{"id":2936,"date":"2025-07-26T10:09:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T14:09:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/?p=2936"},"modified":"2025-07-26T18:33:20","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T22:33:20","slug":"my-view-from-beyond-the-gates-good-intentions-and-bad-directions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/my-view-from-beyond-the-gates-good-intentions-and-bad-directions\/","title":{"rendered":"My View From Beyond the Gates: Good intentions and bad directions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
There is a theory that alternate timelines exist based on decisions we make or decisions that we could have made. If that theory is correct, I’d bet that a lot of Beyond the Gates<\/em> characters wish they could live in some of their alternate realities. Because the choices they’ve made definitely didn’t result in the outcomes they expected.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. That sort of makes me wonder what the roads in Fairmont Crest are paved with. So many people thought they were doing the right thing\u2026 only to find out that they probably weren\u2019t even in the same cul de sac as the right thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t believe me?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s start with the obvious. At least a half a dozen people thought they were doing the right thing by covering up what happened the night Martin\u2019s car got a flat tire. How\u2019d that work out? Then there is Chelsea helping a young woman with a head injury get to the hospital. Good Samaritan, right? Well, maybe not. Jacob wants to be the best crimefighter since Batman, but it seems like the only people he can find to arrest are the same ones he\u2019d see at the Thanksgiving table. Then we have Eva wanting to share the gift of literacy with her lawyer friend. Instead, she\u2019s the one who actually ended up getting read.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s take a look at how so many people\u2019s choose your own adventure stories have gone so terribly wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m the captain<\/s> fixer now<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Martin’s secret loomed large over Beyond the Gates<\/em> story for more than four months. Even though the secret is out, the story hasn’t gone away. It has simply changed shape and morphed into a bunch of different stories. I don’t know if the story is over<\/em> over since way too many people now know what happened. If you can believe it, some Internet conspiracy theorists don’t trust that KKKenneth is really, most sincerely dead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly every other story on the canvas has been touched by “the secret.” As expected, it created even more of a rift in Nicole and Ted’s marriage. Hayley is worried that Bill is hiding something and Bill blew off Chelsea’s court case because he was “fixing” things. Naomi knows what went down, so that could pose trouble for her and Jacob. Martin and Smitty are living apart and the kids are looking for answers. Heck, it even looms large on Anita’s mind as she prepares for the Articulettes’ concert.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I loved the Nicole versus Bill staredown, there was something that took me out of the moment. When Nicole snarled, \u201cI am the fixer now,\u201d all I could hear was Barkhad Abdi saying, \u201cI\u2019m the captain now\u201d from the 2013 film Captain Phillips.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to win friends and strangulate people<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Nicole did<\/em> give me a new idea about how to enter a room \u2013 shouting, \u201cI never liked you!\u201d When she barged into Bill\u2019s house snarling that line, I laughed and laughed \u2013 then rewound so that I could laugh and laugh some more. Then the wheels got turning as I started making a mental list of all of the homes that I could visit and say the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A certain longtime soap opera journalist said on Twitter\/X that she kind of wanted Nicole and Bill to have \u201crage sex.\u201d I hadn\u2019t considered that, but it would definitely be a soapy moment. I don\u2019t see Beyond the Gates <\/em>doing something like that because: one, Nicole is too principled and wouldn\u2019t cheat; two, Nicole wouldn\u2019t sleep with her sister\u2019s ex-husband (even if Bill probably would); and three, I truly believe that Nicole hates Bill and no amount of yelling will make her nether regions want to see him in his legal briefs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lawyer afraid to use his words<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The same cannot be said for Tom\u00e1s. I\u2019ve always found him kind of boring. He seemed very color-within-the-lines and wholesome. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I had some hope that\u2019s he\u2019d show some gumption back when Bill\u2019s firm was sued for sexual harassment. I had this vision of whistleblower Tom\u00e1s sending incriminating information to Naomi, but that never happened. <\/p>\n\n\n

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Now, I have a totally different opinion of Tom\u00e1s. His willingness to have sex with his quasi-girlfriend\u2019s half-sister is more than just a little ick. But his willingness to omit or fudge pertinent details about his relationship with Kat ruined the entirety of his supposed wholesomeness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kat and Tom\u00e1s never discussed if they were “exclusive,” but Tom\u00e1s claiming <\/em>that he and Kat were not exclusive just to get into Eva\u2019s pants (bra?) was decisively lawyery. \u201cYour Honor, no such agreement of the minds was met, therefore Kat and I cannot be considered exclusive.\u201d No, Tom\u00e1s didn’t lie, but he wasn’t what I’d call truthful either. As Bill said to Chelsea after neglecting to handle her lawsuit in a timely manner: do not trust a lawyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have you seen you?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s that sound? It\u2019s the hypocrite alarm! As wrong as Tom\u00e1s was, I actually like him with Eva more than I do with Kat\u2013 especially now that the guy has traded in his paragon of virtue card. Eva exists in a gray area (and apparently Tom\u00e1s does, too.) She\u2019s not an angel, but she\u2019s nowhere near as devilish as Kat makes her out to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I liked that Eva and Tom\u00e1s could talk to each other. Neither seems to have any friends. It was problematic that Tom\u00e1s felt he could unload about all of the issues he has with Kat without having discussed them with<\/em> Kat. To be fair, a lot of people talk to other people about their problems rather than actually addressing them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brava to Eva for not going through with doing the do with Tom\u00e1s even though I am sure she wanted to.In my eyes, it showed that on some level, she still hopes to have at least a shot at a normal relationship with Kat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kat deserves someone as energetic and bubbly as herself. She deserves a Scooby to her Shaggy. I want Kat to have someone that she can talk to who is equally invested in her Katlock detectiving. Yeah, opposites attract, but that\u2019s not what I want for Kat right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite my hopes and dreams for Kat, she went and gave herself to smooth talking Tom\u00e1s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aren\u2019t we a great couple of role models for our kids?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Eva and Kat will probably not be besties anytime soon, but I suspect that something will bring them together. What that is, I have no idea \u2013 but I am confident that it will happen. But trust me when I say that I have no delusions that they\u2019ll be calling each other \u201cSissy.\u201d Truth be told, as much as I\u2019d like to see Kat and Eva bury the hatchet, they are more entertaining knowing that one of them might literally<\/em> use a hatchet on the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That brings to us to the Dupree girls. I\u2019m so glad that Dani and Nicole are back in a good place. I didn\u2019t like that they were at odds \u2013 especially over something that, in the grand scheme of things, isn\u2019t that big of a deal. No, that is not intended to be a critique of Andre\u2019s bits and pieces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The two sisters catching up at the country club was like exhaling. It made me smile to have the two women wax on about Nicole\u2019s encounter with Leslie at the diner. \u201cMy demure older sister brawling<\/em> in front of witnesses? Oh, how I wish I\u2019d seen this side of you when we were growing up!\u201d Dani cooed. Nicole wasn\u2019t proud of her behavior, but Dani offered an enthusiastic, \u201cI am!\u201d But that\u2019s mostly because Dani liked the idea that she and her sister were even more alike than they knew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The city of sisterly affection<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

But the true laugher of the conversation was Nicole lamenting about how exhausting it was to be so emotional and volatile. \u201cYou just need to build up your stamina,\u201d Dani advised with a smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another funny moment came earlier in the week. I laughed like a crazy person when Dani walked into her parents\u2019 living room with a plate of cookies she\u2019d found in the cook\u2019s secret stash and Nicole vented, \u201cMore secrets!\u201d Ma\u2019am, people have kept an affair, a secret lovechild, a backwoods assault and a murder from you and your breaking point is a plate of chocolate chip cookies? And<\/em><\/strong> you didn\u2019t even sample one? What do the people of Fairmont Crest have against baked goods? I demand an investigation!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bette Davis<\/s> crazy\u2019s eyes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Something isn\u2019t quite right with Allison. Last week I said she had too cups of crazy behind her eyes. I feel exactly the same way this week, but with some reservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When someone alleges having been abused by a spouse or partner, my first reaction is to believe them and figure out a way to keep that person safe. That\u2019s exactly what Chelsea did for her former, um, \u201cfriend.\u201d Where things get complicated is that Allison also doesn\u2019t seem to understand that Chelsea has moved on.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Two things can be true at the same time: Allison can be involved in an abusive relationship and <\/em>she can be a crazy stalker. That\u2019s why I feel kind of bad that I believe Allison\u2019s head injury might have been self-inflicted (or a true accident that happened while on her way to stalk Chelsea). Madison also clocked that Allison didn\u2019t want the authorities launching an investigation into her injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the devil\u2019s advocate side, Allison could<\/em> have suffered her injury at the hands of her husband. She might be worried that things could escalate if lawyers\/the police get involved. She might be fearful that she has no place to go, or that her life would be harder trying to make it on her own. Those are all common reasons why people remain in abusive relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crazy love<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

So, what is Allison up to? I don\u2019t know. I still believe she is trying to shoehorn her way back into Chelsea\u2019s life. However, I don\u2019t rule out that Allison might try to throw Madison down a well and take over her life (Bonus points if you understand the reference).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I do know is that I like how Beyond the Gates<\/em> doesn\u2019t feel obligated to spoon-feed all of its story points to us. We don\u2019t have to be shown Allison figuring out how to fake an injury or be told why Hayley is possibly<\/s> lying about being pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like in life, we often have no idea what\u2019s going on around us. This is something of a new concept for soap opera viewers, and it\u2019s resulted in claims that \u201cthe writers don\u2019t know what they are doing.\u201d No, we<\/em> don\u2019t know what the writers are doing. That’s a totally different thing. Honestly, I kinda like it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Spicing up vanilla<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Let\u2019s me be honest: the Derek and Ashley coupling has been one of Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u2019 least successful pairings and stories. I\u2019ve shared my back-and-forth like\/dislike for them in previous columns. That said, adding Shanice into the mix has made this one of the most silly and entertaining parts of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Derek has become infinitely more interesting since he started hanging out with Shanice. It seemed fairly obvious this week that while Derek might be maybe possibly interested in Shanice, he is still very much in love with Ashley. Shanice knows that and doesn\u2019t seem to mind. She even offered her services to try to get the fireman and Ashley back together, noting, \u201cThis could be the start of a very fun something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other half the jealousy square is a total dud. Ashley and Andre have absolutely no romantic chemistry. Still, it was hilariously cringey to watch her try to match Shanice\u2019s jealousy-inducing antics. Shanice even called Ashley on it by saying, \u201cI don\u2019t think I ever heard you whisper that loudly.\u201d Ma\u2019am, you are in over your head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We can\u2019t turn back the clock, but we can start over<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Well, at least the Articulettes are back together \u2013 or they were as of the time I posted this column. With these women things can change at the drop of a hat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was a gutsy move for Sharon and Tracy to show up at Anita\u2019s door unannounced \u2013 especially after Anita left Chicago without so much as a goodbye. \u201cIt\u2019s almost as if I didn\u2019t want to speak to you,\u201d Anita dinged. Thankfully, Vernon had a folksy anecdote to get the women to recite their cumbersome \u201cArticulettes strong\u201d mantra.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think I am amused by Sharon the most because she is the one who refuses to bow down to Anita. But it was Tracy who made it clear she would kneel because, as she said, \u201cI only kneel for Jesus.\u201d I hope these ladies still have the skills to back up all of the attitude!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bunch of weeks ago<\/strong><\/a>, I grumbled that I would be highly disappointed if we didn\u2019t get an Articulette\u2019s concert. Well, it looks like we are.<\/em> I am still not sure when these women were supposed to be at the height of their success because the song that Anita was rehearsing to sounded very contemporary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who do you think the Articulettes are modeled after? The Supremes? The Pointer Sisters? Love Unlimited? The Three Degrees? I\u2019d love to hear your thoughts so that I know I am not alone in my quest for answers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What color is<\/em> her money?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

June is still very much an enigma to me. While I know that mental health issues are disproportionately prevalent among homeless populations, there didn\u2019t seem to be any clear indication that June might suffer from one. Anything that could be viewed as an indicator has been grounded in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Yes, June definitely suffers from anxiety issues, but that seems to go hand-in-hand with being unhoused. Yes, June has a distrust of the system, but when the cops harass you and city officials toss all of your worldly goods into the trash, I\u2019d say that distrust is justified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

June was sharp enough to use an As the World Turns<\/em> reference to try to get over on Nicole and Naomi. So it was puzzling when, at Orphey Gene\u2019s, June decided that she could pay the bill with an assortment of colorful cash. Was June unaware that foreign currency would not be accepted in the DMV? Did she not know the money wasn\u2019t legal U.S. tender?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Who’s that girl?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

We know that the phone number scribbled on June\u2019s precious photo belongs to her sister, a sister that doesn\u2019t want anything to do with her. Why? That we don\u2019t know. If June did something as a result of a mental health crisis, it would make sense that her sibling wanted nothing more to do with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is all sorts of speculation about June on social media. A common theory was that June\u2019s sister would turn out to be Hayley. That seems to have been shot down now that Hayley and June both ended up in the diner and neither recognized the other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another theory suggests that Hayley is one of the kids in June\u2019s photograph. That would explain why the two didn\u2019t recognize each other. Still another theory has Tyrell and Samantha being the kids in June\u2019s photo. That\u2019s the theory that I subscribed to, but now that seems a little too\u2026 neat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice doesn’t take last names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I love that the Internet is torn about Jacob \u2013 because I am, too. I appreciate that he is committed to doing his job and to applying the law to everyone equally. That\u2019s a refreshing change in today\u2019s ofttimes Bizarro World. However, his constant pursuit of members of his extended family is baffling. At times, it\u2019s almost as if he wants to have a whole Dupree prison wing at the local jail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt and hope that he just wants to know the truth so that he can find a way to keep his family out of trouble. If he knows the deed, he can take steps to protect everyone\u2026 which oddly would make him more like Marcel Malone than he\u2019d probably like to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you solve a problem like Jacob?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The good news is that it seems like Jacob exists in a vacuum. Outside of partner Malone and daddy police chief, I think Jacob has only had interaction with one other person at in the force (the forensics guy who helped analyze the video of Laura\u2019s motorcycle attacker). It would seem likely that Jacob hasn\u2019t shared any of what he knows with any other cop. Assuming there actually are other cops on the force. We see them walking around in the background, but we\u2019ve yet to meet any of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hate to say this, but after Naomi told Vernon and Anita to prepare for their secret to come out, I thought of an easy fix. Get rid of Jacob. If he is the only loose end in the matter and the only person who even seems to be investigating anything, then Jacob has to go. He doesn\u2019t have to be \u201crobbed\u201d in the park. He can be transferred to the police force in Bora Bora or somewhere equally remote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond the Gates Speed Round<\/h3>\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

Century city<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Next week, Beyond the Gates <\/em>will broadcast its 100th<\/sup> episode. The number might seem miniscule compared to the other four soaps that have been on the air for decades (General Hospital<\/em> is on its way to episode 16,000), but the milestone is still worth celebrating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For informational purposes, Seinfeld<\/em> didn\u2019t reach 100 episodes until midway through its sixth (of nine) seasons. Long-running sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live<\/em> hit the mark at the end of its fifth season. Meet the Press<\/em>, television\u2019s longest-running program, needed two calendar years to get to the century mark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I don\u2019t expect the 100th<\/sup> episode milestone to garner any praise from the entertainment community at large. I don\u2019t expect Hollywood to suddenly welcome its red-headed stepchild into the fold with open arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What I would like to see, however, is an acknowledgement that those in the soap opera industry work their butts off. A primetime soap gets accolades for taking five years \u2013 with summers off and bigger budgets! \u2013 to get to 100 episodes. It would be nice to see someone say, \u201cI don\u2019t know how you do it. I know we<\/em> couldn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Show me the baby<\/h5>\n\n\n
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Timon Kyle Durrett (Bill Hamilton) and Marquita Goings (Hayley Lawson)
Beyond the Gates | Photo: CBS \u00a92025 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Who did Hayley call? We\u2019ve been told that Hayley is an orphan with no other family and no real friends. Based on the way she talked to the person on the phone \u2013 \u201cAre you okay? Do you need anything?\u201d — it wasn\u2019t a bill collector or fraudulent card services scammer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have this weird suspicion based on nothing in particular that the person on the other end of the call is pregnant. I haven\u2019t exactly figured out where things go next. Since Hayley made mention that her belly will soon start to grow, I have to suspect that she will be wearing padding to fake her supposed pregnancy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another thought, though even more out there, is that we will learn at some point that Hayley is unable to carry a pregnancy to term and hired a surrogate. Whether or not the baby is Bill and Hayley\u2019s\u2026 that becomes a more complicated explanation\u2026 one that I\u2019m not ready to type about yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The kids are alright<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Tyrell and Samantha have gotten a lot of criticism over their decisions to invite a stranger into their home and to talk to a stranger in the park. The fact that they figured out that their dads are not telling them the whole story does lead me to believe that there\u2019s still hope for them. Of course, I strongly suspect that their inquisitiveness is going to cause even more trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Project runway<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Pamadonna (That\u2019s my working name for Pamela and her odd Madonna-esque accent) was back and up to her old tricks. She managed to talk Dani into modeling again, although I suspect that contract with lots of zeroes helped just a little bit. I was tickled by the Beyonce<\/s> box fan that Pamela brought along for the windblown effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lines of the week<\/h5>\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 or that I found memorable over the past week (and haven’t already been mentioned in this column).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s been a minute since I’ve flexed this flirt game. It’s cardio for the soul.”<\/strong> — Shanice<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We’re not perfect people, but we’re also not the enemy.<\/strong>” — Dani to Nicole<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s not like girls are banging their heads against the sidewalk to get to me.”<\/strong> — Chelsea to Madison<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m ready to pull out the emergency breakup kit.”<\/strong> — Martin to Kat<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“You don’t need any of my father’s fairy dust.”<\/strong> — Nicole, during a lull in the tongue lashing she gave to Bill<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s not as if we weren’t going to drink the whole bottle anyway<\/strong>” — Pam as she and Dani toasted good news that Pam had yet to share.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Closing the gates<\/h3>\n<\/div>\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

Follow my Random Acts of Dan<\/h5>\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

Life outside the gates<\/h5>\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<\/em>. Liz is on deck with week with a new column called, It’s a nice day for a doomed wedding<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To read more thoughts, opinions, rants, and raves about daytime television, be sure to check out our Editorial section<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

dan<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There is a theory that alternate timelines exist based on decisions we make or decisions that we could have made. If that theory is correct, I’d bet that a lot…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2950,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16,5],"tags":[13,14,69],"class_list":["post-2936","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-entertainment","category-soaps","tag-beyond-the-gates","tag-commentary","tag-soap-opera"],"yoast_head":"\nMy View from Beyond the Gates: Good intentions, bad directions<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. It sort of makes me wonder what the roads in Fairmont Crest are paved with. 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Beyond the Gates commentary for the week ending July 25, 2025.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/my-view-from-beyond-the-gates-good-intentions-and-bad-directions\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dan J Kroll\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/DanJKroll\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/DanJKroll\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-26T14:09:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-07-26T22:33:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/250725-btg.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan J Kroll\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. 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