Don’t Disturb This Wa: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending January 9,2026.
Welcome to 2026! The entire first season of Beyond the Gates is back up on Paramount+ and all is right with the world. Well, maybe not all.
This is my first new column of the New Year. If you took some time away from the computer over the holidays, you’re not alone. I posted two special year-end columns to take a look back at the first year of Beyond the Gates. If you missed them, you can check them out at any time: here is a link to my Best of Beyond the Gates 2025 column and here’s where you can check out my Worst of Beyond the Gates 2025 column.
We’ve officially entered the second season of Beyond the Gates and there have been some changes that we need to talk about. The biggest thing, I think, is that there were some casting changes.
It appears that the Ashley/Derek relationship drama has come to a close. Ben Gavin (Derek Baldwin) has been taken off contract. It sort of makes sense since we saw very, very little of Derek in the first season when compared to some of the other performers.
Lately, though, Derek has had more in the way of story potential. Derek has a new love interest and we still don’t know if he’ll be able to return to work. Does Derek and his story… just end? Does the entire cast of firefighters go up in smoke?
It’s always important to note that some of the show’s talent may only have signed on to appear in a single season of Beyond the Gates. It’s also possible that some characters were only intended to help launch the series.
He’s Here. He Sneers. Get Used To It.
Jon Lindstrom (Joey Armstrong) is now on contract with the show. You’re forgiven if you already thought he was. After all, we’ve seen Joey more than a lot of the other contract players and he’s certainly had some of the juiciest story since Beyond the Gates launched back in February 2025.
I know that Lindstrom and Beyond the Gates creator/head writer/executive producer Michele Val Jean are long-time friends. I’m wondering if she created the character of Joey with Lindstrom in mind. I know that I can’t see another actor in the role. As I mentioned in Best of 2025 column, I think Joey’s antics would have grown stale under any other performer. Jon Lindstrom has been able to tap into the best aspects of all of his previous daytime characters and deliver a one-of-a-kind, devilish baddie that daytime needs.
Regardless of your feelings for Joey, the character certainly has added a bit of spice to the storyline. For the longest time, we just saw Joey as the mobster casino owner. Then he became romantically entangled with Vanessa McBride. We learned of his entanglement with the Duprees as a result of Martin and Vernon’s encounter with KKKenneth. That entanglement also ensnared legal eagle Bill Hamilton and a chunk of the police department.
Iron Man Versus Medusa
Now we have Joey becoming involved with another town pariah, Leslie Thomas. The scenes between Joey and Leslie had so many layers. On the surface, the two were talking about starting a free clinic. But when you started looking into it more, there was a weird sexual thing and a lot of humor. When Joey mocked Leslie’s use of “Ted-dee,” I laughed out loud. I was equally amused when LSD (that’s my abbreviation for the woman known as Leslie/Sherry/Dana) tried to hug Joey and he held up his hand and deadpanned, “Don’t touch me.” There were more laughs when Leslie mistakenly believed that Joey wanted to have sex with her and he replied, “I don’t need a tug and a tickle.”
I don’t think the free clinic is going to get off the ground, but I have no idea what is going to kill the project. The simplest reason would be that no one wants to be involved in a project that involves Leslie and/or Joey. From there, the other reasons I’ve come up with include Leslie running out of money, Joey and/or Leslie being sent to jail, or maybe some sort of logistical issue – zoning, lack of properties, or something like that.
One of the things that I am most looking forward to in 2026 is Vanessa finding out about Joey’s involvement in Doug’s death. For whatever reason, I like Joey and Vanessa together. I don’t think they are in a healthy relationship by any stretch of the imagination. If you Google “toxic relationship,” I am sure you’ll find an image of these two. I just like all of the twistiness that is their relationship and knowing that it is a powder keg waiting to explode.
Unpopular opinion: I’d actually be fine with Joey’s secret staying a secret until 2027. The longer that Vanessa and Joey stay in each other’s orbit, the more explosive that reveal will be. I don’t know about anyone else, but I cannot wait to see Lauren Buglioli (Vanessa McBride) act her butt off when Vanessa learns the truth.
Hooked on LSD
On the other side of the villain coin is Dana Leslie Thomas. I have no idea what this thing is that she has going on with Marcel Malone, but it’s an oddly enjoyable cringe. Their sexual innuendo is way too much information. Yet, like Vanessa and Joey, there is something so wrong about it that I find myself fascinated by it.
There is the potential for Marcel to go rogue and start working with Leslie. Malone knows enough secrets to give LSD the ammunition she needs to take down the entire DMV. Revealing the information could get Malone killed, but he’d go down swinging.
I don’t think that Leslie necessarily needs to be given any more leverage over the Duprees or anyone else for that matter. As I mentioned in my Worst of 2025 column, I think most viewers wants to see Leslie suffer some kind of loss. She’s gotten away with a little too much and it is time for karma to swoop in and even up the score a little bit.
Another thing about the Leslie/Malone relationship is that it has started to distance LSD from Ted. I’m pretty sure Leslie will always want to be Ted’s partner, but with other, more realistic opportunities, Leslie at least has another man to orbit. I think Leslie’s interest in Malone gives her character a chance to breathe. The all Ted, all the time was beginning to grate on my nerves.
Double Trouble
I still haven’t figured out if Leslie is in this to alleviate the threat of Malone poking around into her life. Is Leslie hoping that the kitty will be good enough to make Malone not want to see her carted off to jail? Was Malone even really interested in having Leslie arrested in the first place?
It’s these questions – and similarly all of us wondering if Vanessa has been playing Joey – that make Beyond the Gates so enjoyable. We’re sort of left to try to figure things out as the action plays out on-screen. I do think, though, that that ambiguity has prompted some fans to accuse the writers of making things up as they go, but I don’t see it that way. We aren’t spoon-fed a single possibility, and the writers don’t seem to feel obligated to tell us everything on our schedule.
All Anita I Need Is A Miracle
I won’t lie: I am still not loving that we learned about Anita’s cancer diagnosis over the holiday. I know that bad news doesn’t take time off. And I also know that the diagnosis added an extra element to what should have been a happy time. And I know that a cancer diagnosis in the middle of April isn’t any better than one at the end of December.
The whole thing just sucks and I want Anita to be healthy again.
The cancer storyline has brought out all of the emotions and really seen the cast step up even more than they have.
Tamara Tunie (Anita Dupree) has been simply excellent. Her “reserved” reaction really rings true to me. She is a celebrity from a high-profile family and there are implied expectations of how someone of that status “should” react. It wasn’t until Tracy pushed and needled Anita that we finally saw some of that carefully constructed façade crumble.
The End of the Fairytale?
Even the usually strong and stoic Vernon Dupree gave a glimpse at the pain and fear he is feeling. Seeing Vernon break down on daughter Dani’s shoulder… was a lot to absorb.
Back in the summer (June 14, 2024 column: Skankaroni and poison apples), I thought that Vernon might be the one to get sick or possibly die. There was a period of time when he said a whole lot of loving, but eerie things. Things like, and I am paraphrasing here, he’d always be there for her, and that his love was eternal.
I certainly didn’t want something bad to happen to Vernon, but I couldn’t help but wonder if Beyond the Gates was going to make a big, buzzy move. Plus, the Dupree family is a very female-dominated family. Aside from Vernon, Martin is the only other male who is biologically part of the Dupree family. I had wondered if the show would lean into that by having Vernon pass away.
Now I am worried about Anita.
Whenever the “star” of a movie or show is in peril, you pretty much know that they aren’t going anywhere. Ridge Forrester isn’t really going to die when he falls out of a helicopter and into the Persian Gulf. Rambo is never going to be killed by the 13,912 other people with guns. He’ll use his one bullet to somehow kill them all.
Anything Can Happen
It doesn’t feel that way on Beyond the Gates. It feels like anything could happen. Again, I am not trying to put out negative energy into the universe. Sorry if that sounds like something Madison’s mom might say. I cannot envision Beyond the Gates “curing” Anita of cancer with some magical potion made of unicorn tears the way other soaps might.
So, does that mean that we will soon have to say goodbye to Anita? I don’t think so… but I honestly don’t know the answer. I cannot imagine Beyond the Gates without Anita Dupree. Also, I cannot imagine the show without Tamara Tunie – or Tunie wanting to leave the show.
When I was discussing this with the Evil Richard Simms (my playful nickname for my soap journalist colleague Richard Simms) the other week, he noted that Tunie already has another role on the show, Anita impersonator Jackie Tyree. So, there could be a way to keep Tunie on the show if the worst were to happen.
I think that the uncertainty of the storyline makes the story more impactful. I am more invested in the story because I don’t know the outcome. Like the rest of the Duprees, I want to make sure that I savor every moment with Anita.
An Impending Katastrophe
That brings me to Katharine Richardson. Kat’s reaction has been the topic of discussion in more than a few social media threads. It’s easy to watch from the comfort of a sofa and claim that Kat refusing to undergo genetic testing is “dumb” or “unrealistic.” I actually understood Kat’s explanation of wanting to live blissfully ignorant. It might not be the wisest medical decision, but from a mental health perspective I get it.
We saw this during the HIV epidemic and even during the COVID pandemic. You might “know” that you’re ill, but the lack of a definitive test result gives you the chance to pretend it’s not real. No, it doesn’t change the truth… it just provides a delay to the heartache.
Once again, Colby Natasha Nixon (Kat Richardson; formerly Colby Muhammad) was the stand-out performer. No matter how you feel about Kat’s reaction, Nixon sold it. I could feel her pain and heartbreak and fear the most.
Heart(less)-to-Heart Conversation
I also found the Bill and Anita scenes powerful. The two are not friends and there is a lot of water under the bridge between them. Still, Bill cared enough about Anita to sit with her and to share lessons from his own health scare.
I am hoping that Bill and Anita’s heart-to-heart isn’t part of foreshadowing that he and Dani will be back together before the end of season two. I do not mind that everyone’s anger toward Bill is lessening. I’d actually prefer Bill and the Duprees being in a place of peace. Anything more than that is unacceptable.
The fact that Vernon referred to Bill as a “ratty old pair of sneakers” does give me some hope that Bill won’t be worming his way back into Dani’s bed any time soon.
Forgetting the D in DNA
For as much as I am captivated by the cancer storyline, I do have a minor complaint. Per Johns Hopkins, “BRCA gene mutations can occur in women and men and be inherited by their biological children.” To that end, just because Nicole was not found to have the mutation, it doesn’t mean that Kat and Martin are necessarily in the clear. If Ted had a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, there is still a 50% chance that his children would have it, too.
Beside, Behind, and Beyond The Gates: Speed Round
Here are some of the other things on Beyond the Gates that have me thinking.
Fan Fiction
Social media was convinced that Nicole would test positive for the BRCA gene because it would lead to everyone learning that Kat and Eva were somehow switched at birth. I saw a handful of fans declare early in the week that they were going to stop watching because they “knew” that twist was coming. This serves as a good reminder that you can’t trust everything you read on social media.
I’m Coming Out
Growing up, my family did not move in the same circles as folks who had cotillions and fancy soirees like that. So, like Tyrell (as a proxy for Jessica) I have always sort of rolled my eyes at the idea. That said, I appreciated being informed about why Samantha’s cotillion was such an important event.
Ouch!
I understand that Tracy was trying to get a rise out of Anita during their conversation, but some of the things she said were… a little wow. I think the one that got my dander up the most was Tracy referring to Anita passing down her “faulty DNA” to her kids and grandkids. Tracy got what she wanted, but it still was more than a little harsh.
Prove Me Right
Last week in my Worst of Beyond the Gates 2025 column, I said, “I think Ashley is at her best when she’s single. She has good interaction with her patients, co-workers, and friends.” Not that I need to be right — but in this case I am — the banter between Ashley and Shanice proved exactly what I’d said. Teasy, nosey Ashley was fun and light. We need more of that and less of her relationship woes.
It’s Not In the Cards
I had no idea until it was mentioned on Beyond the Gates that you could play Spades with just two people. That seems… less fun. Part of the fun of four-player Spades is the trash talking and, in my extended family’s case, changing the rules mid-hand.
Where’s That Girl?
Why is it that we never see Rowena, the woman who whips up all sorts of delicacies for the Duprees? Also, as a lemonade connoisseur, I’d really like to sample some of her famous lemonade. Also, the berry crumble that she was making for Anita sounds equally tasty.
Viewer Feedback
Since I like the conversations that I have with other BTG fans, I want to start including some of your thoughts and feedback in my column.
NOTE: TwitterX was not cooperative at the time of posting this column, so I’ve had to make screenshots of the posts. You can click any of the images to be taken directly to the post.
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’m having a virgin sazerac.” — Dani
“It’s been a while since I’ve heard that term in connection with you.” — Anita
“His taste in snacks and side pieces equally trash.” — Dani, when Nicole produced one of the healthy snacks she’d previously bought for Ted.
“I was expecting a tigress, but I got a honey badger instead.” — Marcel Malone’s Yelp review of sex with Leslie.
“Stressed, hormonal, irritable, and tired.” — Dani’s acronymic way to cuss when little ears are around.
“Why are we talking about worms so early in the morning?” — Samantha in response to being told that the early bird gets the worm.
“You’re not the first man I’ve encountered that suffers from the Madonna-whore complex.” — Leslie to Joey. If you’re wondering, it is a real thing. You can read all about it here.
“I don’t need a tug and a tickle.” — Joey in response to Leslie insinuating that he wanted her.
“Trust no one. Rinse and repeat.” — Marcel Malone’s mantra for the dirty cop.
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.
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
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,Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.
To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section.
dan
