I had considered titling this week\u2019s column \u201cSave it for your Emmy reel\u201d because there were so<\/em> many performances from the past week on Beyond the Gates <\/em>that I absolutely believe will show up on performers\u2019 Daytime Emmy submissions in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I also wanted to call it \u201cThe Life of a Soap Girl,\u201d but I thought that might upset the Swifties and thought the better of it. That didn’t stop me from having a little fun with it in the graphic for this week’s column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the social media era, you can get instant feedback on what people think about, well, just about everything. In the olden days, you had to actually encounter another human being (be it in person or on the phone) before you could gush over the things that you loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back then, it seemed that praise was pretty much universal. Nowadays, I\u2019d argue that people like to complain just to complain. We come to embrace negativity, or at the very least, we\u2019ve come to accept it. Then, there are some people who just love to be contrarian. And then there are others that refuse to like or enjoy anything that doesn\u2019t align with their own personal wants and needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s take Doug McBride\u2019s death on Beyond the Gates<\/em>. Doug wasn\u2019t necessarily my favorite character on the show, but I certainly didn\u2019t want to see him meet his maker at the bottom of a ravine somewhere in Maryland. That said, I accept that it happened and I kind of find myself riveted by the performances and storytelling in the wake of Doug\u2019s death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lauren Buglioli has been magnificent. Going back to my earlier Emmy comments, if you\u2019d asked me six months ago what type of role Buglioli was playing, I\u2019d have said she was unequivocally a \u201csupporting actress.\u201d With her recent work, I\u2019d argue that she\u2019s made a very strong argument to be viewed as a \u201clead actress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s been interesting to see the evolution of Vanessa McBride. Her introduction made her seem like a sex-crazed ditz, but with time we\u2019ve come to learn that she\u2019s not<\/em> a ditz. And, no, that\u2019s not me being shady about her sexual proclivities. Vanessa is smarter than I think people give her credit for. She\u2019s poking around, asking questions about Doug\u2019s death. I\u2019m not sure if her questions are designed to get specific answers or if her questions are more in line with the five stages of grief. To me, though, I feel like she knows something\u2019s not adding up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week<\/a><\/strong> I took a seemingly unpopular stance by saying that I don\u2019t want Vanessa to learn of Joey\u2019s involvement in Doug\u2019s death right away. I stand by that. I think it will be explosive<\/strong> and memorable to watch Vanessa\u2019s grief subside over the next weeks and months only to have it erupt when she learns the truth. By then, there might also be enough other people who are ticked at Joey to have a proper murder mystery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know that the general consensus is that Joey Armstong is\u2026 words I\u2019d prefer not to type in this mostly-PG column. That said, I find Joey to be incredibly fascinating and complex. It doesn\u2019t hurt that the incomparable Jon Lindstrom is breathing life into the resident baddie. Other soap villains often come off as mustache-twirling caricatures of villains, but Joey is the real deal. He doesn\u2019t just do evil, he eats, sleeps, drinks, and breathes evil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The way that Joey is finding ways to further horn his way into Vanessa\u2019s life is diabolical. His feigned concern about Doug\u2019s death. I can\u2019t tell if Joey truly is concerned about Vanessa\u2019s feelings of grief or if he is just pretending to. I mean, Joey clearly \u201cloves\u201d Vanessa, so I\u2019d imagine that he doesn\u2019t want to see her sad. But since he\u2019s the one that put the wheels in motion that resulted in her being<\/em> sad\u2026 As I said, Joey is complex<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Look at how Joey toyed with Donnell McBride. I honestly thought Joey was going to egg Donnell into beating up the dealer that had overserved Doug. He did seem to try<\/em> to do that, but Donnell didn\u2019t take the bait. I\u2019m willing to overlook Joey calling Donnell \u201cson\u201d as a genuine slip of the tongue, but that whole drinking incident had ick all over it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Donnell had said that he planned to have his first (I am assuming legal age) drink with his dad \u2013 two glasses of scotch — when he returned home from his semester abroad. Almost immediately, Joey had his I’m interested to see if Donnell is featured in story moving forward or if actor Alex Cheeks was only tapped for this short-term appearance. I was a little nervous because Cheeks had definite first day jitters, but by his second episode a lot of that seemed to settle down. I suspect, though I have no empirical evidence to support my theory, that Jon Lindstrom worked with the newcomer for the scenes that they shared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deanna McBride decided to stay at college<\/em><\/strong> and not come home for her father\u2019s funeral?! She wanted to stay on campus so she\u2019d have something to do? At face value, I don\u2019t believe that for a second. There had better be one hell of a real reason given in the near future to help me get past this really weird story decision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In both cases, Beyond the Gates<\/em> will soon start exploring life at the fictional Banneker University, so it seems logical that we will be seeing Donnell (and possibly the MIA Deanna) in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What if Doug isn\u2019t really dead? It\u2019s something that crossed my mind. Doug was absolutely convinced that he had the goods to take down Joey for good. What if he was working with the Feds to put and end to Joey\u2019s criminal enterprise? They could have easily put the screws to Marcel Malone to get him to agree to play along.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kam, one of the regular readers of the My View Beyond the Gates<\/em> column, suggested that Doug could be alive and imprisoned somewhere by Joey. I had not considered that. Joey doesn\u2019t strike me as the kind of guy to allow one of his enemies (or annoyances) to\u2026 linger. It is<\/em> twisted enough, though, so I won’t rule it out as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In both scenarios, there was reportedly very little left of Doug after the accident. Some of the items that were recovered should have been charred or melted beyond recognition, but they weren\u2019t. Were those production oopsies or easter eggs for us to notice?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of oopsies, it would seem that Naomi hasn\u2019t been as diligent with taking her birth control pills as she has been in the past. As a result, that flu Naomi thought she\u2019d caught was actually something markedly less contagious: she\u2019s pregnant. We were left out of how Naomi went from being sick on her phone call with Jacob to suddenly deciding to pee on a stick moments later, but this is where we are.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacob was thrilled by the news, but Naomi? Not so much. That didn\u2019t come as a surprise because it was previewed in the previous week\u2019s \u201cNext week on Beyond the Gates<\/em>\u201d previews. After Jacob painted his Rockwellian image of how life with a baby could be, I honestly expected a Disney\/Hallmark shift in the storytelling. Yes, I was convinced that Naomi would suddenly be on board with having a baby on board. But she remained insistent that she was not happy about being pregnant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s still surprisingly taboo to talk about not<\/em> wanting children. If you\u2019re a regular reader, in addition to knowing my funny little nicknames for characters and other quirks, you\u2019ll know that I just love to toss in a Grey\u2019s Anatomy<\/em> reference whenever possible. Back in Season of the long-running ABC medical series, it was very controversial when Cristina Yang made it clear that she did not want kids and decided to have an abortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is not an argument for or against abortion. That is an individual decision and it isn\u2019t anyone\u2019s place to tell a woman what she should or should not do with her body. However, since this is a column about a fictional program, it does give me more latitude to discuss things in that fictional bubble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Many moons ago, someone who wrote recaps for me on Soap Central abruptly quit because a character on Days of our Lives<\/em> was considering an abortion. The character ultimately decided against it. Some years later, All My Children<\/em> undid Erica Kane\u2019s abortion, the first legal abortion on the soaps. That had viewers up in arms, but the situation was made even worse when the writers concocted a science fiction storyline that the fetus had been transplanted into another woman\u2019s womb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I took that brief detour because it circles back to what\u2019s going on with Naomi and Jacob. In 30-plus years of covering the soaps, I\u2019ve seen a whole lot of pregnancy-related storylines. Off the top of my head, I cannot recall a character being so steadfast in their decision to not want children. In the real world, I know plenty of couples of various makeups that have made the decision not to have kids. And there are many reasons for those decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It will be interesting to see where Beyond the Gates<\/em> goes with this storyline because it\u2019s bound to be controversial no matter which choose-your-own-adventure path is chosen. Does Naomi choose to have an abortion? Will she suddenly realize she wants a child? Does she carry the baby to term only to put the baby up for adoption? Will she suffer a miscarriage before having to make a decision?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t see Jacob supporting Naomi\u2019s decision to terminate the pregnancy. I can\u2019t see Naomi suddenly changing her mind about parenthood \u2013 and I don\u2019t think viewers would be okay with her doing a quick 180. There has already been a lot of talk about miscarriages on the show, so I don\u2019t know if the writers go there again. I suppose that scenario could<\/em> make Naomi and Hayley bond\u2026 maybe? This is the problem with complaining (as I have been doing) that you want to see a major storyline for a character that\u2019s been mostly a supporting figure in other storylines. When you get your wish, it\u2019s always some sort of horrible drama. Naomi and Jacob are the only happily married couple left (other than Anita and Vernon). I\u2019d like them to stay happy. Yes, I\u2019m looking all of you scandalous \u201cKat and Jacob should hookup\u201d people!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Technically, I guess Andre and Dani are\u2026 happily married. It\u2019s the weirdest marriage in Fairmont Crest (that we know of), but if it works for them, I\u2019m all for it. We got some oddly specifics rules of engagement this week. The marriage is open as long as the sextracurricular activities are done safely. When the fun wears off, the marriage is over but the friendship will remain. If either Dani or Andre catch feelings for someone else it will be discussed openly. And there was a fourth\u2026 what was it what was it. Oh! Right! Andre has to provide Dani with at least three orgasms per week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Random aside: this is the second week in a row that a character has said the word \u201corgasm.\u201d I watched All My Children <\/em>for more than two decades and I don\u2019t think the show used the O-word once. Phoebe Wallingford would never!<\/em> Myrtle Fargate on the other hand…<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Dani and Bill dynamic is such a weird thing. Any soap fan knew that Bill and Dani would smooch the minute they agreed to hurl insults at each other. I don\u2019t know if that happens in the real world, but insulting people on soaps is the biggest aphrodisiac known to man- and womankind. I\u2019m trying to picture a world where you go into the express line at the supermarket with 13 items instead of 10, get scolded by the cashier for not being able to read the sign, and then suddenly your butt cheeks are ringing up at $4.49\/pound on the little conveyer belt scanner while you and the cashier surrender to passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Um\u2026 that was oddly specific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Show of hands: how many of you thought that Hayley or someone else would walk in on Dani and Bill\u2019s kiss? Put your hands down because I can\u2019t see them anyway. How many of you thought that Bill might call out Dani\u2019s name when he and Hayley were going at it on the couch? I don\u2019t think anyone envisioned Bill having \u201cperformance anxiety\u201d so I won\u2019t even ask about that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dani has always been open about still having feelings for Bill, but Bill\u2019s rekindled interest in Dani is a new development. I\u2019m wondering if we\u2019ve reached the point where Dani is the one that is no longer interested in getting back together with Bill but Bill is. <\/em>Or is Dani just using Andre to get back with Bill? Or does Dani just want to break up Bill and Hayley\u2019s marriage because of some twisted revenge fantasy? Soap watching is so much more fun when something has more than one possible outcome. And on Beyond the Gates<\/em> the writers do like to pick the road less traveled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I am on the topic of Hayley, are we ever going to learn if she was really really<\/em> pregnant? And what about that weird run-in with Randy at Uptown? Now that Randy is back in town and can show his face again, I have to imagine that their connection will be brought up sometime soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I will also admit that I keep expecting Hayley to drop the \u201cthe doctor told me I can\u2019t get pregnant\u201d bombshell. That\u2019s what I thought she was about to tell Bill this past week. Maybe I am just looking for scandals. Whatever the reason, Hayley\u2019s urgent need to say that she wants to have a baby with Bill to cement their connection screams gold digger or some other scheme. Of course, it also seems like part of a mind-screw on her part to get Bill emotionally invested before she drops the \u201cI can\u2019t have a baby\u201d thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know what else needs to be dropped? Trashy Tom\u00e1s. There is absolutely nothing remotely<\/em> endearing about this man. What\u2019s that old saying? All the good-looking guys are either married or gay? Not in this case. This one\u2019s just an ass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Do you hear something? Is it\u2026? I think it is! It\u2019s the hypocrite alarm!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As trash as Tom\u00e1s is, the scenes with Tom\u00e1s, Kat, and Eva were some of the best soapy drama I\u2019ve seen in quite some time. Colby Muhammad (Kat Richardson) continues to be one of the unsung heroes of Beyond the Gates.<\/em> And, as many others have said, Ambyr Michelle (Eva Thomas) is one of daytime\u2019s stars to watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I appreciate that Beyond the Gates<\/em> has resisted the urge to overproduce scenes. The Eva\/Tom\u00e1s\/Kat scenes didn\u2019t have a lot of extra, unnecessary moving parts. The scene started with Kat clearly stunned as she tried to process what she was seeing in front of her: Tom\u00e1s wrapped in just a towel standing in the middle of Eva\u2019s apartment. Bless Tom\u00e1s for coming up with the \u201cEva asked me to help her move\u201d excuse. I pity any client he represents in court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like both Eva and Kat, so watching them lob hand grenades at each other was oddly fulfilling. The fact that each gave as good as they got should (should)<\/em> have appeased both fan bases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Eva turned up the heat by declaring that she had no regrets about sleeping with Tom\u00e1s. Though, that would change later in the day. But it was Kat that got the first real digs in, asking, \u201cAnd how does a former side chick celebrate when a fresh piece of trash joins her on the mess express?\u201d She then went even further in with the decidedly saditty takedown of, \u201cPour a little malt liquor out for the homegirls who ain\u2019t made it out of ho town.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then it was Eva\u2019s turn to lay into the \u201cfirst-class, top-tier bitch\u201d that Kat was. When Kat tried to silence her half-sister with \u201cthat\u2019s enough,\u201d Eva quipped that it was the first time those words had been said that night. The look of utter devastation on Kat\u2019s face when Eva let it be known that Tom\u00e1s had told her about Kat\u2019s \u201clittle bedroom issues\u201d will be etched into my memory. I felt bed when Kat fought back tears as she thanked Eva and Tom\u00e1s for \u201cmaking today so memorable.\u201d That was quickly replaced by loud shouts of \u201cThat\u2019s right!\u201d when Kat snatched back the ChelseaKat bag she\u2019d brought over for Eva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tom\u00e1s, who had been mostly quiet while the ladies squabbled, did get a chance to speak. With apologies to the original proverb, Tom\u00e1s, it is better to remain silent and be thought a lothario than to speak out and remove all doubt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was absolutely shocking \u2013 shoc-king<\/em>! \u2013 that Tom\u00e1s had the gall to dismiss Eva as a \u201cfriend\u201d and that their sex was \u201ca beautiful escape.\u201d He dug the hole deeper by telling Eva to her face as she was telling him that they\u2019d made <\/em>love that their bedroom romp was a mistake because he and Kat hadn\u2019t really broken up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt bad for Eva when she collapsed in tears after realizing that she\u2019d made the same mistake her mother had made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It won\u2019t happen, but I\u2019d like to see Eva and Kat someone bond over their mutual hatred of how they\u2019d been played by Tom\u00e1s. And no, no, no, no: I do not want Eva and Kat to both end up pregnant by No m\u00e1s Tom\u00e1s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also looks like there might be no more Martin and Smitty (Do we call them Smartin?) Martin rebuffing Smitty seemed to come out of nowhere. Martin cooked up a nice dinner for himself and Smitty, but when Smitty started to get a little frisky, Martin wasn\u2019t having it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe last time we had sex\u2026 you broke my heart,\u201d Martin said with sad eyes and a paradoxical smile. Martin shared that he\u2019d felt used, something he didn\u2019t wish on anybody. Martin also explained that he didn\u2019t want to live in only part of his home. \u201cI can\u2019t occupy only a tiny corner in your world. If I\u2019m yours, I\u2019m everywhere,\u201d he explained. He told Smitty that it was important that they stop hurting each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Martin revealed that he was taking a step back so that he and Smitty could figure out what they meant to each other. Martin assured Smitty that he\u2019d be back if they can find that their \u201cnot perfect\u201d love was enough for both of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This was probably the strongest performance Brandon Claybon (Martin Richardson) has given since Beyond the Gates<\/em> debuted. It wasn\u2019t melodramatic or overwrought with emotion. There was little movement from the actors, as each stayed grounded and present. It was reminiscent, in some ways, of the material that finally earned Susan Lucci her Emmy after numerous nominations. It was reserved, controlled, but heartbreaking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found it interesting that Martin and Smitty\u2019s first scenes ended at the 13-minute mark and didn\u2019t pick up again until the 40-minute mark. If you missed the episode, it was Episode 140, which aired on Tuesday, September 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the other things on Beyond the Gates<\/em> that have me thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am sure there is some legal reason for doing so, but I was absolutely tickled that the Beyond the Gates <\/em>credits list week listed that Tamara Tunie played the role of the Anita Williams impersonator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n June taking notes on how to get her mack on from Jacob and Naomi was hilarious. These silly, seemingly throwaway scenes actually make the show more enjoyable. At one point, I am pretty sure that June was “smizing.” Not everything has to be super serious. That said\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n June wasn\u2019t just fantasizing about Ted, she knew his whole government name thanks to seeing his credit card. Here\u2019s what is weird about that. June has called Samantha by her full name, so it didn\u2019t give her momentary pause that Theodore Richardson shared one of Samantha\u2019s last names?<\/p>\n\n\n\n You know that I\u2019ve been critical of the product placement on Beyond the Gates \u2013 <\/em>not that they\u2019re doing it, but rather how<\/em> they\u2019re doing it. I thought the launch of the ChelseaKat bags was done really well. I liked that the fictional Chelsea and Kat had the real-world designer on-screen using her real<\/em> name. All My Children<\/em> sold real-life cosmetics and perfumes based on the show\u2019s fictional Enchantment products back in the early 2000s, long before the Internet was commonplace. General Hospital<\/em> is currently selling IRL versions of their fictional cosmetic products. I think it\u2019s smart. I think it creates brand awareness and loyalty. And, yes, if I were someone who had need for a handbag, I\u2019d probably buy the blue denim version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While still on the subject of Chelsea, I thought her Insta live message to her followers was powerful. It’s not easy coming back from being the victim of a crime. How do you make witty and happy small talk about purses when you’re still traumatized from being chained to a bed by a crazed fan? I liked the “lean on your people” message because friends and family are an important part of the healing process. But that’s not so easy if you feel that you don’t have “people.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n The second part of Chelsea’s message — to “embrace who you are now” — might seem flippant or dismissive. I started Soap Central after being the victim of an attack. For the longest time I wrestled with how something so incredible could come from something so dark. I am now able to separate the two things and to embrace how I was able to start a web site, connect with millions of other soap fans people, and turn that into something that eventually helped so many others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Beyond the Gates<\/em> writing team seems to be having a little too much fun. Here are some of the lines of dialogue that tickled my funny bone or that I found memorable over the past week (and haven’t already mentioned in this column).<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I haven’t heard ‘bounced’ since 1999”<\/strong> – Ted after hearing Leslie use the word ‘bounced’ in conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “If I’m already on the highway to hell, might as well hitch my ride to the devil I know”<\/strong> — Randy<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Foreplay, form, and that dismount<\/em>?!”<\/strong> — Eva, reflecting on sexytimes with Tomas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “In the afternoon for goodness sake!”<\/strong> — Anita, after walking in on Dani and Andre having their own sexytimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I was always open to adopting another child. You didn’t have to marry one.”<\/strong> — Dani zinging Bill’s marriage to Hayley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Why call a truce when there are so many wonderful places to bury the hatchet?”<\/strong> Another of Dani’s pearls of wisdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Does she make you use hand sanitizer before you touch her?”<\/strong> Dani teasing Andre about his relationship with Ashley, who she called “Mother Teresa in scrubs”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Guilt’s a terrible place to live. Rent’s too high and the neighbors are terrible<\/strong>.” — Ted<\/p>\n\n\n\n That’s all I have for this week’s My View From Beyond the Gates column. Thank you for reading and, as always, please feel free to share your thoughts on my column or Beyond the Gates<\/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<\/strong><\/a>, Facebook<\/strong><\/a>, and TwitterX<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Two of my former Two Scoops columnists from Soap Central, Liz Masters and Tamilu, have joined me here on my personal web site — and they are still<\/em><\/strong> writing about General Hospital<\/em>. Liz Masters is on deck with week with a new column called, <\/a>The Lying Game<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nNostalgia… what a bitch<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Heartbreak delayed<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Another obstacle for Joey to remove?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
new<\/s> temporary bartender pour out two glasses of scotch. A stranger stepping in to do what Donnell would never be able to do with his father repulsed me. It was an egregious overstep that at best was thoughtless and at worst was another affront on Doug\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Different World: Fairmont Crest edition<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Plot twist!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
I’m not happy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Pro’s choice<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
A 100% chance of upsetting someone<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
I’ll have what she’s having three times a week<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
I need a moment<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Fool me twice<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Picking things up<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
You all are both garbage<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
(Do the) Push and Pull<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Don’t speak<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
A tiny corner in your world<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Gates Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Giving credit<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
What’s my name?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
She likes to have money in her pocketbook…<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
… and that’s alright<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Lines of the Week<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Follow my Random Acts of Dan<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Life outside the gates<\/h5>\n\n\n\n