Beyond the Gates commentary: Welcome to Fairmont Crest

For the first time since the 1900s, there’s a new soap in town. And even though it’s just started, Beyond the Gates is already delivering the ground-breaking soapy goodness that viewers have been craving.

I have to say, I had long given up on the idea that there would ever be a new soap opera to write about. In my storied career of covering the world of daytime dramas, I’ve had the opportunity to watch a handful of soaps from Day One: The City, Passions, Port Charles, and Sunset Beach. But unfortunately, I’ve also had the sad job of writing about the end of way too many soaps: All My Children, Another World, As the World Turns, Guiding Light, One Life to Live, and the four previously mentioned soaps.

Let’s be honest, after 20 years goes by and the number of soaps on the air shrinks from a dozen to just four, you sort of have to admit that the likelihood of a new soap is slim to none. So it was the best birthday gift ever when, back on March 6, 2024, word broke that a new soap would soon be hitting the airwaves. Nearly a year later, our daytime family has grown with the launch of Beyond The Gates.

In the subsequent eleven months that followed the announcement, my mind ran rampant with questions. Which actors would be a part of the cast? Would the world embrace another entry into what the masses seem to refer to as a dying artform? What would be the first word spoken on the new soap?

Perhaps the biggest question I had (and still have) is how did this even happen? I want to have a sit-down interview with everyone involved in bringing the show to life and ask them all the questions that fans really want to know. For example, what changed to suddenly make a television network realize that new scripted entertainment in daytime was a good business decision?

Full of all the Emotions

I hadn’t planned to write this Two Scoops-style column about Beyond the Gates. In fact, I had to get some legal guidance to make sure that I could. Trust me when I say that the last nine months of my life have unnecessarily been a soap opera all their own. But, as they say, I digress.

One of the under-the-radar things that I really, really like about Beyond the Gates is that it seems to exist in the real world. We’ve gotten mentions of real-life things, like Instagram. In the past, we’ve had to endure things like “Facespace.” The show opened with an actual chart-topping song, “Best of My Love” by the Emotions. The dialogue has mentioned known luxury brands and referenced “red bottom” shoes. And framed cover art from the very real Ebony magazine adorn the walls of Dani’s home. Even having “Real Housewife” Karen Huger appear in the premiere episode was a fun break in the space/time continuum.

Same script, different cast? No.

The show’s large cast also allows for something else we don’t really get to see elsewhere in daytime: story that involves and revolves around characters other than the so-called “main characters.” There are patrons in the restaurants, co-workers in the places of businesses, and extras even get to have lines. Friends gather to gossip and spend time together without the need for it to be some heavy-handed plot device.

The large cast also allows for different stories to be told at the same time. Whereas some soaps tell the same main story day after day, leading to viewer fatigue, Beyond the Gates hasn’t been afraid to allow stories to breathe.

The show also hasn’t shied away from contemporary topics and has juggled them well, things like sexual fluidity and polyamory. All of this leads to some a sort of soap opera/reality hybrid that has sorely been missing from the airwaves.

And let’s not forget that for a lot of viewers — too many — this is the first time that they’ve been able to watch a soap opera and see themselves or family members represented. This isn’t Winters Wednesday, where people of color pop up in story once a week.

No Some dinnerware was harmed during the making of this program

I’ve seen many mainstream publications referring to Karla Mosley as the “breakout star” of Beyond the Gates. While I won’t disagree with their assessment that Karla is brilliant, I do take issue with their assertion that Karla is some sort of newcomer.

Daytime fans have been familiar with Mosley since her 2008 debut as Christina Moore on Guiding Light. She truly came into her own five years later in the groundbreaking role of Maya Avant on The Bold and the Beautiful. Maya coming out as a transgender woman served as a tectonic shift to B&B’s love triangle heavy storytelling. However, just as quickly as the story came to the foreground, it also faded into oblivion. Mosley was wholly underutilized on B&B and her unceremonious exit left a bad taste in the mouths of many viewers.

One woman, two cups

In the weeks leading up to the Beyond the Gates premiere, all we knew about Mosley’s new character, Dani Dupree, was that she had some sort of hatred for coffee mugs. Oh, and she loved to slap people and use golf putters for purposes that they were not intended. Now that we’ve gotten know her, let’s just say that she is… complicated.

Dani makes it really hard to root for her sometimes because she makes some not good decisions. Ma’am why did you flirt your way into your ex-husband’s house with a wedding gift only to chug down his bottle of fancy wine and fall asleep on his sofa?! I suppose that’s pittance compared to brandishing and firing a gun at his wedding. They really should have let her go to Paris.

I’ve seen articles refer to Dani Dupree as the “Black Erica Kane.” That’s high praise, but also a disservice to Karla and her fictional character. Dani is her own woman. She doesn’t need to be measured by someone else’s yardstick.

As an aside, I would like to see The Bold and the Beautiful acknowledge the contribution that Mosley made to the show. As we see a rise in transphobia, B&B should tackle the story head-on. Maya’s death could bring the soap back to its era of telling social issue stories. It would also give story to those that loved her and bring Rick Forrester and Nicole Avant back into the fold.

A woman on the edge

I’ll admit that during the premiere week of Beyond The Gates some characters’ presence seemed more like an afterthought. Or maybe not so much an afterthought as they seemed spliced into episodes just to let us know that they were going to be a part of the show. It was, at times, a bit jarring. One of the biggest “Why are they here” characters was Dana “Leslie” (and occasionally “Sherry”) Thomas.

Fast forward to week three and boy, what a difference. Trisha Mann-Grant is absolutely delicious. Leslie is equal parts crazy, wicked, and hilarious. It’s a little reminiscent of Lynn Whitfield’s performance in A Thin Line Between Love and Hate. I find myself on the edge of my seat wanting someone to stop Leslie… but also saying, “Well, maybe not until she does something really nuts.” She is everything a soap opera villainess should be, and it reminds me of how I felt about Helga Voynitzeva on All My Children. I just hope things end better for Leslie.

Until Leslie/Dana met her “Teddy Bear,” I wasn’t really sure that she even knew Ted Williamson. I suspected we might be getting an obsession storyline. We still are, but at least we know that these two people know each other. Now, whether or not Ted is actually the father of Dana’s child is a totally different story.

Like mother, like… daughter?

That leads me to another admission: I’ve also changed my opinion of Eva Thomas, played wonderfully by Ambyr Michelle. What I am particularly impressed by is how quickly Ambyr has adapted to the frenetic pace of filming a soap. The first week jitters were admittedly on full display, but she has settled in and has started to really bring Eva to life.

The relationship between Eva and Lesliesherrydana (that needs to be shortened into its own smooshed name at some point! LSD, maybe?) is fascinating to me. In the beginning, they were both clearly on the same side. Now, I am not sure where things stand. When we found out that Eva was the one who had Leslie kicked out of the awards banquet? Insert Beyoncé winning at the Grammys photo here.

There’s a greater message being told here. Imagine being told for your entire life that a person or an entire group of people are a certain way. Then, when you have the opportunity to meet someone, you realize that everything you’ve been told has been told to you through a certain lens.

Side note: Are we even sure that Eva really is LSD’s daughter? No offense, but Leslie does sort of give me steal-a-baby-from-the-hospital vibes.

Electile dysfunction

I have to be honest: Martin and Smitty are one of the least interesting couples on Beyond the Gates at the moment. I had to give the TV some serious side eye when, during our introduction to this couple, they gave each other a lukewarm embrace while everyone else was full-on making out or literally engaging in cuffing season in the bedroom.

Was this a blatant attempt to tone down the presence of a same-sex couple during the show’s premiere week? The P&G-produced soaps have, in the past, been a bit timid with their same-sex pairings. With each passing week, we’ve gotten closer to parity. In fact, we recently even got a Smartin (Is that their smooshed name?) kiss.

But kiss aside, I don’t believe that Martin and Smitty love each other. I don’t know if it’s a chemistry thing between the actors or an intentional depiction of the friction in their marriage. With the kids nearly out of high school, Smitty understandably wants to focus on himself. It’s unfortunate that his job could, potentially, cause trouble for hubby Martin’s political aspirations. It’s a little cavemannish for Martin to insist that his life partner put his own hopes, dreams, and aspirations on permanent ice.

Secrets and ambitions

I am also a little eye-rolly when it comes to Martin wanting to run for president. I am all for getting someone under the age of 112 in the Oval Office, but it doesn’t quite seem to me that Martin has the experience needed to make a run for the nation’s top office. And before you even head to the comments, I am keeping this focused on fictional politics.

I am, however, wildly interested in is finding out what Martin’s big secret is. My first thought was that he had shot and killed someone who was attacking him. Now, though, with his obsession about locked doors, I am wondering if he shot and killed an intruder/burglar. Based on Bill’s comments, I am also guessing that the legal eagle used some of his magic tricks to make whatever happened to Martin “disappear.”

The rest of the community

There are so many things to write about in this first column and this column has already stretched longer than the average attention span. That said, I do want to comment on a few other things — and I promise to keep it brief. Just like Dani promised to leave Bill and Hayley alone.

You’ve got to know when to fold ’em

I can’t wait to see where the gambling storyline goes. It was painful to see how easily Doug could be convinced to rack up debt. I am thinking that Joey is going to try to get Dr. McBride to supply him with opioids. The only other options that I can think of would be access to private patient information or… gulp!… asking the renowned cardiologist to allow someone to die on the operating table. Jon Lindstrom, who I can assure you is a nice guy in real life, is a little too good at playing bad guys.

I keep forgettin’

Amnesia and soap opera are like peanut butter and jelly. And as often as it has been overdone on soaps, I kind of wanted Derek’s memory issues to go on a little longer than they did. I was crushed when the firefighter had to ask Ashley to remind him of her name.

Big Sean

If we are talking about breakout stars on Beyond the Gates, for me it’s Sean Freeman. His Andre Richardson has chemistry with everyone and I suspect that a lot of viewers would like to have, um, chemistry with him, too. I know Andre has backstory. You don’t have that much swag without having some secrets.

Unless we get a little crazy

Daphnée Duplaix has been one of the best surprises. I remember her stints on both One Life to Live and Passions, but I don’t remember her commanding the screen in the way that she does now. Her grounded presence while everyone else is sort of spiraling makes for good television. But… I don’t expect her to remain calm, cool, and level-headed with “LSD” drops her baby bombshell.

Sugar, sugar

Has anyone figured out that Bill Hamilton used to be a pro basketball player and has a whole family living in Louisiana? That’s a random Queen Sugar reference in case it went over your head. It’s been fun watching Timon Kyle Durrett adapt to the daytime format. Bill is similar to Davis West in some ways, but Bill is much more ruthless.

I’ve liked the progression with Marquita Goings’ Hayley Lawson. She’s gone from Miss Take Ya Man to something a little more complex. She has been begging Bill to let go of his past with Dani and focus on their future together. As irrational as the Château de la Colete guzzling Dani has been, I am starting to agree with her: Bill still has feelings for her.

Game, set, match

Another character that needs a quick mention are the many sets on Beyond the Gates. I’m sure having a state-of-the-art studio in Atlanta helps, but the production and scenic designers have done a phenomenal job with the sets. Spacious, colorful, lively. Characters are not simply standing in the middle of a room talking. No, they are flowing through the space, sometimes multiple times in the same scene.

Beyond the Gates

I’ve so been enjoying Beyond the Gates. It’s been fun having my non-soap-viewing friends watch the show and to be able to share the experience with them. It’s also been a lot of fun to be able to share my thoughts again on what is going on in daytime. For the past six months or so, I’ve been hanging out and enjoying “retirement” behind the gates here at Kroll Manor. I’ve been writing about that here on my site, so feel free to give that a read. If you’d like me to continue writing about Beyond the Gates, scroll down to the comments section and let me know. And while you’re there, let me know what you think about the show.

dan

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