. I’ve remained interested in medicine to this day. I suspect Beyond the Gates is going to use its platform to explore the health crises that disproportionately affect Black women. Some of the things that come to mind are lupus, breast and cervical cancer, and diabetes. (You might recall that Greys Anatomy did something similar with Bailey a few seasons back.)

I don’t know if Beyond the Gates would go down this road – especially during the holiday season – but I do think the show has a stronger commitment to telling real-life stories that have more depth than the traditional soap staples of love triangles and back-from-the-dead plots.

Beyond, Behind, and Beside The Gates: Speed Round

Here are some of the other things on Beyond the Gates that have me thinking.

Well, He Did Bump His Head

Last week I mentioned that Derek makes decisions that are, at best, dumb. I heard from a few readers who thought that I was being a little unkind to the firefighter. This week, he strolled into the hospital using a hockey stick as a crutch. I rest my case.

The Naughty List

The double and triple entendres between Leslie, Eva and Vanessa were really funny. The Thomases wanted to talk to Vanessa about real estate, but she mistakenly believed that they were talking about her Heart Attach side business. So things got a little spicy when Leslie purred about how “it’s better to have more than you know what to do with than to be left with something that will never meet your needs.” Vanessa was totally confused when Eva explained it was about her own needs, but rather the needs of the “whole community.”

I’d Like To Throw Your Momma From The Train

I liked the Laura/Eva scenes. We haven’t seen them together since Laura was released from the hospital and she asked for Eva’s help in getting back up to speed as Nicole’s assistant. It looks like Laura doesn’t hold any sort of ill-will toward Eva. Obviously, the same cannot be said about LSD (that’s Leslie/Sherry/Dana, in case you are a new reader.) There is still a part of me that wants to see mild-mannered Laura slap LSD the way that Hayley walloped unconscious Bill.

Cop A Feel (Feel A Cop?)

Marcel Malone seemed to clear up the question that I posed in last week’s column regarding whether he was interested in Leslie or just trying to secretly take her down. This week, Malone insinuated that he was cozying up with LSD so he could lock her up and then retire. I’m not fully buying it. Sure, Marcel is married but that means nothing. I think the guy is interested in Leslie’s doughnuts, cakes, and other assorted goodies.

Raffle Me This

It was cute when Ted mentioned that one of the raffle items at Winterfest was the chance to win a walk-on role “on that new soap.” I like the slight breakage of the fourth wall. But more importantly, how did I miss the chance to bid on this? I could be Vanessa’s newest hire! Or Bartender #6. I’d also settle for the role of “Random feet passing by the window of Orphey Gene’s.”

Extra! Extra!

Speaking of walk-on roles, I was very pleased to see how many extras were cast for the Winterfest party. There were new, unknown faces strolling in and out of nearly every scene. Since Winterfest was the social event of the season, I am glad that there were people in attendance who were not a Dupree or Dupree-adjacent.

Beyond the Gates: Lines of the Week

The Beyond the Gates writing team seems to be having a little too much fun. Here are some of the lines of dialogue that tickled my funny bone or that I found memorable over the past week (and haven’t already mentioned in this column).

“You don’t learn anything from a flawless runway.” – Dani’s telling Kat that it is okay to make mistakes.

“Maybe a little burglar told you that” – Ted, after Shanice stopped him from telling Ashley of her fear of birds.

“Day drinking alone? How very last husband of you.” – Anastasia with another of her stuffy country club put-downs.

“Clarity is not only about physical vision’’ – Anita, before telling Bill what she sees when she looks at him.

“I’m not a barista!” — Hayley screamed this when Randy asked her how much of the secret potion she’d given Bill.

“You may have come into some money, but you’re still a low-rent man-stealer in my book.” — Mona to Leslie.

“What the hell is going on between you and our attempted murder suspect?” – Elon to Marcel, with a question you don’t often hear asked in a police station.

“Sometimes happy looks different than you think.” – A reflective Eva.

“[He] should have told you how to be a good husband.” – Anita, responding to Bill’s comment that he’d learned how to be a good father from watching Vernon.

“And exactly what area code is the North Pole?” – Laura when Mona revealed that Santa Claus had hit on her and slipped her his number.

“Excuse me, bartender. Please don’t serve this woman any alcohol. She’s obviously already high on something.” – Naomi when Hayley suggested that everything had worked out for the best.

Follow my Random Acts of Dan

That’s all I have for this week’s My View From Beyond the Gates column. Thank you for reading and, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts on my column or Beyond the Gates in the Comments section below.

If you’ve enjoyed my column this week and want to see what I have written about Beyond the Gates in previous weeks, you can check those out in the My View From Beyond the Gates archive.

Have a penchant for gardening, interior design, or fixing up old houses? Check out my Manor Makeover series where I write about all of the things I’ve been up to here at Kroll Manor in Allentown, PA, over the past decade.

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Life outside the gates

Two of my former Two Scoops columnists from Soap Central, Liz Masters and Tamilu, have joined me here on my personal web site — and they are still writing about General Hospital.

Liz is on deck with week with a new column called, Bah Humbug. And in two weeks she and Tamilu will be offering up the special two-part Best and Worst of General Hospital 2025 columns.

To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section.

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