Beyond the Gates commentary: Rage against the patriarchy

What does one do when everything seems to be falling to pieces? Blame your dad, of course! Other suitable options include suing your father, back-talking to your grandfather, and possibly — just possibly — killing your baby’s daddy.

I have to start this column with a little bit of bad news: the people of Fairmont Crest have gotten wise to my sneaking into the community. I admit that not having to surreptitiously find ways into the gated community would make my life easier, but there is an element of fun involved in my shenanigans. Maybe I will just start disguising myself.

Now that they know that eyes are upon them, I am worried that the residents of Fairmont Create might try to behave when they think I’m around. Thankfully, at least for now, they are still deliciously misbehaving, which gives me a plenty to talk about.

President… President of what?!

Martin is a very difficult character to like, which in a strange sort of way is a good thing. Let me explain, and I apologize that it comes with a bit of time travel to get to my point. I’ve been covering soaps since the 1990s and I’ve seen nearly every portrayal of an openly gay character on daytime television. It just so happens that many of them happened on the soap that first got me hooked, All My Children.

When high school teacher Michael Delaney was revealed to be a gay man, the storyline revolved around the fear that the teacher would somehow “recruit” impressionable children to his “lifestyle.” Later, on both AMC and As the World Turns, gay teenage boys were forced to endure “conversion therapy,” a dangerous and discredited practice attempting to “cure” their homosexuality. It went far beyond merely trying to “pray the gay away.”

A big change came when Bianca Montgomery, daughter of the Erica Kane, came out as a lesbian. It was the first time that a legacy character was revealed to be part of the LGBTQ+ community. Other soaps eventually followed suit, but it was always with a tacit, though unspoken, limitation. Soaps didn’t seem to know what to do with these characters after the coming out story.

Separate and unequal

Soaps have always been hesitant to show same-sex romance over fears that it might upset some viewers. By not giving equal time to these romances, it tended to alienate fans of those same-sex couples. A few head writers have also told me that because many of the same-sex couples became wildly popular, there was reluctance to involve those couples in other soap staples, like the love triangle. Often, gay and lesbian characters existed in their own orbit or served as sidekicks for other characters and their stories. And more often than not, their relationships were passionless.

While many queer viewers and their allies have wanted representation, I think that term is often misunderstood. It isn’t just about seeing a gay, lesbian, trans, or non-binary character on-screen. That is so ten years ago. Nowadays viewers want equity, which is another wholly misunderstood and unfairly derisive word of late.

Take Days of our Lives‘ Leo, played deliciously by Greg Rikaart. Leo can be a dastardly villain. At other times, he is compassionate and kind. And still at others, he borders on the sassy queen stereotype. From a writing perspective, Leo is treated just like any other character on the canvas. Take away the gay stereotypes, and the character’s composition could very well be that of Beyond the Gates‘ Bill.

Has anybody here seen Martin?

That’s why, as much as I think Martin needs an attitude adjustment, I celebrate that the writers have allowed the character to have imperfections. His need to control Smitty isn’t all that different from Bill handing Hayley his credit card and insisting she should quit her job and live a life of luxury.

The level of disrespect that Martin showed his grandparents during the mandatory breakfast at the clubhouse was shocking to me. I have to say, I was surprised that Anita and Vernon allowed him to be that sassy to them. Frankly, I expected them to issue some form of SYBADRN. (If you know, you know.) Maybe the show wasn’t permitted to go there, but given the often-unheard-in-daytime language they’ve used so far, that seems unlikely.

From what we have seen of Martin, he is not ready to make a run for the nation’s highest office. Governor? Sure. Senator? Maybe. But between whatever is causing his nightmares and the potential impact on his kids, it might be time for Martin to put the needs and desires of others before his own.

Kramer vs. Kramer Hamilton vs. Hamilton

In my last column I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing Naomi square off against Bill in court. As this week’s episodes started to unfold, I knew that Bill would make some sort of overture or peace offering to his daughter just before she had him served. And I was right. A well-timed “I love you” text was the perfect appetizer for what would follow.

I have to say, I was a little worried that Naomi might not stand a chance against her dad in court. But my mind was changed when she and Bill went toe-to-toe in his office. I also liked the casual references that father and daughter used to argue the merits of cases in the past. I can’t be the only one who saw that Bill had to suppress his pride every time his daughter landed a figurative jab during their face off.

You can’t spell redemption without… um, I?

Here is how I see things playing out. I suspect Creepy Mike is going to say or do something inappropriate to Hayley at some point in the near future. Hayley will then have to make a bombshell confession to Mike’s icky antics under cross-examination.

The witness stand confession could create friction between the newly wed Bill and Hayley. Perhaps that pushes him to realize that he does still have feelings for Dani. (Duh!) That doesn’t mean that I want a Dani and Bill redux, but it would be messy as hell. And if Dani and Bill are playing nice, it could also keep Bill quiet about Martin’s secret a little while longer.

In another scenario, one that I think I might like even more, I can see Hayley turning Deep Throat. Get your minds out of the gutter, people! Perhaps she anonymously emails or faxes — is that still a thing? — incriminating documents to Naomi. That might ultimately help prove the allegations being made against Mike while also helping to heal the rift between Hayley and Naomi. Ultimately, it could lead to the Dupree clan softening their stance toward Hayley, helping to propel her into her next storyline. And of course, when the truth about Hayley’s actions eventually came to light — this is, after all, a soap, where nothing stays hidden forever — it would cause big marital problems between her and Bill.

Wigging out over baby dads and step dads

How many wigs does LSD (LeslieSherryDana) have? Did she get all of them during Party City’s going out of business sale? And how many other aliases does she have? Adding “Anna” to the mix totally ruins my acronym.

Where is this ex-husband that Leslie speaks of? The Internet seems to think she killed him. The timeline isn’t entirely clear to me, but what if Leslie offed him because she became obsessed with Ted and conjured up in her mind that he was Eva’s daddy.

As I am typing this column, it just occurred to me: What if Leslie isn’t a former jump off, but rather one of Ted’s former patients? I don’t know how “wacky” the show might want to get, but what if “Dana” became obsessed with Ted and wanted him to make her look like Nicole? Ted gets a restraining order against his patient, leading Leslie to concoct this idea that he walked out on her. This could all be crazy talk, but at 3:33 a.m. — which is when I’m writing this —  it all makes sense to me.

Scratch that… but maybe not entirely

Of course, after Friday’s show aired… this appears to not be the case. Leslie claims she got pregnant a a result of her situationship with Ted — something he didn’t deny. She also claimed to have had an abortion. But do we know that she was really pregnant in the first place? She could have gotten pregnant by another man, and is now trying to pass Eva off as Ted’s daughter. $50,000 to make Leslie/Dana go away? Ted should be smart enough to know that no amount of money is going to make this crazy woman go away.

See, LSD+A, when you are schemey and sketchy, you cannot be believed! As a result, I have a dozen different scenarios about what’s really going on. And who is this lawyer Ted mentioned? Hmm… this is all very twisty.

I am glad that Eva wasn’t made into a one-dimensional character. Seeing her torn between LSD’s version of events and what she’s seen with her own eyes has been so much fun. Ambyr Michelle has quickly become a favorite performer of mine.

Beyond the Gates

Here are some rapid fire thoughts on other action from the week gone by.

There is no multi-tasking in Fairmont Crest!

I don’t understand why Chelsea cannot model part-time and work on her fashion line. At the very least, she could have agreed to be the face of the big charity event for the next three years. It’s a once-a–year thing. And she could have worn the special dress that we’ve heard so much about. For someone who is all about making a splash on social media, it is unbelievable to me that Chelsea can’t see that the gala would be huge for her future luxury line.

Et tu, daddy?

I called it in last weeks’ column that Marcel was on the take. What I did not see coming was that Jacob’s dad, the unfortunately named Elon, might also be a crooked cop. Is Jacob going to be put in the position of having to take down his partner and his dad? The scandal!

A new entrant to favorite feud race

I’ve been vocal about loving the Kat and Eva animosity — especially if they really are related. But hold their beer: Thanks to their uptown restaurant face off, Hayley and Naomi have rocketed up the chart. I could have watched an entire episode of them going back and forth.

A bad wrap and

Anita Dupree really needed to heed Coco Chanel’s advice to “look in the mirror and take off one accessory” before leaving the house. That necklace she wore to breakfast was a definite no from me. However, she more than made up for her poor choice in accessories by spitting rhymes. Move over, Cardi Z and Megan the Mustang…

https://twitter.com/AUTigers4Ever/status/1904436426575356112

Reasons not to buy Temu phones

What kind of phones are these folks using — especially the younger ones. Do neither Tyrell nor Kat have any sort of lock screen on their devices? C’mon! It’s 2025! It was way too easy for Eva to delete Kat’s surveillance footage, and apparently even easier for Tyrell’s classmate to send compromising photos. Hairdresser – 1, Bougie Bitch from Behind the Gates – 0, and Tyrell – 0.

Jealous much?

Hayley’s jealousy about Bill hugging some other woman is well placed. You lose ’em how you got ’em, girl. That aside, Bill’s explanation of why he was hugging a woman who may or may not have been a co-worker, client, opposing counsel, disgruntled spouse, or mermaid was lame.

Hide your wife, hide your fingers

The other relatively big surprise of the week was Joey rolling up on Vanessa McBride in the restaurant. Joey claimed to need help finding a forever home for his mom, but I am not entirely sure that this woman even exists.

What is his interest in Vanessa? Is it to cause Doug to spiral and get sloppy (sloppier?) with his gambling? Does he want in on the action that Diego has been getting in the clubhouse spa? Is he planning to buy up all the houses at Fairmont Crest and kick everyone out?

What about your friends?

I really like Randy. The way that the is constantly trying to look out for Doug is kind of sweet. You don’t often find friends like that and I hope Doug one day learns how Randy was trying to help him. Of course, the fact that Randy is going against boss man Joey probably isn’t going to end well for him.

Now that I have become the master of disguises thanks to LSD’s leftover wigs, I am pretty sure that I can continue sneaking into Fairmont Crest undetected. 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.

Follow my Random Acts of Dan

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.

To keep up with all of the shenanigans I engage in on social media, please consider giving my a follow on Bluesky, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, and TwitterX.

Life outside the gates

My former Two Scoops columnists Liz Masters and Tamilu have joined me here on my personal web site — and they are still writing about General Hospital. Check out Liz’s latest GH column, The Ex-Files.

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

dan