I\u2019ll start with Vernon since he\u2019s the patriarch of the Dupree family and doesn\u2019t generally get a lot of attention in my columns. That\u2019s not because I don\u2019t like Vernon. He\u2019s just been very much under the radar since Beyond the Gates<\/em> kicked off back in February. If you remember, a few weeks ago<\/a><\/strong> I was worried that Vernon might be a goner because of all of his \u201cI will always be here for you\u201d comments to Anita. It seemed like a foreshadowing that the end was nigh.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the past week, we\u2019ve gotten to see a whole different side of the man. He is still very much the doting husband, father and grandfather, but he is also incredibly shrewd. It\u2019s not that I doubted that he had a more\u2026 business<\/em> side to him. I just hadn\u2019t seen it. Now I can\u2019t unsee it. Without so much as batting an eye, Vernon went from brunch at the country club to squaring off with Bill and sizing up Kenneth for a nice pair of cement shoes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Bill and Vernon face-off was everything it needed to be and more. Timon Kyle Durrett and Clifton Davis are amazing scene partners. Each gave as good as they got. You knew things were going to be good when Vernon greeted the cane-toting Bill with, \u201cHaving fun with your new toy?\u201d and \u201cYou didn\u2019t think I summoned you so I could witness your piss-poor attempt at a pimp walk?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n There were so many good one-liners in the face off scenes. An angry Bill claimed, \u201cI\u2019ve always been your personal janitor.\u201d When Bill pushed back against helping Vernon, I knew it wouldn\u2019t be long before Vernon claimed that Bill would be nothing without the Dupree family\u2019s help. \u201cMy influence is woven into your success, stitched into every seam, a thread you can\u2019t pull without unraveling everything you built,\u201d Vernon said icily. That\u2019s really got to irk Bill since he views himself as a self-made man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ordinarily, I\u2019d side with Bill on this one. Sure, Vernon may have helped make all the connections, but if Bill was a crap lawyer there\u2019s only so much that the Dupree name could do. However, lately we\u2019ve seen far too many examples of totally incompetent failing upward, so\u2026 Still, even Vernon has admitted that Bill has cleaned up a lot of messes, so I am going to continue to believe that Bill has to have some<\/em> legal eagleness on his side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So much has been made about Bill wanting to walk away from the Dupree\u2019s sphere of influence, but I suspect that at least some small part of Vernon wants to keep Bill around \u2013 even if he won\u2019t admit it. The opportunity for both sides to make a clean break has come and gone or, as Vernon put it, \u201cThat ship did not just sail, it hit an iceberg and sank to the bottom of the sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Much has been made about Big Bad Bill, but we haven\u2019t really had a chance to experience it. When Bill and his towering 6\u20195\u201d frame confronted KKKenneth at the casino, it all made sense. Bill made it clear that he<\/em> didn\u2019t need to dirty his hands by killing Kenneth as there were plenty of other things that could be done to make Kenneth\u2019s life miserable. \u201cUntold dangers\u2026 and accidents,\u201d I believe Bill called them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill warned that going against the Duprees wasn\u2019t a wise decision. \u201cIn your trash heap language you might say they run the rodeo around here,\u201d he growled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s interesting to watch the so-called \u201cmen\u2019s men\u201d react to Martin\u2019s secret. While I don\u2019t think that Marcel is necessarily homophobic, I did sort of see that old school \u201cOh, the gays\u201d <\/em>expression on his face when he learned that even after two years, Martin was still struggling with what happened on the night in question. Marcel\u2019s off-the-cuff remark spoke volumes: \u201cAfter two years? I\u2019ve shot people and been back on the force within days.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Chief Elon Hawthorne didn\u2019t exactly appreciate Marcel\u2019s comment. I am less inclined to think that Elon is a crooked cop now. I’m thinking he\u2019s just caught up in this one particular morally grey area. I hope I\u2019m right because I\u2019d hate to see Jacob have to deal with finding out that his dad isn\u2019t the man he believes him to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s Joey Armstrong. We\u2019ve been led to believe for months that he\u2019s a smarmy, ruthless mobster. Sure, we\u2019ve gotten glimpses of a saucier, if not softer, side through his repartee with Vanessa. That, though, was often muddied with threats against Doug \u2013 or at least Doug\u2019s body parts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I suspect that his involvement in the secret will show us that he isn\u2019t totally<\/em> bad. Sure, he probably did something highly illegal \u2013 but he did it for a good reason. The same could be said of all of the men involved in this saga. Two conflicting ideas can both be true at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joey did have another great quip during his few moments on-screen. \u201cYou\u2019ll be making gin in a prison toilet. I do have an excellent recipe, though.\u201d Joey\u2019s culinary talents know no limits. I wonder if he features this recipe on his YouTube channel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n SIDE BAR:<\/strong> In my notes leading up to writing this week\u2019s column, I scribbled, \u201cWhat happened to Randy? Has he been demoted, run out of town, or\u2026*gulp*?\u201d Well, we got to see Randy before the week ended and it\u2019s looking not-so-good for him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin is very, very high-strung. On top of that, he has a hard time listening to what other people are telling him. I\u2019d like to know what he was like before all the drama from the past started getting dredged up. Who is the man that Smitty fell in love with?<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019ve seen flashes of rage from Martin, the most notably coming on the night of the anniversary party when he shoved Ted and threw books around his living room. It seems<\/em> like that rage might have bubbled up during Martin and KKKenneth\u2019s \u201cencounter\u201d once the busboy started something and came out on the losing end. That is bolstered by Bill mentioning that Kenneth needed \u201csome work\u201d done after said encounter. He also mentioned Kenneth having \u201csurgically improved ears.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n To look at Kenneth, he doesn\u2019t appear to be particularly menacing. His words, however, tell a totally different story. He didn\u2019t just feel the need to blackmail Martin. No, he had to add his racist bile to the mix. \u201cWhy don\u2019t we think of it as\u2026 oh, what\u2019s the stupid term you people use? Right. Reparations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s an interesting dilemma: If Kenneth does take the money and run, does that mean we might not learn what transpired between him and Martin? That would be an incredibly bold writing decision and something soaps do not typically do. I know that would probably outrage a lot of traditional soap viewers, but\u2026 I kind of like the idea. It could always be revisited down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacob sure is a good partner\u2026 just to everyone but, you know, his actual partner on the police force. I am sort of amused, though, that everyone else is doing the hard detective work for<\/em> Jacob. Katlock has been leading the charge in the crusade against LSD (That\u2019s Leslie\/Sherry\/Dana for the uninitiated), and now Smitty is the one with all of the dirt on Marcel Malone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smitty seems destined to find out what happened. The question is, will he piece it together himself or will Martin tell him? Martin is this<\/em>close to the truth, yet, somehow, still so far away from it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve been skeptical about Hayley\u2019s pregnancy from the beginning. Granted, my skepticism has paled in comparison to Dani\u2019s. Actually, let me dial that back a bit. I was perhaps more dubious that Beyond the Gates<\/em> would introduce a baby to the canvas this early in its run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I first believed that Hayley\u2019s pregnancy tests would be a false-positive because of some underlying medical condition. When that didn\u2019t seem to be the case, I moved more toward believing that Hayley would have a miscarriage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That seemed to be the case when Bill rushed to Hayley\u2019s hospital room and found her sobbing uncontrollably. But because the Beyond the Gates<\/em> writers love to mess with us, it turned out that Hayley was crying happy tears. She assured Bill that their baby was fine and about the size of an apricot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the moment the doctor entered the room and said, \u201cI\u2019ll make sure those papers are being generated\u201d with no mention of a baby \u2013 my spidey senses started tingling. Though that tingling could also have been a result of the chili I had made for dinner. Something just seemed off.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once again, though, the writers played with my emotions by having Bill later reference an ultrasound when he and Hayley bumped into Dani in the waiting area. Was the ultrasound shown off-screen?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thankfully, I wasn\u2019t the only one that wondered about the ultrasound. Ashley couldn\u2019t find record of the ultrasound in Hayley\u2019s file. When she asked one of her fellow nurses, the nurse revealed that Hayley had declined the ultrasound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Boom!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Of course, this doesn\u2019t prove <\/em>that Hayley is faking her pregnancy. Goodness, I\u2019ve spent too much time listening to Jacob. All it proves is that she didn\u2019t have an ultrasound. You\u2019d think she\u2019d have wanted to know that her baby was okay, right? Maybe she just faked the pain and didn\u2019t ask for an ultrasound because she knew there was nothing wrong with her and assumed that the baby was okay, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Obviously, Ashley cannot tell anyone about Hayley not getting an ultrasound\u2026 so does this bombshell just die right here? Will Ashley get tipsy on her date with Andre and spill the beans that are not in Hayley\u2019s oven?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of Ashley and Andre\u2026 actually, let\u2019s not. I mean, I guess we have to talk about their upcoming date. What is really <\/em>going on here? I\u2019ll tell you what: people making bad decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Andre has made it clear that he wants to start something meaningful with Dani. So why agree to go out on a date with Ashley. Maybe he doesn\u2019t view it as a date<\/em> date. You know who will? Dani. No, Dani and Andre are not exclusive, but Andre has repeatedly said that he does not intend to hurt Dani.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ashley is also not being fully honest. She tried to downplay her \u201cdate\u201d with Andre by saying she just wanted to dip her toe in the dating pool so that she knew she could get back out there. She conveniently left out the little sex dream that she had. I don\u2019t know how you work that into a conversation, but I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a way. \u201cHey, baby. I\u2019d like to have dinner with you so that afterward we can go back to my place and see if sex with you is as hot as it was in the dream I had.\u201d See, it\u2019s simple. And I came up with that without the help of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was a rough week to be Nicole. Not only did her estranged husband give her a talking to, but her own momma did, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was surprised by how effusive Anita was in her support of Dani seeing\/dating\/sexing Andre. Her initial silence made me think that she was going to side with Nicole in the spat. \u201cOh, I have words. It\u2019s whether or not it\u2019s appropriate to use them [that] is the issue,\u201d Anita said after she gathered her thoughts.<\/p>\n\n\n I don\u2019t think that Anita believes the \u201cDandre\u201d pairing is the best possible pairing, but I like that she isn\u2019t trying to yuck someone else\u2019s yum. I also really liked that Anita wanted to know if Andre was kind. Kindness is a too often underrated commodity. I\u2019ve always said that I\u2019d rather be remembered for being kind than hot. Of course, I\u2019m remembered for being both. Just kidding!<\/p>\n\n\n\n When it came time for Anita to hold court with Nicole, Anita refused to buy into Nicole\u2019s pity party. \u201cPeople have been lying to protect the ones they love since time immemorial,\u201d Anita said sagely. Nicole pushed back by saying that people like to protect themselves from having to face the consequences of their own actions. Again, two things can be right at the same time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anita urged her daughter to aim her vitriol in the direction of the people that had really hurt her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If, like me, you were expecting a quick patch to the rift in Dani and Nicole\u2019s sissy continuum\u2026 you didn\u2019t get it. I thought for sure the little summit at Uptown would result in some sort of cease fire, if not actual peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dani seemed to believe that, too. She accepted Nicole\u2019s apology before it was even offered. \u201cIs that what you think is happening? You are as far away from an apology as you can get,\u201d Nicole snapped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Funny moment:<\/strong> I chuckled when Nicole took her drink directly from the server\u2019s hand rather than wait for it to be set on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Anita\u2019s words sounded familiar, it\u2019s probably because Ted had something very similar earlier in the week. He was, I think we all assumed, poised to tell Nicole about the trouble that Martin was involved in. Before Ted could tell her whatever he wanted to tell her, Nicole dinged him for not having told her that Andre and Dani were sleeping together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But like Anita, Ted also wasn\u2019t going to be attending Nicole\u2019s pity party. As Nicole raged against all of her loved ones lying to her, Ted turned things around. \u201cHere you are devastated to find out that we\u2019re all very flawed and human.\u201d Ted continued on, saying that Nicole would never treat her patients the way that she was treating her family and loved ones. \u201cThat fa\u00e7ade you wear might fool the neighbors, but we\u2019re just like everybody else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turtleneck Ted would never!<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Ted wasn\u2019t done. He warned Nicole that if she didn\u2019t come to her senses, she risked losing everyone in her life. He concluded with, \u201cCome down off your pedestal, princess.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n These scenes were so, so good. For weeks, Ted has been sending flowers and apologizing profusely for sleeping with LSD. This was the first time that he showed a little backbone and stood up for himself. Ted didn\u2019t try to engage in any revisionist history and diminish his role in sleeping with Dana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am so glad that Madison and Chelsea both admitted what I feel we\u2019ve all been saying: They are moving way too fast. I\u2019d love for this groundbreaking soap couple to find long-lasting happiness, but I would also like them to take some time to get to know each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I no longer think that Madison has a deep dark secret, though I reserve the right to change my mind at a later date.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why Chelsea decided to chat it up with Allison instead of enjoying her date with the recently de-puked Madison is a mystery to me. I politely applauded when Chelsea told her former hookup partner that it wasn\u2019t a good time to talk. Allison wasn\u2019t about to take no for an answer and Madison made up some story about needing to get up early so that she could politely extricate herself from the situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison earned huge petty points from me for dropping that she had \u201can early morning in neurology tomorrow.\u201d That\u2019s right, chick! Let her know! Petty points can be redeemed in the lobby for things like those fuzzy monsters you put on the eraser end of a pencil, embossed Orphey Gene tumblers, and, of course, Procter & Gamble products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But back to Allison\u2026 lady, you had your chance. Chelsea has moved on. She doesn\u2019t need an explanation about how or why you could or couldn\u2019t see her without Craig. I am, however, a little worried now that Allison has made it known that Craig has a temper and can be prone to violence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While not nearly as high on the danger scale, Allison did something that totally turned me off. When Allison talked up Madison to Chelsea, Allison asked, \u201cIs she yours?\u201d The implication of ownership instead of partnership is ick and I thought Gen Zers were more \u201caware\u201d than that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Chelsea was juggling women, Kat was ready to give up the kitty. In a strange twist of fate, though, Tom\u00e1s wasn\u2019t ready to have sex with her. I\u2019ve been in enough locker rooms during my short-lived tennis playing career (that\u2019s another fun fact that will be in the memoir that I will never write) to have heard more than a few men prattle on about being the one or wanting to be the one to take a woman\u2019s virginity. Tom\u00e1s wasn\u2019t quite as vulgar as some of that locker room talk, he has made it clear that he is (or was) quite fine with being Kat\u2019s first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Internet seems to believe that Tom\u00e1s recoiled because he is really interested in Eva\u2026 but I am not sure that\u2019s the whole<\/em> reason. Perhaps Tom\u00e1s is having performance anxiety. Maybe he is worried that someone in Kat\u2019s extended Dupree family could make life hard for him for deflowering Kat. Or maybe he\u2019s just a bit confused by Kat\u2019s sudden change of attitude regarding sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Random musing: <\/strong>Since things didn\u2019t work out with Derek and because Chelsea might want to explore her options a bit, I propose that we form another Beyond the Gates<\/em> couple. I hereby give you Ashley Madison.<\/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 So we have a little good news, bad news situation here. Beyond the Gates<\/em> will not be airing any new episodes next week. Instead, the show will rebroadcast its first week of episodes. It’s not clear why, but I assume it has something to do with the holiday — though The Young and the Restless<\/em> and The Bold and the Beautiful <\/em>will be airing new episodes all week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think this is a terrible idea that could mess up the momentum that the show has been building. I will be doing my part to keep the fireworks burning by presenting the First Annual Lollipops to Prune Cakes Awards. It will be a look at what’s been hot and what’s been a miss since the show premiered. The name was inspired by a game that Eva and LSD apparently played. I hope you’ll check back next week for the special mid-year report card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you are still needing proof that Beyond the Gates<\/em> is one of the best shows on television, look no further than Entertainment Weekly’s The best TV shows of 2025 so far<\/a><\/strong> list. It ranks B<\/em>TG among shows like CBS’s Matloc<\/em>k (no relation to our Katlock) and the streamer Severance<\/em>. Bravo to the entire cast and crew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beyond the Gates<\/em> writing<\/span> team is once again having a little<\/em> too much fun. Here are some of the lines of dialogue that tickled my funny bone over the past week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I was like a rollercoaster on top of a skyscraper. I was the ride of his life… and not just in bed.<\/strong>” — Dani, telling Hayley that Bill would soon tire of her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Didn’t you officially resign from being armed and dangerous?”<\/strong> — Pamela to Dani Oakley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Just which bitch were we talking about?”<\/strong> — LSD, who might be seen as three bitches in one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “You two even roll your eyes in sync”<\/strong> — Ted after his daughters reacted to his belief that they might one day be friends<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Everything is dimmer when you’re away.”<\/strong> — Vernon in a mushy gushy lovey dovey remark to Anita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s all I have for this week’s My View From Beyond the Gates column. <\/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. Liz is on deck with week with a new column called, <\/a><\/a>Storms are brewing in Port Charles<\/a><\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nA piss-poor attempt at a pimp walk<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-25-1024x577.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nThe Fixer<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve shot people and been back on the force within days<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-18-1024x538.png\")
Betty Crocker would never<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Reparations<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
And then there\u2019s
Maude <\/s>Smitty and Jacob<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\nThe only thing she is pregnant with are her fantasies<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
The invisafetus<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-20-1024x538.png\")
If you\u2019re not into it, you can say no<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Goodbye, delulu Dani! Hello, nutty Nicole!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-21-1024x538.png\")
Apologies need not apply<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Come down off your pedestal, princess<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Playing leap frog<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Playing for petty points<\/h5>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/image-23-1024x576.png\")
Not playing leap frog<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Now, all of that said, I think Tom\u00e1s and Eva are a spicier pairing. Sorry, Kat. I absolutely love, love, love <\/em>Kat but I don\u2019t get the same sizzle vibes from her and Tom\u00e1s. Kat and Tom\u00e1s are beautiful together. They should be the couple on the cover of the Fairmont Crest brochure waving politely from their golf cart.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBeyond the Gates Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Lollipops to prune cakes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Best of the Best<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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