Yes, there have been some oopsies and there are some things that might not be working as well as intended, but I think those are some of the challenges of creating 250 episodes of a program each year. Some streaming programs have just eight episodes in their seasons. They can take a week or more to film a single episode. Soap operas often film one-and-a-half episodes in a single day<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In less than 70 episodes, the characters of Beyond the Gates<\/em> have quickly become familiar. We don’t know all of their various histories, but I know that I look forward to seeing what they are all up to each weekday. And many of the characters are doing the absolute most — and that’s not just referring to their sexual exploits. We’ve gotten insight into what makes them tick and we’ve gotten a good feel for their personalities. And, in at least one case, their multiple<\/em> personalities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you may remember from some of my earlier columns, I am watching Beyond the Gates<\/em> with someone who is a first-time soap opera viewer. It\u2019s fun to be able to experience all of the \u201cfirsts\u201d through their eyes. We’re like a real-life Statler and Waldorf, just with less crotchetiness. Most of the time.<\/p>\n\n\n For example, here\u2019s what went down when the show joined Dani and Andre in their post-coital glow. \u201cWhoa\u2026 that<\/em> was different,\u201d Dani said in a daze. My secret soaper immediately replied, \u201cHe put it in her butt.\u201d All crudeness aside, you know the sex is wild when the producers decide that your love scenes are the perfect spot to drop a little laundry detergent product placement. Maybe there was a little bondage play and someone got, ahem, tide<\/em> up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The whole dynamic between these two is absolutely fascinating to me. At best, they are friends with benefits-plus. That\u2019s not to be confused with Paramount+, though you\u2019d be forgiven for making that mistake. Or maybe I am thinking of ParamourMount+.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andre wants to ditch his playboy ways and, just perhaps, start something serious with Dani. Dani, though, doesn\u2019t want anything serious because she is still smarting from the way that Bill hurt her. She could also still be carrying a torch for Bill, though she insists that\u2019s no longer the case. Even though Dani doesn\u2019t want a serious relationship, that has not stopped her from being irked when Andre doesn\u2019t immediately respond to her Andre is 100% right: \u201cwhen things fall apart\u201d Dani looks to him to \u201cpick up the pieces.\u201d That\u2019s more than just being an intercourse buddy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So what exactly<\/em> are these two and what do they really<\/em> want from each other? Damned if I know. I don\u2019t see Dani taking another lover, though\u2026 the scenes in the hospital with Bill were enough to get my brain conjuring up all sorts of ideas. Please<\/em> tell me I am not the only one that saw the way Bill looked at her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andre, though, is another story. He wants to have something<\/em> with Dani, so the idea of him reverting to his ho-ish ways if that doesn\u2019t work out isn\u2019t really that big of a leap. He does have this inexplicable fixation with Ashley, though Ashley is very much committed to Derek for reasons that I also don\u2019t understand. It seems unlikely that Andre and Ashley will \u201cdo the do,\u201d but this is a soap and stranger things have happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, considering that Dani has dubbed Andre the \u201cChief Executive of Orgasms,\u201d I am sure there are plenty of women (and men) who would love to explore a relationship with Andre if Dani really doesn\u2019t want one. On a completely random thought, how does one hire for the position of Chief Executive of Orgasms? I’d imagine the interview process would be very interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Chelsea has become a bit much in her dating adventures. Her interaction with the woman in the bar was cringe. I\u2019m not entirely sure that the woman was even flirting with Chelsea in the first place. Maybe she recognized Chelsea from her modeling days. But that didn\u2019t stop Chelsea from being a bull in a china shop. Her mother tosses coffee mugs across the room and Chelsea just tramples anything in her path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I totally agreed with Chelsea\u2019s \u201cwe\u2019re both too gorgeous to be drinking alone\u201d assessment. The first warning sign should have been when the mystery woman replied, \u201cThanks\u2026 I think.\u201d The second? When Chelsea implied that the woman was checking her out, \u201cMadison\u201d claimed she just had a habit of \u201cstaring off into space.\u201d Chelsea, baby, she\u2019s either playing very, very hard to get or she\u2019s just not that into you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then came the biggest red flag warning that something wasn\u2019t quick clicking with Jane Bond. While Chelsea lowered her head to read a text message from Naomi, Madison couldn\u2019t hightail it out of the Uptown fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But wait! There\u2019s more! The next day, Chelsea and Madison again crossed paths. When Naomi asked how Madison and Chelsea knew each other, Madison replied, \u201cWe don\u2019t.\u201d It was like watching the Beyond the Gates <\/em>version of the \u201cI don\u2019t know here\u201d Mariah Carey meme. Since I couldn\u2019t be at the Uptown, I am glad that Naomi was there to (try to) talk some sense into Chelsea. I’ll go out on a limb and say that Madison isn’t out and that has been the reason for her standoffishness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The gag, as the kids say, was saved for the near the end of Friday\u2019s episode: Madison is a neurologist at Garland Memorial \u2013 and she will be treating Bill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I need to know more about this Garland Memorial hospital situation. Is it me or does it seem like everything is on one floor\u2026 one floor that needs an elevator to access it. Nicole\u2019s office, Ted\u2019s office, Laura\u2019s hospital room, the trauma bays, and the exam room where Doug\u2019s hand was put in a cast are all on the same floor. It\u2019s also where Bill received his treatment on both trips to the hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t figure out why Naomi and Hayley didn\u2019t take Bill to the emergency room. Does the hospital have one? And is everyone in the hospital a jack-and-jill-of-all-trades sort of practitioner? Shanice is social director, gossiper, and triage nurse. Doug McBride is a cardiac surgeon, but in a pinch he will practice emergency medicine. I\u2019d better not visit the hospital because if they were to find out that I was almost a doctor, they might try to put me into service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of my past life as an almost-doctor, I was glad to see Beyond the Gates <\/em>show Bill\u2019s unease at being in the hospital. We were taught about the disparities that people of color face in the health care system. Later in life, I would witness it way too many times. Since this is a soap opera column, I will step off of my soap box and focus on the fictional drama \u2013 even if it is rooted in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s going on with Bill? I haven\u2019t seen many theories floating around other than the ones that have been expressed on-screen: transient ischemic attacks and\/or stroke.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will admit that I have had two Doomsoaping thoughts about what might be happening to Bill. My first was that Leslie was somehow poisoning Bill for the way that he treated here all those years ago. She is resourceful enough to find ways to get near his food, drink, or other personal effects. Then I went doomier than doomsoaping. What if Hayley<\/em> is doing something to cause Bill\u2019s attacks. I don\u2019t think it\u2019s likely at this point, but wouldn\u2019t that<\/em> be a storyline shakeup?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though I am a few seconds short of shouting j\u2019accuse <\/em>at Hayley, she did have this week\u2019s unintentionally funny line. At the hospital, when Hayley was explaining how Bill suffered his medical emergency during their lovemaking, she said, \u201che went limp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Forget about Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, Kat and Jacob are the new oddball buddy cops that we (or at least I) need to see more of. There is that pesky detail about Kat not being a cop, but I am willing to overlook that for the sake of this new movie franchise I am trying to launch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kat\u2019s insinuation into the LSD investigation (that\u2019s Leslie\/Sherry\/Dana for those of you who aren\u2019t regular readers of my column) investigation is both obnoxious and hilarious. The thing that makes it so funny to me is that she is right and has<\/em> been right about just about everything. She didn\u2019t trust Eva — and she was right. She believes Leslie ran Laura off the road — and she\u2019s right about that, too. And she believes Eva is hiding Leslie\u2019s motorcycle accoutrements<\/em> to protect Leslie. She\u2019s not entirely right, but still somehow right enough to be right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Jacob is<\/em> making some progress of his own. He tapped a digital forensic specialist to try to dig up more details about the unknown nurse that entered Laura\u2019s hospital room. Everyone else already knows that the nurse was Leslie, as evidenced by the Shanice\/Leslie faceoff at the hospital. Yeah, yeah\u2026 there\u2019s that whole proof and beyond all reasonable doubt stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to Katlock for a moment. If she listens to as many true crime podcasts as she says she does, she should know that so many of the things that she is doing could tank the case against LSD. Breaking into Eva\u2019s room? She probably doesn\u2019t see it as \u201cbreaking in\u201d since the hotel employee let her into the room. Sure, she wore gloves, but collecting evidence from a room that you were not supposed to be in in the first place? Ma\u2019am! Maybe she is watching Only Murders In the Building <\/em>and doesn\u2019t realize that the show is a parody. A par-o-deeee<\/em>!!!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, we did get some soapy fun action out of her antics. Yes, it has been done on soaps a squillion times before, but Kat being stuck under the bed in Eva\u2019s room was the kind of silliness that I appreciate on a soap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now for some finger wagging. Eva telling Tom\u00e1s that she has \u201cinsurance\u201d that she\u2019s holding over Leslie\u2019s head was dangerously careless. Tom\u00e1s is a lawyer and I am sure that he is smart enough to start putting the pieces together. Also, Jacob\u2019s thorough search of LSD\u2019s apartment was anything but thorough. He checked a<\/em> closet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In that closet he found an empty box in another box and the title of this week’s column was born. When Jacon remarked that it was odd to find an empty box in Leslie’s small apartment, she replied, “It isn’t empty. It’s where I store my hopes and dreams.” She then warned the detective to not let any of those hopes and dreams spill out. That’s a very ballsy comment to make when you are the subject of an attempted murder investigation. At the same time, it was comedy gold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Things in the love and romance department are also complicated for Dani\u2019s sister, Nicole. I\u2019ve figured out why Nicole isn\u2019t wanting to talk to Ted. It isn\u2019t that she\u2019s mad at him over the affair. It isn\u2019t that she\u2019s annoyed that Leslie is still in town. And it isn\u2019t that she suddenly realizes that Ted no longer looks like the man she married. No, the real reason is that Nicole has moved on. She\u2019s found a new love\u2026 a love that is always there for her\u2026 a love that smells good. That love is named Febreze.<\/p>\n\n\n In all seriousness, I am now more confident than ever that Nicole and Ted will patch things up by the end of the summer. If you remember, I was originally worried that the show was setting the stage for Nicole and Ted to break up permanently. Remember that handsome stranger that showed up unannounced at the anniversary party? I would have bet money that Nicole would have grief sex with him. Good thing I didn\u2019t make that<\/em> wager. Take note, Dr. McBride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicole admitted this past week that a part of her misses Ted. She didn\u2019t specify which part. They were making some kind of progress at Uptown until Leslie showed up and messed everything up. Say what you will about crazy LSD, her timing is impeccable. Impeccably bad<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The most powerful moment of the week came when we finally learned the secret that haunted the Articulettes: there was a fourth member of the group. The reveal took place as Anita went into a secret compartment in a desk and removed a handwritten letter. When the letter flashed on the screen, I paused the playback so that I could try to read it. I had no idea what the show had in store.<\/p>\n\n\n In a series of brilliantly crafted scenes, we first heard the voice of a young woman reading the words on the page. We would learn that her name was Barbara, the woman who started the Articulettes. When Dante Green swooped in to manage the group, he deemed that Barbara didn\u2019t have the right image \u2013 and couldn\u2019t be groomed or trained to be what he wanted her to be. Barbara was cast aside \u2013 fired — and the Articulettes became a trio. Ouch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After a short time, Anita began to speak the words of the letter aloud, her voice sounding in tandem with Barbara\u2019s. Barbara\u2019s voice eventually faded away. Anita folded up the letter, but she continued to say the words in the letter. It became painfully clear that Anita had read the letter many times and committed the words to memory. It was chilling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo if you\u2019re reading this, sister, I\u2019ve left this world for what I hope is a better place. And that\u2026 that is on you,\u201d Anita said stoically before the emotions she tried to wall off started washing through. She buried her head in her hands and cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you didn\u2019t watch the Tuesday, June 3, episode of Beyond the Gates<\/em>, do yourself a favor and watch it. Tamara Tunie\u2019s performance was absolutely captivating and heartbreaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We got to meet Sharon, the third of the surviving Articulettes. She\u2026 wasn\u2019t nearly as willing to let bygones be bygones as Tracy was. It looked like Sharon and Anita were going to come to blows a couple of times. Or maybe it\u2019s more accurate to say that Sharon looked like she was going to whoop Anita\u2019s butt.<\/p>\n\n\n By the time Tracy convinced Sharon that doing a reunion concert was actually a good idea, it was too late. Anita decided that it was too painful to get the band back together and she planned to tell the promoter that the reunion wasn\u2019t going to happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n From the previews, it looks like things might<\/em> get back on track, but even if they do I suspect that there will be even more Articulettes drama ahead. I agree with Sharon on one thing: she and Tracy are more in need of the possibilities that the reunion could create. Anita enjoys singing and I\u2019m sure she\u2019d be open to recording a new album or doing additional shows. But she doesn\u2019t need<\/em> that. Sharon and Tracy never found the success that Anita did, so this could be really big for them. But I don\u2019t agree with Sharon\u2019s plan to stab Anita in the back. I think that will ultimately backfire and\u2026 widen the rift between them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was worried that some of my euphemisms about Vanessa and Joey\u2019s casino romp might have been a bit racy. They were absolutely tame on comparison to the banter between the two. But that spiciness cooled off quickly when Joey told Vanessa that he\u2019s invited Doug to join them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In doing so we finally<\/em> learned how much debt Doug had amassed: $250,000. A quarter of a million dollars. Vanessa quickly figured out that Joey wanted to use her business to launder money. Vanessa\u2019s feelings of betrayal and guilt were easily seen on her face. Had Joey screwed her to also screw with her mind? It seems like Vanessa could<\/em> write a check to pay Joey back, but I\u2019m not totally sure about that. I\u2019m also not sure if Joey would even accept repayment at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My Doomsoaping mind has all sorts of horrible thoughts about this. The first is that Vanessa is going to be the one that gets in legal trouble over this. Joey\u2019s insistence that \u201cmoney laundering as gotten a bad reputation\u201d didn\u2019t exactly convince Vanessa or me that things were going to be okay. In another of Doomsoaping scenarios, Joey gets whacked. I can\u2019t decide if Vanessa is the one that kills him or if Doug walks in on Vanessa and Joey engaged in sexytimes and snaps and kills him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some rapid fire thoughts about some of the other action from the week gone by.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was nice to finally see Laura wearing real people clothes, even if the pattern on her top did look like the aliens in the Galaga arcade game. It\u2019s been so long since Laura wasn\u2019t<\/em> in the hospital that I can\u2019t even remember how many scenes she\u2019s had that didn\u2019t involve the hospital. It was interesting to see Laura turn to Eva for help. Might these two become friends in the future? I am hoping that we get to see more of Laura and learn more about her. But it might not be a bad idea to wrap her up in some bubble wrap just to be safe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a shout-out to me this week on Beyond the Gates<\/em> \u2013 even if no one knows that it was a shout-out. Kat quipped that Eva\u2019s imaginary client had a rider that, among other things, required “Fiji water that\u2019s been blessed by three different religious leaders.\u201d There\u2019s rarely a bottle of Fiji more than an arm\u2019s length from me, so I am taking credit for this non-remunerated product mention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was ticked that Eva and Tom\u00e1s were talking about a trilogy of books by an author named Carl Ivati. That\u2019s a cute nod to Emmy-winning writer Ron Carlivati, who is now a member of the Beyond the Games writing team. Perhaps a lesser wink was Eva\u2019s mention that the audiobook she was listening to was about \u201cstar-crossed lovers.\u201d Under head writer Carlivati, One Life to Live<\/em> once featured a three-day musical event called \u201cStarr X\u2019d Lovers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andre to Leslie when she asked to see the hospital video footage and he (dumb dumbily) showed it to her: I’m not a streaming service, Leslie.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chelsea, arguing that life as a model isn’t all glitz and glamor: You try breaking up fights in six-inch heels<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Vanessa on life after sex with Joey: The next day I could barely walk<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s all I have for this week’s My View From Beyond the Gates column. All this talk about boxes of chocolates has made me hungry and there is a local chocolatier that is calling my name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ll be tuning in and I’ll continue to share my thoughts on Beyond the Gates<\/em> as long as you’re interested in reading them. Thank you for reading and, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts on my column or Beyond the Gates<\/em> in the Comments section below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’ve enjoyed my column this week and want to see what I have written about Beyond the Gates<\/em> in previous weeks, you can check those out in the My View From Beyond the Gates<\/a><\/strong> archive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have a penchant for gardening, interior design, or fixing up old houses? Check out my Manor Makeover series<\/a><\/strong> where I write about all of the things I’ve been up to here at Kroll Manor in Allentown, PA, over the past decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To keep up with all of the shenanigans I engage in on social media, please consider giving my a follow on Bluesky<\/strong><\/a>, Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, Threads<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, and TwitterX<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My former Two Scoops columnists Liz Masters and Tamilu have joined me here on my personal web site — and they are still writing about General Hospital. Tamilu is back this week with a new column called, <\/a>Unlucky in love, well, maybe so\u2026<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nChief executive of orgasms<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-4-1024x578.png\")
All that she wants<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
booty call<\/s> text messages. On top of that, she\u2019s convinced that he is seeing someone else\u2026 but they aren\u2019t in an exclusive relationship so what does it matter if he is<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019ll have what she may or may not be having<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
We are both too gorgeous to be drinking alone<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Is there a doctor in the building? Is there more than one floor in the building?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The guy would rather flatline than admit he\u2019s not Superman<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
This fall on CBS! Katlock and CSI: LSD<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Crime scene instigators <\/h5>\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nI haven’t heard you tell me to shut up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/3071896_0046b-1-1024x684.jpg\")
Beyond the Gates | Photo: Quantrell Colbert\/CBS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nReflections<\/strong> of the way life used to be<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-2-1024x576.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSomeday we’ll be together<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Beyond the Gates | Photo: Quantrell Colbert\/CBS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nSomeone maneuvered that poker table like a pro<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Gates Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I almost didn’t recognize you<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
I finally made it beyond the gates<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Author! Author!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
More lines of the week<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Closing the gates<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Follow my Random Acts of Dan<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Life outside the gates<\/h5>\n\n\n\n