Beyond the Gates<\/em> continues to do an amazing job of mixing humor, drama, and unexpected twists. In the course of five episodes, we had an R&B concert, a messy love quadrangle, a hint of a possible future fling, a medical emergency that might be have been the work of Spirit Halloween props, and the return of someone I think we all thought was gone for good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This isn’t to say that every story will be loved by every viewer. I scroll through various social media sites and know that some of my opinions are not shared by other viewers. Yes, I know that some characters are less tolerated by others. I don’t think this means the honeymoon is over for Beyond the Gates<\/em>. Rather, I think it shows that viewers have become so invested in the show that they are now expressing their feelings in a more realistic, if not always constructive, way. I try to be objective and constructive with each of my columns… so let’s see how I fare this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re regular reader of this column, you\u2019ll know that I have often praised the writers for keeping us in the dark about characters\u2019 motivation. Briefly, modern soaps have sort of conditioned viewers to expect to be told why a character is doing something \u2013 and then to be beaten over the head with that reason for weeks and months. On Beyond the Gates<\/em>, we often have no idea why something is happening. For example, the details of what happened to Martin were shrouded in mystery for four months.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The same is true of Hayley\u2019s \u201cpregnancy.\u201d I think we all pretty much agreed that Hayley was faking her pregnancy, despite never having been given conclusive, incontrovertible proof to back up our accusation. No ultrasound? Fishy, but not really proof that she wasn\u2019t pregnant. Phone calls to a mystery person? Sketchy, but certainly not a smoking gun. Not wanting to immediately head to the hospital after faceplanting from tripping over a box? Totally suspect, but still not proof.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As I suspected, Hayley claimed that she hadn\u2019t had an ultrasound done on her first hospital visit because she was afraid it would show something was wrong with her baby. That\u2019s similar to how some people won\u2019t get an HIV test because if they don\u2019t take a test no one can tell them that they\u2019re HIV-positive. And, yes, this is shockingly common. A similar phenomenon happened during the peak of COVID. But now I am getting off topic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since I\u2019ve been taking online courses from the Katlock Institute for Nosy People and Wannabe Detectives, I now seek out clues everywhere I go. While Hayley\u2019s Uptown breakdown was an Emmy-worthy performance from Marquita Goings, the moment Hayley \u201crandomly\u201d chose a stranger in the restaurant to take her to the hospital I knew something was up. What I didn\u2019t expect is that the random patron would be someone we knew\u2026 and that that someone would be Randy. Whaaaaat?!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n I would be remiss if I didn\u2019t take a moment to comment on one of Dani\u2019s hilarious lines during Hayley\u2019s rant. Hayley objected to being called a gold-digger and insisted that she had worked hard to get to where she is in life. Dani fired back, \u201cYou call spreading those little ankle-free tree trunks for a man old enough to be your Pee-Paw work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dani now believes that Hayley was always pregnant and even feels guilty for causing the miscarriage. I don\u2019t think Hayley is out of the woods just yet. In spite of Naomi\u2019s decision not to blow up Hayley\u2019s spot, I still think she suspects something is up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I mean, what hospital discharges a woman who has suffered a miscarriage in less time than it takes someone to get home from the airport?! I once had to get stitches because of a freak gardening accident (don\u2019t ask) and they wanted to keep me around for an hour for observation. Hayley being curled up on the sofa made zero sense. None. And Hayley deftly but specifically avoiding naming the doctor she saw at the hospital is also highly suspicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So, what\u2019s the game here? I\u2019m not sure. How are Hayley and \u201cSammy\u201d connected? Hayley claims to be an orphan with no family, which has been mentioned frequently. It\u2019s safe to assume that\u2019s a lie. Are they sibling grifters who will try to kill Bill for his fortune or otherwise bilk him out of his money? Is Hayley the wife that Randy once spoke of? If so, where\u2019s the child that they supposedly have?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Randy wasn’t just roped into one scheme this week. Doug also seemingly convinced his old, supposedly on the run friend to help him take down Joey. I thought Doug was at his least brilliant when he took his winning lottery scratcher winnings and bet them on a horse. That was equaled by his drunken mouthing off to Joey at the casino. But I think his plot to take down Joey might be a new biggest dumb-dumb move.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doug is a loose canon at the moment. Quitting his job at the hospital in a snit? I know I wouldn\u2019t want him operating on my loved one\u2019s heart. He’s no Cristina Yang. The drinking is what concerns me. I fear Doug will do something stupid and someone will end up dying as a result. Since Randy is roped into another storyline at the moment, that leaves Doug himself as my mostly likely to die candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a random aside, Jon Lindstrom (Joey Armstrong) made a recent social media post saying that he was taking some time off from playing Joey to tackle another project. That could mean absolutely nothing, but the Conspiracy Theory 101 course at the Katlock Institute has me wondering if maybe Joey isn\u2019t long for this earth \u2013 or gets locked up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It looks like the curtain has come down on the Articulettes story. This storyline didn\u2019t go anything like I thought it would go, but that\u2019s not necessarily a bad thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was totally blindsided by the Barbara reveal, and Anita reciting the letter her late friend had written before her death remains one of the most powerful and moving moments not only in Beyond the Gates\u2019 <\/em>history, but also in recent soap history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pace of the storyline was a little uneven between the reveal and my much-wanted concert. All of the rehearsal in Chicago took place off-screen \u2013 that is, until Anita wanted to hire a new choreographer and things fell apart. Before we knew it, the women had communed in the DMV, patched things up over diamond infinity bracelets, and somehow booked and sold out the Howard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The concert was more than I expected to get out of cash-strapped daytime. We got three original songs, fun production, and some hilarious audience moments (complete with real-life extras in attendance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tribute to Barbara was just a wee bit clunky. I don\u2019t think Beyonce, Janet, Whitney, or Miss Dionne have even interrupted one of their concerts to announce that they\u2019d killed someone (or been the reason for someone\u2019s death). Still, it was touching and very much needed for the three surviving Articulettes to heal. Side note<\/strong>: I love when shows use actors\u2019 real-life photos for \u201chistorical\u201d purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I honestly thought Anita would “see” a young Barbara because, again, soaps have conditioned me for that sort of thing. The phantom spotlight was a much better acknowledgement from beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I liked that Anita chose to step out of the figurative spotlight and have it shine on Sharon and Tracy. Now that the other two Articulettes are going to be on the road doing concerts, I\u2019m guessing that this is the end of the line for this particular storyline. Parting is always bittersweet, but I\u2019ll always be glad that we got to experience an Articulettes concert!<\/p>\n\n\n\n The concert was a triumphant success, but the afterparty did provide some highlights on its own. My favorite was Kat stopping Leslie and Eva from entering the festivities. \u201cLast time I checked, the club doesn\u2019t have a mother-daughter homewrecker night,\u201d Kat sassed. Ooh, I laughed\u2026 and laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Something else that happened wasn\u2019t nearly as funny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have thoughts about whatever this thing is that may or may not be happening between Nicole and Carlton. I will admit that I am holding out hope for a Ted and Nicole reconciliation. It is my hope that it happens before Nicole does something that she will regret.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An argument could be made (and has been made on social media) that since Ted had an affair, Nicole should get some sort of Boink One, Get One deal. Yes, that is a good argument for the streets, but it would be wildly out of character for Nicole. Nicole presents herself as principled and having a higher standard than most. For her to hop into bed with Carlton to even the cheating scorecard just doesn\u2019t fly with me. She needs to formally end her marriage before moving on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Plus, how could Nicole ever<\/em> want to be with a man who is afraid of rabbits?! Though I have zero confirmation that it has anything to do with me being a lifelong bunny parent, I am taking ownership for that whole bunny reference making it into the show. But seriously?! Afraid of bunnies? Nicole can do better than some leporiphobic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then again, Nicole storming out of the Articulettes afterparty to follow LSD (That\u2019s Leslie\/Sherry\/Dana to new readers) to Orphey Gene\u2019s was also really sort of wild to me. Ma\u2019am, stop intentionally putting yourself into the same orbit as someone \u201cwith all of the wigs and none of the commonsense.\u201d That\u2019s a Shaniceism, so I cannot take credit for that one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jan might not be on-screen very often, but when she does make an appearance, she\u2019s usually speaking a whole lot of sense. I might not agree with all of the reasoning behind her points, but I was fully in agreement with her summation. Ashley is chasing shiny objects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jan was absolutely right: Ashley didn\u2019t even give herself and Derek a chance to make living together work. They cohabitated for maybe a week before deciding that they couldn\u2019t stand to share the same space as one another.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was shocked to hear Ashley say that she and Derek do not share the same \u201cvalues.\u201d Let\u2019s be honest, in 2025 that is usually code where \u201cvalues\u201d replaces something like \u201cpolitical beliefs.\u201d But no, not here. Ashley looked down her nose as Derek wanting to \u201csettle down and get married and\u2026 retire with a pension.\u201d It was a bit rude for Ashley to talk down about stability, knowing how Jan struggled to make ends meet as a single parent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes, Ashley is correct that there \u201cis so much more out there\u201d in the world to experience, but she seems to think that settling down precludes doing all those other things that she wants to do, like vacation in Paris. Here, the \u201cso much more\u201d to do is code — and it\u2019s code for Andre\u2019s penis. I\u2019m not judging Ashley for her carnal desires, but I am questioning whether she is thinking rationally here. Is a little abracadabra from Andre\u2019s magic stick worth making her future disappear?<\/p>\n\n\n\n What\u2019s even more telling is that while Ashley had mulled this possible life with Andre\u2026 she still had a photo of herself and Derek displayed prominently in her apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whoever wrote the dialogue for Dani Dupree on the Wednesday, August 6, episode of Beyond the Gates <\/em>needs to be given an award. Is there a Nobel Prize for Zingers and Shade? If not, allow me to create the inaugural Krollbel Prize for Zingers and Shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But before we get to that\u2026 wait, what\u2019s the sound? It\u2019s the hypocrite alarm! For as much as I still dislike this Madonnaesque accent that Pamela has, it worked perfectly<\/em> for all of the shadiness that she and Dani were casting at the Uptown. I think what I love about Dani and Pamela\u2019s relationship is that it reminds me so much of the relationship that I had with my<\/em> Pam(ela). Only I was the one that used to fake a hoity-toity accent for comedic effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back to this year\u2019s Krollbel Prize for Zingers and Shade. There were so <\/em>many nominees that they had to get their own special section. In between wishing Ashley \u201cnothing but the best,\u201d Dani let loose with some total solar eclipse shade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe can\u2019t handle that level of sexiness. She would burst into flames \u2013 and not in a good way,\u201d Dani said of why Ashley and Andre could not work as a couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA man like Andre could destroy Ashley\u2019s uncomplicated mind,\u201d Dani further explained. \u201cIt\u2019s like climbing Everest and thinking it\u2019s just a pretty hill. There is Andre miles above and the poor kid would die of altitude sickness before she even dug her feet in good.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What would happen if Ashley did experience some of Andre\u2019s hokey pokey? Dani had the answer: \u201cShe\u2019d have to move to Virginia and take care of rescue goats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even \u201cantiquing on the weekend\u201d caught a stray during Dani\u2019s rapid-fire snark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Earlier in the week Dani teased Andre for having \u201can appetite for the bland\u201d and referred to Ashley as a \u201cdelightful, but unseasoned woman.\u201d I have filed that away in my memory bank for future use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t understand what everyone in this quadrangle sees in each other. Ashley was in love and talking about a future with Derek\u2026 until he asked her to marry him and then suddenly she didn\u2019t want that future. Andre has said that he wanted a future with Dani, but Dani insisted that she wasn\u2019t ready to jump into a new relationship. What is it that Andre sees in Ashley? No, really. I need someone to tell me. And Derek is still in love with Ashley (which I do<\/em> understand) but he is repeatedly getting his heart broken by professing his love for a woman who clearly doesn\u2019t want him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, Ashley has made it clear that she and Derek will never be a thing again. I had been rooting for them, but now I feel like Derek dodged a bullet and needs to move on \u2013 preferably with Shanice. Andre was about to tell Dani that he was ending their situationship so that he could start something \u201creal\u201d with Ashley \u2013 but then Ashley walked in on Dani and Andre kissing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ooh, this messy and so weird.<\/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 Based on one of my TwitterX posts<\/a><\/strong>, I am not the only one that wished I had been able to score a ticket to the Articulettes reunion concert. Noel (djsoapbubble) lamented that we only got a couple of actual songs, but noted, “Thankfully, the Articulettes didn’t have their fans waiting… unlike a Madonna concert.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Hayley had her medical situation at Uptown, I was glad to see that some of the other patrons gathered around the see if she was okay. All too often on soaps, the people in the background go about their lives as if they exist in a bubble. Occasionally, we will get a reaction shot. Here, about five of them actually put down their forks and knives to show that they cared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Naomi entered her dad’s house and asked him, “Have you had anyone murdered lately?” That was… definitely a choice. The way she carried on, it almost sounded like he got onto one of the mobile food ordering apps and selected a “murder” option. I’m sure something like that exists on the Dark Web. Sigh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meanwhile, Naomi’s reaction to seeing her other making out with Andre at the concert was hilarious. It was a rough week for the young barrister on the parental front.<\/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 or that I found memorable over the past week (and haven’t already been mentioned in this column).<\/p>\n\n\n\n “When you walk into a room, a party breaks out<\/strong>” — Pamela to Dani, one of the lesser shady comments made at their Uptown meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A flirty pal is a terrible thing to waste.”<\/strong> — Shanice, who apparently used AI to generate a Lou Rawls quote.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Men like that don’t change their flight patterns.”<\/strong> “Some men are like hurricanes. They blow through your life, leave everything in shambles, and they move on to the next city.”<\/strong> — Two of the many pearls of wisdom dropped by Jan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t want to be the crumbs off of someone else’s plate. I want to be the whole meal.<\/strong>” — Another Shaniceism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Maybe you’re underestimating the size of my couch<\/strong>.” — Vanessa, explaining to her accountant that the extra money in her books was found under the cushions of her couch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I don’t trust you, but I enjoy you.<\/strong>” — Joey to Vanessa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I didn’t think the great Dani Dupree did domestic.”<\/strong> — Andre, as he watched Dani make breakfast for them.<\/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<\/em>. Liz is on deck with week with a new column called, True Lies<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nPregnant women aren\u2019t made of glass<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
“I actually worked hard to get to where I am<\/strong>“<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThink bigger… like murder!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Stand in the spotlight<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA long distance dead-ication<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The shrink needs to be shrunk<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Daphnee](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/3083484_0968b-1024x684.jpg\")
Beyond the Gates | Photo: Quantrell Colbert\/CBS<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nDipping your toes in the water that is Lake Andre<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
A warm blanket, a soft pillow<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Appetite for destruction\u2026 bland destruction<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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Beyond the Gates | Photo: Quantrell Colbert\/CBS <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nBeyond the Gates Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
FOMO<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Good patrons<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
SnuffHub<\/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