From Zero to Shakespeare: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending January 30, 2026.
I don’t know where you are as you’re reading this column, but hopefully it is somewhere warm. Here in Pennsylvania, we’ve got about a foot of snow on the ground and the temperatures have been well below freezing for over a week.
Given how the women of Fairmont Crest have been dressing, you’d be forgiven if you didn’t know it was winter in the DMV. Dani was wearing a deeper V-cut than JLo’s Versace dress and Nicole was showing all her goods and services off at Uptown.
It was a relatively uneventful week on Beyond the Gates, but there is still a lot to talk about. As we inch toward February, which soap fans will forever refer to as a “Sweeps” period, much of what happened on-screen was about setting up the big bombshell reveals set to unfold over the next few weeks.
The seeds of drama have already been planted. There’s the undercover investigation. Bill has admitted aloud that leaving Dani was a mistake. Derek is ready to clobber people. Angry husbands are confronting Madam Vanessa. Chelsea is popping pills and the question. Naomi is making important decisions without a support system.
Like Kat said, things are about to go from zero to Shakespeare.
Peeping Tomás, Junior Partner at Law
I never thought it would happen, but for the first time since February 24, 2025, Tomás Navarro became interesting. Now don’t run off to the Hallmark store to find a card for the occasion because I’m sure it will be a fleeting thing. Also, pretty sure they don’t have a “Congrats on capturing my attention” line.
I think we’ve all assumed that the only reason Tomás was promoted to junior partner at Bill’s law firm was because he saw the boss kissing his ex-wife. Yes, Tomás was on the path to partner before he caught the boss in a compromising position, but it always seemed like a dangled carrot he’d never actually reach. He catches Bill’s wandering tongue and suddenly he’s a few steps away from having his name on the door.
Even though I don’t particularly care for Tomás, I immediately wondered what he was going to do with the evidence before him. Would he blackmail his boss? Would he blab to Hayley? Might he tell Bill what he’d overheard Hayley talking about on the phone to win points? How would that go, anyway? “Hey boss. You might as well tell your current wife that you’ve been kissing your ex-wife. She’s planning to kill you anyway.”
Nope. In the end he chose to stay silent. The one time I didn’t want Tomás to be quiet and he opts to zip his lips.
Turns out it was the right thing to do. Only after Tomás got his new title that he felt the need to speak up. There was no blackmail. There was no capitulation. No, instead Tomás wanted to know what the hell Bill was thinking. It was a good question. Bill wasn’t pleased by Tomás being a little too familiar, but he had to have more of a muted reaction because of that whole potential life imploding blackmail threat thing. It was fascinating to hear Bill explain that he drifted away from Dani because she stopped being the rebellious spitfire he’d fell in love with.
Tomás actually made me chuckle when he was scoping out Kat’s mamacita at Uptown. The scenes made him feel more human, less stuffy. My secret first-time soap viewer who watches with me asked, “They’re gonna have sex, aren’t they?”
Heed the Warning
In case you were not paying attention over the past couple of weeks, three different people — Eva, Ted, and now June — have told Kat that she needs to be nicer to Eva because “someday” she might need her. On soaps, saying something once is often a harbinger of things to come. But three different people saying the same thing? Katty, you in danger, girl.
And now I think I know what the danger is… and it falls under the header of be careful what you wish for.
Remember back in the early days of Beyond the Gates when Katherine Richardson put on her detective hat and became Katlock? With her sudden interest in finding out what Jacob (and Smitty) are up to, I’m guessing Katlock is about to come out to play again. I am not sure that this is what everyone meant when they told Kat she needed to go back to her happy place, but here we are.
It’s only been a few days since Jacob and Smitty started working together on the red market sting (that’s the name for the black market blood and plasma operation) and the cop has already had to lecture the straight-laced journalist about not following directions. If Kat somehow inserts herself into the investigation, I just know that she’ll do whatever she wants. She’s not the kind of gal who believes that rules – any rules – apply to her. And, to be honest, I’m not entirely mad at that.
You Needed Me
In last week’s column, I admitted that my “doomsoaping” tendencies had me believing that something bad was going to happen to either Jacob or Smitty during this undercover operation. Now, I fear it’s Kat who’s going to end up caught in the crossfire. She will probably barge in on undercover Jacob, tip off the bad guys, and chaos will erupt.
My guess at this point – and this is all speculation so I am not including any kind of spoiler alert – is that Kat will suffer significant internal injuries and need something. A kidney, a lobe of liver, or, ironically, blood. I am not sure how or why Ted, Nicole, and/or Martin won’t be able to be a donor, but I’m guessing that it ends up being Eva who will need to step up to save Kat’s life.
There has been rampant speculation on the Internet that Kat and Eva were somehow swapped at birth. If true, that would mean that Eva could not save Kat’s life. Maybe this is where Leslie is found to be a compatible donor and the truth finally comes out. Imagine the absolute shock and awe this would cause on the canvas. I don’t think that’s what’s going to happen, but occasionally I like to take a trip to the world of fan fiction and see what’s going on there.
Beyond, Beyond the Gates
I usually don’t use this column to talk about things that haven’t happened on-screen, but there were two big news items that came out this week and I feel like they need to be addressed. Both have to do with casting, but don’t worry — I won’t reveal anything that ruins your viewing experience.
Is There a (New) Doctor in the House?
Here is something that might fall under the header of spoiler alert, but I’m not entirely sure. Earlier in the week it was revealed that Cecelia Specht has been cast as Dr. Lia Whitmore, the Chief of Staff at Garland Memorial Hospital. If you remember, Vernon briefly mentioned the doctor by her first name a few weeks back.
Not much has been said about the new character except some vague references to a “sharp turn” in her life that causes doubt and uncertainty. Might she make a mistake in the operating room? Well, that remains to be seen. Specht makes her debut in two weeks – Friday, February 13. But it sure does sound like an impending Friday cliffhanger to me.
Eagle-eyed soap fans noted that Whitmore was a family name on Generations, daytime’s other soap that featured a Black core family. Beyond the Gates creator, writer, and executive producer Michele Val Jean was a writer on Generations. Is this a clever wink to daytime’s other famous first… or could there be something more there?
The Young and the Beyond…
Speaking of things that are happening in the future, CBS also announced a worlds-colliding event that will take place this summer: a massive crossover featuring some of the stars of The Young and the Restless.
Back when ABC had more than a single soap on the air, its shows all lived in the same universe. All My Children and One Life to Live were both created by Agnes Nixon and the towns of Pine Valley and Llanview were geographic neighbors. That made it perfectly plausible that characters might move from town to town. Eventually, General Hospital was added into the mix and characters freely moved from show to show.
On CBS, all three soaps essentially have different owners. That makes crossovers a little harder because shows typically don’t want other people playing with their characters. Think of it this way: All My Children execs wouldn’t want Erica Kane visiting The Young and the Restless and then having that show’s execs turn her into a serial killer.
There won’t be any of that on the upcoming Y&R/BTG crossover. Victor Newman isn’t going to slip into town, kidnap Leslie, and leave. But Victor will be in the DMV. According to CBS, several of Genoa City’s high-profile residents will visit Fairmont Crest to aid Martin Richardson in his reelection campaign. It would seem that Vernon Dupree and Victor Newman are old pals, and Martin is friends with another Newman family member, Kyle.
…or Beyond the Restless?
This is a crossover that makes sense to me. Anita Dupree previously mentioned knowing the late Neil Winters during a brief meeting with Devon Hamilton. Plus, Kat and Chelsea are currently working to get their bags in Fenmore’s department stores. So there is an existing link between the two shows .
This is slightly spoilerish, so feel free to skip ahead to the next paragraph if you don’t want to know any of the details of the crossover. In a press release, CBS teased that Devon will field “an unexpected business opportunity from Anita Dupree.” Also, a “shocking event occurs” that will derail the fundraiser and “trigger dramatic consequences that will impact every guest in attendance.”
It’s unclear if any of the story that happens on Beyond the Gates will carry back to The Young and the Restless.
It should come as a given that any big gathering on a soap will end with some sort of drama. Martin’s fundraiser will be no exception. The question is what will provide the drama. If I had to make a guess here at the end of January I’d say that someone finds out that Martin killed KKKenneth’s brother.
Beyond, Behind, and Beside The Gates: Speed Round
Here are some of the thoughts and observations about other things happening on Beyond the Gates.
Beyond The Gates | Photo: CBS
Game. Set. Match.
If you’re someone who likes to keep score, the number is now three. Three what? New Beyond the Gates sets, of course! So far in 2026 we’ve been given Naomi and Jacob’s living room (January 19), Nicole’s bedroom (January 26), and Bill and Hayley’s bedroom (January 27).
The Zodiac Sign
My jaw hit the floor when Anita showed Nicole the binder that she’d put together to help her daughter take over as the matriarch of the family. My initial reaction was that I didn’t like to see Anita so willing to accept defeat. My second reaction was to wonder how Anita had put all that information together so fast.
Beyond that, I realized that the binder was something that I’d do. In fact, I already do have a binder put together. Mine were all put in place when I owned Soap Central because, as a sole proprietor, I wanted to make sure that things would continue to operate smoothly in the event that, for whatever reason, I was no longer in the picture. As it turns out… well, some things are better left unsaid.
I was really enjoying Anita and Vernon’s alone time at the country club. The dancing, the sense of normalcy. Then Anita ran her fingers through her hair and my heart broke.
Code Switch
I was perplexed by Dani citing girl code as the reason Shanice should not be dating Ted. Wouldn’t there also be some sort of code to advise against Nicole dating her ex-husband’s co-worker and business partner?
Why Can’t We Be Friends?
I’ve seen a lot of folks on social media criticize Kat for sticking her nose in her parents’ dating lives. I found it more interesting that Kat seems to have a problem with who her mom is seeing. The show has made a point of saying that Kat had always been closer to Ted, so maybe this is a sign that they’ll get back to that place sometime soon.
I really enjoyed Kat plopping herself down at the table with Ted and Shanice. I half-expected her to ask, “What are your intentions toward my father?” I thought it was a cute and somewhat comical bonding moment between the two women when they shared their mutual disdain for LSD (That’s Leslie/Sherry/Dana for new readers) and love of potato skins.
Model Citizen
I agree with Dani’s assessment that Izaiah would be a good addition to their fledgling modeling agency. The entire conversation between the two was playful and fun. Chelsea and Kat watching in horror from across the restaurant added an additional layer of funny. While social media seems to concur that Izaiah is nice to look at, I do have to take issue with something that Dani said. Izaiah is no Tyson Beckford.
Dark Derek
I am more convinced than ever that Derek is about to get dark and twisty. He was already in a bad place over his breakup with Ashley. Now that he is being forced to retire, I am really worried about his mental health. Derek has wanted to be a firefighter since he was a little boy. It’s what he is and who he is. Now that that’s been taken away from him, I can see him snapping. I mean, he was already prepared to come to blows with Grayson in the middle of the hospital. That means “fight” for all you dirty-minded fan fiction folks. Who’s to say he won’t slash some tires, set some fires, or cut some brake lines? Perhaps he can enroll in a class at LSD University.
Beyond the McGates
Apparently, I am not the only one that likes to reference Grey’s Anatomy. Kat labeled her mother’s suitors as McSwagger, McChisel, and McTrouble.
Let’s Not Be So Hasty
Why didn’t Nicole at least ask where Carlton’s niece’s out-of-town event was being held? She said no before she found out if it was the Maldives or Dubuque. Speaking of the event, I like that it was being held from March 6 to 8. That just happens to be my birthday. Oh, and March 6 (2024) was also the day we learned that Beyond the Gates was being created.
I Always Got By On My Own
I have a strong feeling that Naomi is going to seek a prophylactic mastectomy. That’s a surgical procedure to remove one or both breasts in patients with a high risk of breast cancer. I think the reason she was hovering outside Carlton’s office is that she wanted to get information about breast reconstruction following the mastectomy.
It really hurts me to see that Naomi has no one that she can talk to other than Ashley. I will note again that Ashley is offering really good advice and being a good friend. But Naomi is icing out her husband, sister, parents, and everyone else at a time when she really needs a support system.
He Can Buy Himself Flowers
A lot of folks on social media torched Ted for sending “we had sex” roses to Shanice. The criticism? He did it to both Nicole and Leslie before her. Roses have become the universal floral symbol of love, so… what other flower would or should he have sent? If he’d have sent daisies, he’d have been labeled a cheapskate. Peonies are Shanice’s favorite flower, but he’d already had those tabletop on their first date. Could he have picked a different color rose? Sure. At some point life repeats itself. Do you not send candy on Valentine’s Day because you did that with a previous love? Sounds like a silly rule to me.
Billzzzz, Billzzzz, Billzzzz
Speaking of Bill’s new bedroom set, I laughed out loud at Bill pretending to be asleep (complete with fake snoring) so that he didn’t have to have sexytime with Hayley.
A Ho Rose By Any Other Name
A lot has been said about Nicole’s date night outfit this week – and not just on social media. Kial, whose name my spell check still hates, referred to her as a “seductive superhero” while Kat – her own daughter – said Nicole was wearing “heaux chic.” Kat also referred to the woman who brought her into this world as “a sartorial revelation wrapped in silk and sex appeal,” which sounds so much better than calling her a ho.
Catch Her In the Lie
I’m sure Joey Armstrong is used to playing with fire, but I’m not sure he’s played with fire when he had someone special in his life. Vanessa specifically asked Joey not to talk to Lance Salinger because she wanted to handle things. So, what did he do? He gave Lance an invitation to the secret VIP room where he preceded to gut-punch the troglodyte.
At some point, Vanessa is going to learn that Joey meddled. I don’t think it will end their relationship, but I do think it will lead Vanessa to question if Joey truly believes she can run Heart Attach on her own.
Also, I don’t think we’ve seen and heard the last of the Salingers. I still expect him to get arrested and blame everything on Vanessa.
Wink, Wink
I already mentioned that possible Generations wink earlier in the column. There was, however, another wink this week. During Kat and Chelsea’s chat at Uptown, they mentioned the Starz series BMF. One of Beyond the Gates’ talented writers, Jazmen Darnell Brown, was a writer and story editor on the series.
It’s not the first first nod to the show’s writers. The writer that Eva and Tomas bonded over was Carl Ivati, a little silent hello to Emmy winner Ron Carlivati who was a member of the BTG writing team when the show launched. And though I’m not sure it’s a wink, Hayley’s real name is supposedly Val — which makes me wonder if it was a nod to Michele Val Jean.
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).
“You should be climbing him like Everest!” – Dani after learning that Nicole wanted to cool things down a bit with Carlton.
“I wouldn’t even consider you a saved contact in my phone.” — Andre when Hayley remarked that she knew she and Andre weren’t exactly friends.
“Friend? Whadja do, pick her up on eBay?” — Dani after Hayley introduced Lynette as her friend.
“You’re not the song I never had. You’re a liar and a disappointment.” — Vernon to Bill following their candid discussion at the country club.
“It’s beautiful to know surprise is still possible.” — Part of the message Ted had written on the card of the roses he sent to Shanice.
“You better get to steppin’, twiddletoes.” – Elon to his undercover agent son Jacob.
“[He’s] Cosplaying in a room full of gangsters.” – Naomi’s description of Jacob’s undercover work.
“That is a lot of I’s. Maybe the problem is you.” — June after hearing Kat air all of her grievances.
“Sexy doctor of the traveling pants.” – Kat referring to Kial, one of the men in Nicole’s life.
“You cannot be catching feelings for Old Spice hottie Shaft” — Eva’s take on Marcel, the man in Leslie’s life.
“Things can get messy when you don’t let people keep their private moments private.” – Tomas offering surprisingly good advice.
“There isn’t exactly an AA for attempted murderers.” — Eva to her two-time attempted murdering momma.
“Context is the mother of all misunderstandings.” — Bill trying to convince Hayley that what she’d overheard wasn’t really what she’d overheard.
“Why downgrade the compliment?” — Hayley’s response when Bill claimed he’d called Dani “beautiful” when he’d really said “one of the most beautiful supermodels on the planet.”
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.
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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.
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