Soap operas and movies have a lot in common, but they also couldn’t be more different. And while soaps don’t have the huge budgets, that doesn’t mean that they are not equally satisfying. I Will Not Apologize For Having A Good Time: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending September 11, 2026.
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I admit that I am not a big movie buff. That’s mostly because I spent so much time working over the past 30 years, that I rarely took time off to head to the movie theater. I’ve started correcting that, now that I have hours in my day to fill. In spite of my lack of cinema knowledge, I found myself naming each of the sections in this week’s column after the titles of movies. I’m not sure why, but I suspect it is because movies typically have a beginning, a middle, and an end. You shell out a squillion dollars for a ticket, popcorn, and a drink, plop down in a seat for a couple of hours, and then head home to talk about the movie on social media.
Soaps don’t work that way because there is no end to the storytelling. Soap stories have a beginning, a middle, and an end that can be retooled at any given point in time. Also on soaps, characters often live in their own little bubble. They interact with a set group of characters and that’s just the way the writers craft it. In my years of interviewing soap actors, I’ve often heard stars lament that the only time they’ve worked with certain other castmates was during big events — like weddings, balls, and the like.
The BTG Connection
There are several Beyond the Gates stories that defy those limits and I suspect that at least one will reach its climax before the end of the year. The first story is Heather’s return to town. Her story encompasses a large chunk of the canvas. First, there are all of the characters that were impacted by the red market story. Second, there is whatever past she and Andre have shared that potentially impacts another story: the poisoning of Bill Hamilton.
Andre isn’t sharing the details of his past with Dani. But, to be fair, she has not told her hubby that she has elevator sex with Bill. Dani is worried about Bill’s health, which has been on a downward trend ever since Hayley started lacing his food and drink with some mystery poison. That’s led Naomi to start working with her dad, which has made Tomas angry. Now he and girlfriend Kat are at odds because Tomas is unhappy with his work situation. Bill has also reached out to ask Joey to keep an eye on his daughters in the event of his untimely demise. And with Joey and Heather connected as siblings, we’ve now come full circle.
There’s Something About Mary Heather
Heather spent her first few weeks in town making friends. Now she seems to be doing the opposite. Heather sidled up to Tyrell and Samantha and claimed that she recognized them from a “family photo” she’d seen was the definition of stranger danger. Still, Nicole’s reaction to seeing Heather with the kids was somewhat surprising. Everyone else in town (minus Joey and Andre) seems taken by Joey’s younger sister. For some reason, though, Nicole isn’t one of them.
I’m not sure if Nicole fears the worst from Heather because of her surname or because Heather bedded Carlton. Whatever the reason, Nicole is not having any part of it. She also didn’t budge when Heather tossed in a compliment about Nicole not looking like a grandmother. It was a nice touch to have Nicole exit Orphey Gene’s and then have a shot of her outside the restaurant taking a look back into the restaurant at Heather.
A little while later Nicole showed up in Joey’s revamped VIP room with a demand that Joey keep Heather away from Tyrell and Samantha. Nicole was so intensely focused on Heather that she didn’t even take time to comment on the redesigned room. She did, however, promise Vanessa that she’d praise her work at a later date. Nicole seemed to be the only one to realize that Heather had “infiltrated” the Dupree family’s orbit. That gave her a bad feeling, a feeling she knew better than to dismiss.
Survey Says!
It’s true. In a short time, Heather has been in contact with a large swath of the canvas. Unless Joey reins her in, I can easily see her casting a shadow over the remaining Dupree family members that she’s yet to encounter.
Last week, I questioned if a whodunnit might be in the works. I even took the question to social media, where more than half of the respondents agreed that Heather is probably going to meet her maker in the near future. When options are combined, even more viewers believe that Heather will kill again before she’s stopped.
Do Unto Thee Before Thee Do Unto Me
The question is: Who will stop Heather? I suppose another, based on fan response, is who will Heather kill? Obviously, I don’t have any answers. All I can do is speculate. So, let me do that. Since football season is here and we have a casino on the canvas, the odds-on favorite to kill Heather seems to be Joey. It’s in his nature to be ruthless and it would be another interesting cog in his wheel. Joey has already admitted to killing his father. Killing his sister isn’t exactly a bridge too far.
That said, Joey seems to be a little too obvious. Offing Heather could be a way to redeem another character already on the canvas – like Randy or Hayley. Or maybe even a not-really-dead Lynette. It could also create a truly shocking moment if someone like Tyrell, Samantha, or Deanna did the deed.
As for who might fall victim to Heather, that’s another tough one. I’d be inclined to think that it would be another minor character. Maybe Grayson or Tomas. I wouldn’t be terribly upset if it were both. However, if someone like Tyrell or Samantha were to be the one to stop Heather, maybe that would be brought about by Heather murdering someone like Smitty or June.
Heather adds a level of danger that doesn’t exist elsewhere on the canvas. Joey used to be the person we had to fear, but he’s mellowed since becoming involved with Vanessa. And yes, Hayley is actively trying to unalive her husband, but her attempts are more comical than menacing. It’s that reason that I am okay with Heather sticking around. For now.
Kill Bill: The Extended Director’s Cut 5 DVD Collector’s Edition
If it hasn’t already been obvious in my commentaries and podcasts, I have been enjoying the hell out of Marquita Goings as Hayley Hamilton. I am not familiar with any of her pre-Beyond the Gates work (though I am looking into it) but she quickly made me a fan all the way back in the early days of Season One of Beyond the Gates.
I don’t know about you, but my internal morality compass spins out of control whenever I like an actor who is playing a not-so-nice character. It’s like trying to unravel how silence can be deafening, or how someone can “act naturally.”
ACME Poison
I’m not – and never have been — rooting for Hayley to accomplish her mission of killing Bill. I suppose if I had been rooting for her, I’d be exhausted by her failed attempts by now. Maybe that’s why I find it so funny. Hayley is the Fairmont Crest version of Wile E. Coyote. She wants to catch that roadrunner so bad, but she keeps falling off of cliffs and getting blown up by dynamite. And her bosom poison was probably ordered out of the ACME catalog. But she does looks awfully cute as she holds up her little pink parasol in a futile attempt to protect herself from that falling boulder. Meep meep, indeed!
While Hayley has had several false starts when it has come to celebrating Bill’s demise, we’ve also had several fake outs when it’s come to exposing Hayley as a con artist. The first was months ago when Tomas was googling Lynette Wise and started to figure out that she and Hayley had some sort of connection. Along the way there was also Dani’s reveal that she’d run into Hayley and Lynette before Hayley claimed to have ever met the woman. Then there was Bill getting an eyeful of Hayley and Randy at Uptown. And just a matter of days ago, many of us thought that Bill’s most recent collapse was some sort of test to see if Hayley would help.
Bill-ding A Mystery
But long, long ago, in a Fairmont Crest galaxy not all that far away, there were those initial doubts about whether or not Hayley was really pregnant. Ashley learned that Hayley had lied about getting an ultrasound and, using lots of hypotheticals to avoid breaking privacy laws, clued Naomi into the lie. Hayley would eventually explain that she was worried about getting an ultrasound because it might show something bad. Then Hayley staged a very public “miscarriage” and no one mentioned the pregnancy again.
All of the pieces to the puzzle are right there in front of everyone, but no one has started to put them together. A fake ultrasound image. A good Samaritan using a fake name just happens to be around when Hayley needs emergency transport to the hospital. The connection to a woman with absolutely no past.
Even though everyone is clueless beyond repair, I have to assume that Hayley’s plan will be revealed before the end of the year. There’s just no way that I can see the writers finding a way to extend this that doesn’t become eye-rolly. There is already a chunk of the audience that thinks the Kill Bill saga has gone on longer than it should have.
Hay-Hay, Goodbye
I cannot figure out exactly how Hayley will be exposed and what will happen to her afterwards. The most common response I’ve gotten in the past is that Hayley will end up pregnant and Bill will give her a free pass because she is carrying his child. Yes, that is very soapy, but Hayley has been vocal in the past about taking birth control pills. A second scenario that I crafted during the tornado has Hayley fleeing to Genoa City to strike up a romance with Kyle Abbott. The third is that there is no way to keep Hayley on the canvas and she is sent off to prison.
But other than those three possible resolutions, I can’t come up with anything else that would make for a satisfying conclusion. This is where I need your input. Do you have another possible scenario crafted in your mind? Do you think one of the three I mentioned makes the most sense? Drop your ideas in the Comments section at the end of the column or track me down on social media – I’m @danjkroll on every major platform.
While I was grumbling about how long it took Naomi to share what she knew about Hayley’s ultrasound, I had a moment of shocking clarity. How many other instances are there of people knowing things and not speaking up? I’m not just referring to the flawed “snitches get stitches” mentality, but more to the people who are waiting for the “right moment” or those that mistakenly believe that what they know wouldn’t be helpful.
Meet The Parents Brothers
Shanice and Monica both advised Ted that Shanice’s brothers were… not easy to win over. That was an understatement. From the moment the brothers set foot in the country club, it was clear that Cedric had the cooler head. Lamont badmouthed the country club, Ted being late, and pretty much everything else. Cedric came up with reasons why they should not assume the worst, like suggesting that Ted had an emergency surgery that made him run late. Lamont found that amusing because he didn’t think “someone’s exploding BBL” qualified as an emergency.
They saw through Leslie’s story pretty quickly. Well, sort of. They figured out that Leslie was a “jealous ex,” but I think they might have thought her entire story was a work of fiction. Leslie’s tale was more non-fiction with a bit of artistic flourish.
When Ted finally arrived, Monica’s prediction that he didn’t stand a chance was pretty much spot-on. But that’s only because they caught of glimpse of LSD (That’s Leslie/Sherry/Dana) and Ted interacting in the lobby of the country club. Had it not been for that, things might have gone a little better.
Are We Good Now?
Fast forward a few days and Shanice arranged a summit to bring an end to the war, er, skirmish between the men in her life. Most of the conversation took place off-screen. I am not sure if that was by design or if some things needed to get cut from the show in order to make it fit into its allotted time. If timing was the reason, it would be nice if the whole, uncut version of the episode was made available on Paramount+. The same goes for all soaps. If something is filmed and intended for use on air, it shouldn’t just get left on the digital cutting room floor. Days of our Lives no longer has to worry about episode length since it airs exclusively on Peacock, a streaming service with no rigid schedule.
Anyway, back to what actually did air. We have no idea where things stand between Ted and Shanice’s brothers. We had a concept of an idea about what’s going on, but nothing based in fact. Will we see the Brothers Johnson again any time soon… or will they be the ones to pop up at the wedding when the minister asks if anyone has a reason why Ted and Shanice should not be married?
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.
Mr. Richardson Smith Goes to Washington
I keep waiting for a twist in Tyrell’s college story, but it’s becoming more and more clear that I am looking for something that might not exist. It wasn’t that long ago that Tyrell seemed like he’d forgo college to be with his lady love Jessica. Then, he was going to fly to California every weekend to see Jessica. When that plan fell apart, Tyrell moped around in his pajamas and didn’t want to do anything. Now, Jessica seems like a distant memory because Tyrell is once again full-steam ahead will his college plans.
That leaves me with questions. Is Tyrell pretty much disappearing from the canvas while he’s at school? Will he make occasional appearances like Donnell? Will something happen that causes Tyrell to move back home and commute to school? With three characters attending Banneker, Izaiah working there, and Vernon giving lectures, will we be getting a whole A Different World type of setup with college sets and stories and new characters?
It has always been fairly obvious that Banneker University is a stand-in for Howard University. I’m not sure why Beyond the Gates can’t use the Howard name, but I am assuming it gives them more license to create story that a real-world school might not want to be associated with. If there was any doubt that Banneker is the fictional Howard, that was all washed away when Ted shouted out, “BU!,” and those gathered for Tyrell’s party replied, “You know!”
Interview With the Vampire Journalist
I know that Jacob’s interview with Smitty was routine police business, but it sure feels like there’s more to it than that. First and foremost, it’s created this weird wedge between Jacob and Naomi. I know that Naomi thinks like a lawyer (since she is one), but it was still odd that she rushed over to give Martin and Smitty a heads-up and even odder that she stuck around to be Smitty’s legal counsel.
Heather Armstrong is a crafty woman so I wouldn’t put it past her to somehow try to tie Smitty to Lia’s death. I’m not exactly sure how she’d do that, but I am also not a criminal mastermind with legions of minions to do my bidding.
A VIP Room With(out) A View
I really like Joey’s redesigned VIP room. It’s moody and sophisticated. The colors and tones the (set) designer used are even colors that Joey wears on a regular basis. To me, it looks like a spot that high rollers might want to go to test their luck. On top of that, it also seems like a more fitting venue for Joey’s other activities, both business and personal.
Higher Learning
I am glad that Deanna decided to go back to Banneker. I don’t know if we’ll ever get an explanation about why she’s suddenly talking to her late dad. Is it just grief? Does she have some sort of mental health concern? Is it the soap staple brain tumor? The fact that Deanna knew that going back to school was the right decision gives me hope that she has spiraled too far out of control.
The Jazz Singer
If you remember in last week’s commentary, I made mention of how Maryland and Illinois do not have laws in place that would protect someone’s likeness and voice from unauthorized use after their death. Interestingly enough, this week Anita made a throwaway mention that all of the Articulettes’ master recordings are in a hermetically sealed vault somewhere in Pennsylvania. That sent me back to the Google cave and it turns out that here in Pennsylvania we do have a law in place that requires a person’s estate or heir to grant permission for the use of a deceased person’s likeness and voice.
I still struggle to come up with any reason that Leslie would not want Barbara’s voice to be heard by the masses. Would she really single-handedly scrap the project just because she wasn’t given a producer credit? That’s like baking a cake and then saying that you’ll throw the entire cake in the trash if you don’t get the first slice.
Anita caved and bowed to LSD’s demand. I know that Anita wants to release music using Barbara’s voice as part of a way to atone for the way that Barbara was treated all those years ago, but at some point, there is a diminishing return. Why should Anita, Tracy, and Sharon be saddled with Leslie’s headaches just to put this music out? It just doesn’t seem worth it to me.
Cliffhanger
For as much as I love Beyond the Gates, the show has a cliffhanger problem. Very rarely does the show end its episodes with a true cliffhanger. It’s even rarer that the show ends its week with a shocking cliffhanger that will have fans counting down the hours ‘til Monday.
Season Three of BTG
CBS has announced that Season Three of Beyond the Gates will kick off on December 28. Back in April, CBS announced that television’s newest soap had been picked up for two years. That will have the show on the air through the 2027-2028 season.
BTG: Beyond the Graphic
In case you are wondering what inspired this week’s header art, here’s what went through my mind while making it. The bill counter was seen in Joey’s casino. The cassette player came into play when Anita played Barbara’s “Happy Birthday” recording for Eva and Leslie. Leslie took it upon herself to order Bloody Marys for herself and Vernon. And Hayl E. Coyote was explained a little earlier in the column.
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).
“Girl, please don’t act like you’ve never been in a back alley.”
Randy when Hayley complained about their meeting location.
“And what do you call the heart attack he had?”
“A bonus.”
Hayley and Randy discussing the progress of the poisoning of Bill.
“I don’t have kids, but I was one once.”
Joey attempting to put himself in a parenting state of mind.
“Blood is thicker than water.”
“And you need both to survive.”
Cedric complaining about Shanice taking Ted’s side and Shanice’s reply to him.
“Her bestie Florence Tattletale violated the hell out of HIPAA.”
Hayley grumbling that Ashley had told Naomi about the fake ultrasound photo.
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. Liz is on deck with week with a new column called, Dirty Laundry.
To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section.
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