Everyone makes mistakes, but some mistakes are bigger than others. This Is The Part Where You Tell Me I’m Wrong: A Beyond the Gates commentary by Soap Central founder Dan J Kroll for the week ending June 26, 2026.
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It doesn’t matter what it is — restaurants, fashion, politics, or Beyond the Gates. Everyone has an opinion. And, contrary to what some may believe, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, as Salt n Pepa said in “None Of Your Business,” opinions are like… well, let’s just say that everybody’s got one.
When I put together my column and podcast every week, I am never under the delusion that everyone will agree with everything that I say. That would be weird. In fact, I love when I get feedback from other fans who tell me that they saw something a totally different way. It’s part of the communal viewing experience that I think soap fans have come to enjoy in the Internet age.
I’ve come to enjoy when I’m wrong about things. Remember when Vernon mixed up names? We were all certain it was foreshadowing an Alzheimer’s storyline. I was also certain that someone was going to die during the Impaler storyline. I suspected everyone except the person who actually died. And speaking of the Impaler, Heather Armstrong was not at the top of my list of people that I thought were the Impaler.
While I can look at my mistakes and (mostly) laugh, that’s not always the case with our soap friends. It appears, at least for now, Kat and Eva have realized that their mutual hatred might have been misplaced. Dani knows that her love in an elevator session with Bill was wrong, but Bill? He seems to think it is prelude to reuniting with Dani. And then there’s Tomas who is barreling ahead with what will undoubtedly be a huge mistake even though people have tried to warn him about the impending doom.
Send My Love To Your New Liver
As we all expected, both Kat and Eva made it through their respective surgeries. There were some hiccups along the way… and those hiccups had some viewers gagging.
When I watched the Tuesday, June 23, episode of Beyond the Gates that revolved around Kat’s subconscious, I knew it was going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. If you didn’t catch the episode – and you really should check it out on demand – here’s a brief synopsis.
While still unconscious, Kat found her loved ones carrying on their lives in very strange ways. Instead of covering up his affair with Leslie, Ted actually chose to leave Nicole and start a new life with LSD (that’s Leslie/Sherry/Dana for the uninitiated). Nicole spiraled and became something unrecognizable to how we know her today. And in that bizarro world, it was Eva who became the golden child – and, if you can believe it, Chelsea’s BFF sister cousin.
The mind works in mysterious ways – and anesthesia doesn’t help. For example, when I am given anesthesia, I stop speaking English and speak only in French. It was so alarming to the medical team once that they paged someone who spoke French to the operating room just to make sure that I wasn’t saying something urgent. Oh, and another time I started singing the last song that I’d heard before being wheeled into the procedure room. If you want to know what song that was, you’ll need to give the podcast version of this column a listen.
I’ve said this before, but it does bear repeating, I like both Eva and Kat. I think I might be the only person on the planet that feels that way. When I think about it, there are very few characters that I dislike (though I discuss one later in this column). I even tend to enjoy villains because it’s fun to see how they make everyone’s lives miserable.
She Did What Needed To Be Done
Kat’s mind did what it thought it needed to do. It gave Kat a perspective she hadn’t considered before: what life must have been like for Eva. Now that Kat has seen what that was like, I think it will allow her to heal. I don’t see her experience as being a way to redeem Eva as much as I see it as a way to redeem Kat.
You might be saying, “Whaaaaat?!” Kat’s anger toward Eva was turning her into someone she was not. Remember when Samantha and Kat were at Orphey Gene’s and Samantha said that she wanted her fun auntie back? Kat’s anger caused her to miss out on family functions. It was pretty much eating her up inside. No one deserves that.
Now, I am hoping that Kat will be able to coexist with Eva in a way that doesn’t bring her so much pain. I don’t necessarily want Kat and Eva to have sleepovers so that they can braid each other’s hair and play pin the liver tail on the donkey. I think there is still very much story to be told where Kat and Eva are rivals. I think that this new chapter of their rivalry can be just as much fun as the previous one. Well, after we get past them trying to outlap each other with their walkers in the hospital corridor.
I found it wildly fascinating that Eva had to point out to Ted that he routinely chose her over Kat. The fact that Eva could see it, recognize it, and share that it wasn’t right tells me a lot about Eva. It also tells me a lot about Ted.
What do you say to someone who saved your life? I think Eva said all the right things. She acknowledged that Kat didn’t have to donate a piece of her liver. She expressed her gratitude and vowed to (at least try to) get along with Kat moving forward. That bedside chat between them was everything that I wanted and needed without it being a sugary, candy-coated sapfest.
Interestingly enough, even Leslie’s conversation with Kat was spot-on. If LSD had come in crying and profusely thanking Kat, that wouldn’t have rung true. That creepy looming over Kat’s bed, though? I don’t know if that was the right move on Leslie’s part. It reeked of “I injected potassium into another woman’s IV and no one can prove it.”
What intrigued me was Kat’s comment that “when the time is right” Kat will collect her “debts” from Leslie. I still think it would have made for more drama if Kat had conditioned her liver donation upon LSD fessing up to trying to kill Laura, but I’m willing to wait it out and see where this goes.
We Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together
Now that Eva and Kat may or may not have patched up their differences, are Dani and Bill next in line? Don’t count it.
For just a moment, I need us to set aside our thoughts and ideas about Dani and Bill as a couple. Let’s get to a place of neutrality, as hard as that may be. A year ago, it was Dani who was begging and pleading for Bill to reconsider his marriage to Hayley. Dani insisted that she and Bill still loved each other and could still be an amazing couple.
Now, with the calendar on the year 2026, it’s Bill who seems to think that he and Dani can still be magic. I don’t know if Bill is fully wanting to ditch his “pocket-size” wife. He certainly seemed interested when Hayley shucked the trench coat she was wearing and showed him all of her goods and services.
Is this a case of Bill being Bill? We know that he strayed from his marriage to Dani because… I guess because he could. If I am understanding what everyone has said, Bill slept around because he just wanted to have sex. There were never any feelings involved with his side pieces until Hayley came along. Is Bill now doing to Hayley what he’d done in the past to Dani? Or is Bill realizing that he actually was happier when he was with Dani?
It’s a bit weird to me that Bill has transferred all of the things he liked to do with Dani onto his relationship with Hayley. If Miami was “your place” with your ex, shouldn’t you find a new place with your new lover? You can still like Miami, but trying to recreate the past with someone new is a recipe for disaster. Bill even recycled the same sexual fantasies.
It’s honestly tough to gauge what’s going on in Bill’s mind. If I am being honest, it’s not that easy to know what Dani’s thinking either. I don’t think anyone would disagree with the assessment that Dani obviously doesn’t want Andre to get hurt. As I mentioned in last week’s column, it was a very powerful moment when Dani pleaded to Bill, “Do not turn me into you.”
Is Dani now a Bill? I think that depends. Yes, she stepped out on her marriage. The question is whether or not Dani has feelings for Bill. As I said, a year ago she still loved Bill. Or at least she thought she still loved Bill. There’s a difference between still loving someone and not wanting them to leave you. Now, Dani keeps thinking back to going up and down with Bill in the elevator. Is she flashing back to some hot sex or is she having these thoughts because she still has feelings for Bill?
I can’t say for sure. I think it would be normal for Dani to have some sort of feelings for Bill. They had life together and share two beautiful daughters. I think still being in love with Bill would not be normal. There might be some sort of satisfaction in winning back the man from the woman he left you for… but how long does that satisfaction last? Probably until he cheats again.
You’re So Vain
Tomas is one of the worst characters in daytime. There is very little about him that I actually like. He’s smarmy – and that’s a word you don’t see often in a commentary. I’m not even sure that he’s a good lawyer. On top of that, he doesn’t know how to read the room.
Just before the tornado hit, Tomas was badgering Jack and Diane Abbott about becoming his clients. When Bill suggested that Tomas use the fundraiser to make some connections, I’m pretty sure that’s not what he had in mind. They couldn’t get away from him fast enough.
Tomas had momentary moments of potential, but those were few and short-lived. I’d hoped that he’d have been more vocal when Bill’s firm was sued for sexual harassment. He seemed like he was going to do the right thing… but then nada. And his research into Lynette Wise was promising. He was on the precipice of figuring everything out… and then he wasn’t.
I’d like to believe that Tomas actually likes Kat, but… I’m not so sure. It all became a big murky mess the moment that Bill told Tomas to become a family man. That’s when Tomas wanted Kat to move in with him. That never happened, but Tomas and Kat have continued to date. He has, on occasion, done things that are romantic and boyfriendly. But I just can’t shake that he’s trying to force a square peg into a round hole. I swear that’s not some sort of double entendre.
Once I’m suspicious of someone, it takes an awful lot to get out from under that shadow. To me, everything that Tomas does is not about Kat or his relationship with her, it’s about his advancement at Bill’s law firm. When Tomas mentioned wanting to propose to Kat, the first thing out of his mouth was to link the proposal to Bill’s previous statement about the importance of family.
Now about that proposal. Everyone that Tomas has told that he plans to proposal to Kat has pretty much told him not to. There were a variety of different reasons for the chilly response. Those reasons have included, but are not limited to: Kat just survived a tornado, Kat just underwent major surgery, and Kat rebuffed a previous request to live together. All of those are very valid reasons.
If someone tells you — and in this case, it’s actually multiple people — that someone has been through a lot and probably doesn’t need any extra excitement at the moment and you still insist that you’re going to propose, you’re an ass. I hope someone warns Kat what Tomas has planned before she is blindsided and agrees to something out of some warped sense of obligation.
Kat deserves better. Free Kat.
We’re Never Gonna Survive Unless We Get A Little Crazy
I am glad that Kat has friends in her life – especially when her family fails her. The Deanna and Kat friendship makes me smile. Yes, it seemed to come out of nowhere, but I now fully believe that they’ve been friends since they were younger.
I am also glad that Ghost Doug is back. This idea that Deanna is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown is a lot of fun to watch. Soap opera crazies are some of my favorite soap opera characters.
Deanna hasn’t gone all stabby, stabby all the things… yet. She could very well get there by the end of the summer. In the meantime, watching Deanna pretend to be happy is one of the most unintentionally funny things I’ve seen on the soaps in some time. We know that “Doug” urged his daughter to kill Vanessa and Joey with kindness, so her sudden turnaround is obviously fake. Knowing how much it must be driving Deanna mad adds a layer of enjoyment.
Here’s a question that I have: Do we think Deanna is actually talking aloud to Doug… or is she imaging all of this in her head? So far no one has stumbled across Deanna sitting on a bench talking to herself.
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.
My Baby’s Got A Secret
I was surprised to learn that Elon has no idea how close Izaiah and Joey were and are. For some reason, I always thought that he had an inkling of their involvement and felt somewhat indebted to Joey for steering Izaiah in the right direction. Boy, was I wrong. I wonder how long it will be before Elon finds out and what that reaction will be.
Doctor, Doctor
I like that the show revisited the Carlton and Naomi story. A bunch of weeks back we saw Naomi hovering outside of Carlton’s office. At the time, in my January 30 column (titled From Zero to Shakespeare), I wrote, “I have a strong feeling that Naomi is going to seek a prophylactic mastectomy.” I still think that’s the case. I’m not sure if Carlton knows that Naomi has been keeping her BRCA results a secret from everyone.
Quick Takes
I chuckled when, in her “dream,” Kat held up her hand and waited for a glass of Champagne to magically appear. She’s been watching too many sitcoms.
Why was Madison’s made-up proposal scenario where Tomas proposed to Kat better than anything that Tomas had cooked up?
Well, it looks like Ashley is going to give Grayson another chance. Hopefully the second time around is better than the first because I wasn’t a fan of their coupling. I am still holding out some sort of hope that Grayson has been lying about his mother and really is a bad guy. I know that’s a bit twisted, but it’s the only thing that I can come up with that will interest me about them as a couple.
Miami. The Bahamas. Paris. Those were the options Samantha and Tyrell had for their family vacation, but they chose… pizza in the living room? It’s a super sweet choice since they won’t all be together for much longer. But at the same time… really?! The living room?! Thankfully their dads made a much better choice: they’re headed to the Bahamas.
Rinse and Repeat
Now, a little bad news. Beyond the Gates is airing all repeat episodes next week. I assume it’s because of the holiday week and the fear that people won’t be watching and the ratings will crater. Still, Beyond the Gates has been on fire lately and I hate that its momentum could be broken by a week of repeats. Then again, maybe viewers who tuned in for the The Young and the Restless crossover will watch these repeats and get hooked on Beyond the Gates.
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).
“Did I follow a rabbit down a hole to crazy land?”
Kat as she tried to figure out why everyone around her was acting so strangely.
“A blessing that comes too late can be a curse.”
Dream World Nicole’s reaction to finding out what she was pregnant with Kat after Ted learned he’d gotten Leslie pregnant.
“Reputations tend to be earned. So just be careful.”
Kat’s advice to Deanna when Deanna made it clear she wasn’t afraid of Joey.
“Mistakes don’t mean that people aren’t worthy of love.”
Ashley, as she decided to give her relationship with Grayson another shot.
“Word to the wise, little girl. Nothing ever tops the original.”
Dani to Hayley when she realized Bill had recycled their sexytime fantasies with Hayley.
“I wouldn’t give Hayley so much as a toenail clipping.”
Dani won’t be donating anything to Hayley anytime soon.
“Turns out the old dog doesn’t have any new tricks.”
Hayley being shady when she learned that Bill recycled his sexytime antics.
“This is not a restaurant. You don’t have to tip.”
Shanice to Leslie when Leslie showed up at the hospital with a roll of $100 bills as a “thank you” gift for the doctors, nurses, and other caregivers that had tended to Eva.
“[She’s] the dancing queen of ‘It’s five o’clock everywhere.’”
Martin describing Nicole in Kat’s dream.
“You’d be throwing ’em back too if you know what I have to do after this.”
Hayley to Randy as she downed booze to prepare for sexytimes with Bill.
“That’s like wearing suspenders and a belt.”
LSD’s version of “a hat on a hat.”
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.
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, A Sudsy Summer.
To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section.
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