Hangnails, Hangovers, and Huge Heart-shattering Problems: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending April 24, 2026.
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This was more of a hangnail kind of week on Beyond the Gates than a huge heart-shattering problem one. There were some memorable plot moments that maybe seem to be setting up drama ahead. But as we inch closer to May, things were decidedly low key.
I mean, Grayson might argue that a lab tech blood smuggler getting jabbed in the gut isn’t very low key. I’d probably agree. Other than that, though, this was more of a week about building character story. There were some new interactions, a little bit of backstory, and possibly a set-up for drama to come next week. And there will be drama… but more on that near the end of this week’s column.
Getting to Know You
It was an interesting week for everyone’s celebrity real estate agent. I’ve said it before, but newer readers might have missed it and, to be honest, it’s worth repeating. Vanessa McBride has been the absolute surprise of Beyond the Gates. For weeks it seemed like she was a sex-crazed scatterbrain. We would eventually learn that there was a whole lot more going on there than met the eye. In fact, Vanessa might be the most complex character on the entire canvas.
Lauren Buglioli was perfectly cast as Vanessa. I was unfamiliar with her work prior to February 2025, so, like much of the Beyond the Gates cast, I wasn’t sure how she’d work out on the show. She has been an absolute star and I fully expect to see her name listed as a Daytime Emmy nominee later this year.
But back to the fictional Vanessa. She had some fun girl talk with Dani at the start of the week. It’s interesting to see how Vanessa’s relationship varies with each Dupree sister. With Dani, Vanessa can be a little more unbuttoned, a little more silly and a bunch more naughty. It might have been a safer bet for Vanessa to ask for a double date with Dani and Andre, but I don’t think that Vanessa needs Dani’s approval as much as she needs Nicole’s.
Keeping Your Enemies (Too) Close
Speaking of double dates, I don’t know what to make of Vanessa cozying up to Leslie. At the start of everything, it was implied that Vanessa wanted to infiltrate LSD (that’s Leslie/Sherry/Dana, if you’re a newer reader) and Marcel Malone’s world. I guess she’s still not aware that Marcel would do just about anything for Joey. Actually, she might want to stay unaware of that.
When Vanessa and LSD’s getting-to-know-you session kicked off, it looked like a terrible idea. It wasn’t until Vanessa, in her pink outfit from the Elle Woods Collection, said that Leslie and Marcel have a “matching charm” that LSD let down her guard a little. This is where I could no longer tell if Vanessa was still fishing for a way in or if she genuinely wanted to get to know Leslie. Maybe in her mind, Leslie is the “Joey” of the Leslie/Marcel relationship. Few people in town approve of Joey, and probably fewer are fans of Leslie Thomas.
As things progressed, it almost seemed to me like Vanessa was… dare I say… bonding with Leslie. This has got to violate some sort of girl code. Vanessa chumming it up with the woman who torched her BFF’s marriage? Yes, you can argue that Ted is the one that torched his marriage to Nicole, but Leslie has flat-out made life miserable for Nicole. The idea of Vanessa cozying up to her is a big no. Enn Ohh. NO.
Brokering a Ceasefire
We did not get to see Joey and Marcel’s male bonding, but we did get to see him reach some sort of Strait of Hormuz détente with Nicole. It was refreshing to see Joey and Nicole both admit that they could have handled the double date a little better. Ya think?
I have no idea how long Nicole and Joey will be able to play nice, but I do think that they have a better understanding of each other. They both realize that the other is important to Vanessa, so I am hoping that their mutual love for Vanessa will at least keep things civil.
Strictly as a viewer – and author of a Beyond the Gates commentary – it was a lot of fun watching Daphnée Duplaix and Jon Lindstrom have their icy meeting of the minds. It was probably just as much fun as the equally tense Orphey Gene’s conversation with Dani. Lindstrom has chemistry with everyone. I think that’s part of the reason that Joey’s character has been so successful. Joey isn’t a nice a guy. It’s very hard to make a murdering mobster likable. I don’t know that another actor would have been able to keep Joey this interesting.
Framed!
Meanwhile, what could be the biggest mystery in Beyond the Gates history was dropped on us at the end of Thursday’s episode. Who in the hell are those people in the picture frame that Vanessa took to Joey’s house?
The Evil Richard Simms, who I usually try to keep far, far away from my columns, sent me an urgent message asking if I knew who the people were because he needed to know for an article he was writing about on Soaps.com. My first thought was that the people were the random people that come default anytime you buy a new picture frame. Why? Because Vanessa obviously can’t put a photo of Doug or her kids on Joey’s mantle. This would be a way to have something of her own at Joey’s without the associated risks.
My second thought was that it looked maybe sorta kinda like the new “Jaylen” character that I talked about in last weeks’ column. The photo was small and angled, so it’s tough to say. Maybe Jaylen is Vanessa’s brother-in-law? Does Vanessa even have a sister?
It turns out that a little patience would have gone a long way. In the next episode, Vanessa explained the picture frame – and in doing so confirmed that I was right. Sort of. The couple in the photo was John and Jane Campbell from Aspen, Colorado. What, you don’t know who they are? Neither did Vanessa. The randos were just a way for Vanessa to snap a photo of herself and Joey.
Bonus Advice
It was interesting to see Anita dole out unsolicited life advice to Vanessa, who honestly had just dropped by to give Anita a planner she’d bought as a gift. It was even more interesting to see how differently Vanessa reacted to Anita saying the same thing that everyone else has been saying. We’ve gotten to see the origin story of Vanessa and Nicole’s friendship and now I want to find out how Vanessa met Anita and Vernon for the first time. Maybe we’d even get to see Doug in a newly created flashback.
Redistricting Is the Least of His Problems
Martin’s decision to run for the U.S. Senate baffles me. I don’t question his political ambitions, per se. He’s the grandson of a renowned former Senator, so that makes sense. It’s his decision to move forward knowing that he has this major secret hanging over him.
I try to avoid real-world politics in this column because I like to keep the real world and the pretend world as far apart as possible. However, there have been several recent real-world scandals in politics that make for perfect examples of why Martin’s decision to move forward is as reckless as Smitty’s off-the-books investigating.
Somehow… somehow the Duprees have managed to keep the details of the encounter with KKKenneth and his brother buried. It’s hard to keep a secret when only two people know the truth, but there are at least half-a-dozen folks who know what happened that night on the side of the road. Since both Kenneth and his brother are no longer with us, most of the people who know the truth are firmly in Martin’s corner. But there are two wild cards – Bill Hamilton and Joey Armstrong.
Secrets Rarely Stay Secrets
Bill probably wouldn’t blab since he could also be implicated in the fallout. But remember when Joey tried to get Bill to run for office? Is there a way that Bill could expose Martin and somehow remain unscathed? I haven’t quite figured that out. Joey, on the other hand, might also want to remain quiet since he has a whole lot of questionable activities of his own. I’d have to imagine that drawing any attention to himself could be bad for him… and Vanessa.
Could someone anonymously leak the information to the press? Could a member of the press leak the info? Yeah, I am talking about Smitty. Right now, Martin and Smitty are very much in love – even if Smitty doesn’t want his husband to run for Senate. If things turned acrimonious between the two, could Smitty turn on Martin? Divorces can get messy. I am not trying to put the cart before the horse here and I don’t want “Smarty,” as they are affectionately called, to split. That said, Martin and Smitty rarely seem to function as a couple or as a team. They sure do keep a lot of secrets from each other.
On top of that, Smitty is a hypocrite. He chides Martin for keeping secrets when he is doing exactly the same thing. Smitty, though, hides his lies of omission behind investigative journalist. Smitty clearly doesn’t believe that his husband is part of the “red market” operation, so why not tell him what’s going on? Does he not trust Martin to stay silent? If so, that’s another sign of problems in their marriage.
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.
Crazy Dumb In Love
I know Bill is supposedly a beast in the courtroom, but outside of it? He might be as dumb as everyone on social media says he is. Hayley closes one of their accounts without his permission, claims not to know that she could have moved the money to an existing account automatically, and Bill barely raises his voice? Nope. Meanwhile, Hayley was pricing new Maseratis. I’m not saying that Bill deserves to be bilked out of his squillions of dollars, but I don’t get this blind spot that he has for Hayley. He deals with criminals — er, alleged criminals — almost every day and he hasn’t seen the warning signs in his own home?
Jinxed!
Do you believe in jinxes? I ask because I am pretty sure that Tomas just put a whammy on himself by pledging to be around for “many more Kat days” to come. I might not have thought anything of it had actor Alex Alegria not been dropped to recurring status earlier in the month. Will his investigation into Lynette Wise result in him ending up like Lynette?
Anita’s Milkshake Brings Vernon to the Yard
It looks like we dodged a bullet with Vernon’s memory lapses. At least for now, it all appears to be the result of a vitamin D deficiency. However, Madison did order more tests, so we aren’t quite out of the woodwork yet. The Duprees have a whole lot of medical drama and potentially more to come with Dani and Naomi. Kam, who has been reading my column for quite some time, made a really good point. “For another family member to be facing another health crisis right now seems like a bit much too soon.”
It was a cute moment when Anita threatened to fatten Vernon up with some of her famous milkshakes.
Derek Baldwin, Psychic Medium
It looks like Derek was right about Grayson, Ashley. We all knew that Grayson was sketchy, but no one on-screen had reason to believe that. Sure, Derek’s “suspicion” could have simply been brought on by jealousy. Whatever Spidey sense he was using, Ashley should have listened. I’ve now added her to my list of “People Who Might Get Offed By Ren ‘n Them” list.
Jagged Little Pill
Ren went stabby stabby all the things this week. Meredith Grey doesn’t have to worry about him coming for her job any time soon. First, Ren jammed a scalpel into Grayson’s abdomen. Later, he was ready to cut a tic-tac-toe board into Rashad, er, Jacob. Rashacob? I don’t see Grayson succumbing to his injuries, but I don’t see him being long for life in the DMV.
Two Lovers
Nicole may claim that she’s happy to have dating options, but as an objective observer it seems Nicole likes Kial a lot more than Carlton. Maybe it’s the newness of him. Nicole smiles and laughs more when she’s around Kial. That said, I still think Nicole has thought about being with both men at the same time.
Quick Takes
If Martin has put his secret to bed, as he claims, then why is he still having nightmares?
Folks on social media have been complaining about Anita and Vernon not having a bedroom set. Well, they might since there is officially a date for them to resume having sexytimes.
Fans were screaming on social media that it was ridiculous that the hospital cameras didn’t capture Grayson’s attack. Again, the writers were prepared for that. Ren made it clear that Lia (or someone else) had taken the camera off line.
We Interrupt This Program…
It looks like Beyond the Gates will be preempted a bunch of days over the next two weeks. The show will be booted off the daytime calendar by CBS coverage of soccer on Tuesday, April 28, and Wednesday, April 29. It’s rinse and repeat the following week. The preemptions were planned, so there will be no “lost” episodes as a result of the scheduling change.
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’d rather focus on your curves than any guy’s angles.”
Joey explaining why he prefers Vanessa’s company to any male bonding.
“There really is a lid for every warped pot.”
Joey’s assessment of the always warped Leslie Thomas.
“I am planting myself firmly in the no beef zone.”
Dani “Switzerland” Dupree after hearing Vanessa talk about the infamous double date.
“If Beelzebub Leslie popped out of that cake, I would have been unbothered.”
Kat dismissing that asking Eva to join her birthday party was any sort of momentous moment.
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.
Soap math has never made sense, but Brenda has some serious questions.
There is always a troublemaker in every group. This week, the role of troublemaker is being played by Christina.
LaTorre sees a pattern of when the drama kicks into high gear in Fairmont Crest.
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. Tamilu is on deck with week with a new column called, Darling, Can’t You Hear Me?.
To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section.
dan
“Anita’s milkshake brings Vernon to the yard.” 😆 🤣🤣Love it!
Please do not encourage my shenanigans LOL.