Disappearing con artists. Criminal enterprises. Missing family members. Looming threats. They’ve all collided and suddenly Fairmont Crest doesn’t seem so safe. Only Murders In the Damn Building: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending May 8, 2026.
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For the second straight week we were robbed of two episodes of Beyond the Gates. I don’t know about you, but this week’s two-day preemption seemed like the longest two days in the history of soaps.
While we were light on episodes, we were not light on drama. The investigation into the blood theft ring is coming apart at the seams. There are now at least half a dozen people who could find themselves in serious danger. Jacob and Smitty can’t seem to agree on anything — and now they can’t decide if they should stop the operation and take whatever win they can get or keep going and risk even more collateral damage.
Meanwhile, the “red market” story may or may not be linked to another burgeoning mystery: Joey’s in-the-wind sister, Heather. Does Heather exist? Is Heather someone we’ve already met… or someone that we might meet in the near future?
Over the past week, Beyond the Gates has become a series of riddles and mysteries. It’s almost as if someone took the scripts from a police drama, a murder mystery, an episode of Maury Povich, and a true crime podcast, shuffled them all together, and said, “This is going to be our May Sweeps.”
And I like the organized chaos of it all. I like it a lot.
No Way Out
For more than three decades, it was hard for me to be surprised by anything that played out on the soaps. It wasn’t because I had psychic powers or that the shows had become predictable. It was because I reviewed all of the interviews, articles, and scoops that were posted on the Soap Central web site. I ended up knowing what was going to happen even if I didn’t want to know. Call it an occupational hazard.
I had forgotten what it was like to watch a soap strictly for pleasure until Beyond the Gates launched in February 2025 and I came out of retirement. Since this column isn’t part of my job and is written simply because I enjoy it, I’ve been able to be spoiler-free — unless I make the mistake of popping onto social media before I’ve watched an episode.
I’ve Been Watching You Watching Me
That said, it amuses me when I demand answers to something in my column only to have the question answered by the time my next column is posted. It makes me feel like the Powers That Be have read my column and want to placate me with answers.
Of course, I know that’s not the case, but… last week I stated that I needed to know why Lia Whitmore had cast aside her years as a respected doctor to lord over a blood and plasma “red market” theft operation. Now we know: Lia was one of the many victims that Lynette Wise bled dry.
I am sure there is someone on social media saying something like, “Losing all of her money shouldn’t make her abandon her Hippocratic Oath.” That’s easier said than done and people have done worse over less. Turn on the news or look at a viral TikTok post and you’ll see examples of the lengths that people in the real world will go when pushed to the edge.
Who Else Knows that Lynette Scammed Lia?
There are still some unanswered questions. For example, how did the upstanding Chief of Staff know who to contact to become part of the “red market.” Were any of Lynette’s other victims roped into the operation? If so, that would imply that someone knew what Lynette was up to… and perhaps that person is the infamous Impaler. If so, is it someone we know? Right now, the only people we know that had a previous connection to Lynette are Hayley and Randy. And I don’t see either of them being the Impaler.
We did learn something interesting from DracLia. It doesn’t appear that she is the Impaler as many have speculated. She had a serious look of fear on her face when she told Grayson that their “employers” – yes, plural – would go to unimaginable lengths to keep their business afloat.
There Are No Coincidences In Soap Operas
I need to revisit something else I said in a recent column because I may have jumped the gun. I said that I was no longer worried that Kat might be a victim of the Bloodhound Gang. That was based mostly on her apparent loss of interest in knowing why Smitty and Jacob had their heads together. But now Kat has found another way in via Tomas’ investigation into the disappearance of Lynette Wise. That put her on Lia’s proverbial doorstep. If she keeps asking questions, Kat will be squarely back in harm’s way.
This falls under the “things aren’t said or done for no reason on soaps” header, but my ears perked up when Kat said that Nicole “deserved” the happiness that Carlton gave her. I sure hope that wasn’t a sign that the happiness is about to come crashing down soon. And it surely would if Carlton turned out to be the Impaler.
Meanwhile, it’s still not looking great for Smitty or Jacob. Their partnership has been a disaster since day one. Ren is giving Jacob unusual instructions. And not only does Smitty face danger from investigation into the blood theft ring, but now he has Randy on his tail. As if that were not enough, whoever is keeping an eye on Ashley might also be keeping tabs on Naomi. Remember the other week when Ren just happened to show up at Orphey Gene’s while Naomi was there? It seemed like a coincidence, but there really aren’t coincidences on soap operas.
Postcards From the Edge
That leads into another interesting coincidence. The Joey-reads-a-letter scene on the Thursday, May 7, episode was very unusual and I am wondering if it was also part of a misdirection. The letter seemed to come out of nowhere. Joey is hardly a sentimental guy, so why would he be toting around a letter in a well-worn envelope?
I immediately assumed the letter was from his long-lost sister Heather. Joey would ultimately confirm that, but there is, of course, always the possibility that he lied about it.
The content of the letter was interesting, too. The author claimed to be “suffocating here” and begged Joey not to try to find her. “This has to be a clean break or I’ll never become the woman I’m destined to be.”
So Many Questions
This is the point in the column where I remind everyone that I am an only child. Because of that, I am not well-versed in the words siblings use when talking to one another. Would someone really say that they needed a “clean break” from their sibling? That seems more like something a romantic partner would say. Maybe I’m just looking for scandal in places that scandal doesn’t exist.
Which takes me back to the coincidences that I mentioned in the last section. After Joey sent Randy to check up on Smitty, he placed a call to an unknown person. In the next seen, we saw Lia taking a phone call from an unknown person. Did Joey call DracLia or was that writers wanted us to infer? Could Joey and Lia’s calls be totally unrelated? They could.
A lot of people on social media seem to have graduated from the Katlock Institute of Amateur Sleuthing. There is a small but vocal group that believes Lia is actually Heather. That would mean that Joey has been lying about not knowing where his sister is. That seems like a weird thing for him to lie about. Let’s say that Lia is Heather. Is it possible that Joey lied about his sister’s name and Heather is actually the name of his wife or lover? Might there be a Mrs. Armstrong flittering about in the universe?
Which is worse? Finding out that your lover killed your husband or finding out that your lover killed your husband and your lover is also married? Is that a hat on a hat? Lipstick on a pig? Is there a point when it doesn’t matter how many secrets you pile on to the initial secret?
Beside, Behind, and Beyond The Gates: The Speed Round
Here are some of the thoughts and observations about other things happening on Beyond the Gates.
Please… Help Yourself
I thought it was hilarious when Kat helped herself to some of the booze in Bill’s office and held the glass slightly askew as she laid into Bill.
Confession Is Good For the Soul
It’s funny that after however many decades, Ted felt the need to confess to Nicole that he’d given Carlton bad directions to keep him far, far away from her at the convention in Hawaii. It was even funnier to find out that Carlton has known the supposed “secret” for all these years.
Chipping In
There was another not-so-secret secret that also cracked me up. Apparently, Vanessa hands out chips to random bettors in Joey’s casino – and he knows that she does it. I have never had a random passerby gift me a chip in any of the casinos I’ve ever been in. Maybe it’s time for a road trip to the DMV.
Grand Theft Borrow Auto
Something else to file under amusing: a young Anita used to hotwire her father’s Mustang and joyride around town with Barbara, Sharon, and Tracy.
Foxy Danipatra
I need a spin-off series featuring Bea Guiling and Cam Aura immediately. It’s hilarious that Andre decided to fixate on him being “cast” as a men’s underwear photographer from Iowa in Dani’s fantasy rather than on the fantasy as a whole.
Andre’s story was… less successful for me. I did, however, like that Dani’s name tag referred to her as “DAN.” I will take that as a shout-out to me, even though I am pretty sure it’s not.
Hayley’s Comment
I may have missed something, but I thought when Bill found out that Hayley had closed the bank account set up as a college fund for their future child that Hayley said she planned to deposit the money in another of their shared bank accounts. When Hayley was toasting life with Randy, she seemed to imply that she still had the money in her possession. Did she lie to Bill? Has Bill not bothered to check his many bank accounts to verify that the funds had been (re)deposited?
Speaking of Hayley, Drunk Hayley was something else. When I realized she showed up in Bill’s office near the end of the episode, I was absolutely certain that she was going to say something she shouldn’t.
Dessertaphobia
What do the folks on Beyond the Gates have against dessert?! It’s become a regular occurrence. Nicole and Carlton ditched their cherry crumble and banana pudding for, what, some sexytimes? Have they never heard of to-go boxes? Hell, I’d have taken the dessert, dishes and all and returned them at a later date. It’s not like they aren’t at Orfey Gene’s on a regular basis.
Quick Takes
I joked about Nicole wanting two men in bed with her, but I didn’t expect Ted to be one of them! Was this sexy Ted vision a fantasy or a nightmare? I guess time will tell…
It’s probably still an unpopular opinion, but Tomas is a far more fascinating character now than he ever was before. I just hope his investigation into Lynette’s disappearance doesn’t… end badly for him.
Though she didn’t really have any reason to be suspicious at the time, why didn’t Ashley look through the peephole to see who was banging loudly on her apartment door?
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).
“I’ll be as smooth as my hair after a silk press.”
Kat in assuring Tomas that she could press Lia for information without looking suspicious.
“You are wound as tight as a tambourine on Easter Sunday.”
Anita upon feeling the knots in Vernon’s shoulders.
“Please… don’t let the concept of knocking stop you.”
Bill in response to Vernon barging into his office unannounced.
“I was passing Civil Rights legislation when you were just a twinkle in your pappy’s eye.”
Vernon when Bill tried to “lecture” him on politics.
“This is not an episode of Only Murders in the Damn Building!.”
An angry Bill in response to Kat wanting to solve the Lynette Wise mystery.
“Baby, I’m as clean as a nonstick pan.”
Bea Guiling
“There wasn’t exactly an employee orientation.”
Grayson’s response when Jacob asked if Grayson knew the Impaler’s identity.
Gatecrashers: Reader and Viewer Feedback
I love interacting with other Beyond the Gates fans. So I thought I’d create a section to share some of the comments I’ve received on my columns and social media posts. If you’d like to see your comments shared here, you can scroll down to the Comments section below this column and post away. You can also chat with me on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and/or TwitterX.
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, Dial K For Killow.
To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section.
dan
The “Dan” reference was absolutely meant for you. 😉
Thanks, Dan. I always enjoy reading your column. It’s refreshing when someone connects the dots and doesn’t isolate a scene or character like so many on social media do. While Beyond the Gates isn’t perfect, it does have some interesting stories. Until next week.
I don’t think that Lia reached out to somebody to be a part of the plasma ring after she lost her investments. I think it’s more likely someone reached out to her. As for Lia’s role in the organization, I think it’s likely that she is a higher ranking officer. I believe Elon used the term middle management when they learned that Grayson’s boss was female. She either has direct contact with The Impaler, or with The Impaler’s second in command.
I am one of the people who believes that Lia might be Joey’s sister Heather. We don’t really see Joey at the hospital much, so maybe he hasn’t seen Lia to know that his sister’s around. There’s also the chance that Heather could have gotten plastic surgery to look different. We know from Joey that their mother had issues with plastic surgery as well. Maybe Lia got lucky and got a good plastic surgeon. I do think the writers tried to make us think that Joey and Lia were talking to each other on the phone, but I don’t think that was the case.
As for that letter, Joey was reading, I think it actually was from his sister. When she said she wanted a ‘clean break’, I don’t think she necessarily meant from Joey. Joey did mention that they had a bad childhood with their father. Maybe there was a lot going on in the household that made her want to leave and that’s what she meant in regards to a clean break. Also, we do know that Joey has an ex-wife who cheated on him which is why the marriage ended. I don’t think they’re secretly still married and I don’t think she wrote the letter.
Although I don’t want Randy and Joey to find out anything in regards to Smitty, I can’t believe Randy left his posting just because Haley was feeling needy and called him to her. The fact that she only called him to celebrate something and he stuck around instead of going back to his job made it even worse. Now when he goes back to relay details to Joey, he can only tell him that Smitty was dressed incognito and met someone in a hotel room. This would likely make Joey assume that Smitty is having an affair.