It’s January 23rd and there is still a Christmas tree up at Kroll Manor. To be fair, I didn’t put it up, so I am not going to be the one to take it down. I know some people keep their trees up all year round, and I know others who put Valentine’s Day decorations on the tree to extend the season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I don’t know when the official end of “the holiday season” is, but now, thanks to Beyond the Gates<\/em>, I know that late-January is the end of apology season. If your New Year’s Resolution was to make amends and you’ve done that, you need no longer explain yourself to anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n They say you should live your life without regrets. Maybe that means popping pills at the club to have a fun time. Or maybe it means accepting a new challenge to prove yourself at work. It could also be something like finally agreeing to move on after the end of a long-term relationship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What people often forget about living a so-called balls to the wall life is that with it comes a lot of risk and, potentially, a lot of danger. And the fallout usually isn’t confined to just the person living dangerously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s that looming risk that has had me doing something I haven’t done since the spring. I’ve been Doomsoaping. But I’ll have more on that as the column progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my Best of Beyond the Gates <\/em>2025 column<\/a>, I awarded Colby Natasha Nixon the \u201cBest Addition to Any Scene\u201d award. The reason, I explained at the time, was that Nixon has an undeniable \u201cit factor\u201d that commands attention in every scene..<\/p>\n\n\n\n That hasn\u2019t changed in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n My favorite scenes of the week all involved Nixon\u2019s Kat having discussions about \u2013 what else?! \u2013 her half-sister Eva. Of course, Kat would never use the S-word.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve read enough social posts to know that I am never going to change anyone\u2019s mind when it comes to how they feel about Eva or Kat. As I\u2019ve said repeatedly, I really love both characters, even when they aren\u2019t necessarily on their best behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scenes between Kat and Ted (played by Keith D. Robinson) and Kat and Samantha (played by Najah Jackson) were stellar. The writing, acting, and direction were absolutely top notch. While over-the-top theatrics could have been deployed \u2013 especially with Kat and her dad \u2013 they were wisely dialed back, making the conversation even more powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start at the beginning. I get that Kat doesn\u2019t want Eva to know anything about her life. But it seemed weird for Kat to have such a huge reaction to Ted telling his other daughter about her sister\u2019s negative test results. It wasn\u2019t as if Eva didn\u2019t know about Anita\u2019s diagnosis and that it meant her kind would need to be tested. It made sense that Ted would update Eva with the good news. Nicole even tried making this argument to Kat in a subsequent conversation, but without much luck. An argument might <\/em>be made if Ted had been sharing bad news, but honestly? I don’t think even that would be worthy of Kat\u2019s reaction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The problem? Kat simply refuses to see Eva as her sister\u2026 half or otherwise. \u201cShe\u2019s as much a genetic aberration as that gene that\u2019s got our whole family in its grip,\u201d Kat snapped when her dad tried to explain his actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shocked, Ted asked how Kat could possibly make so horrifying a comparison. \u201cCancer creeps in, makes itself at home, and turns your body against you,\u201d she replied. \u201cReplace \u2018body\u2019 with \u2018family\u2019 and you\u2019ve got Eva.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ted let his daughter know that her temper tantrums weren\u2019t \u201ccute anymore.\u201d Kat fired back with, \u201cCheating on my mother wasn\u2019t cute either.\u201d Damn.<\/em> Ted wasn\u2019t about to allow his daughter to go unchecked. \u201cWe have come to the end of apology season,\u201d Ted announced before reminding Kat that he\u2019d always been a good and loving father to her. When Kat brought up Ted\u2019s affair, Ted argued that he was a human being who made mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I found it interesting that neither Kat nor Ted thought that Tom\u00e1s\u2019 affair with Eva was comparable to Ted sleeping with Leslie. Is it because Tom\u00e1s and Kat weren\u2019t married? Isn\u2019t cheating cheating? Kat forgave Tom\u00e1s pretty quickly, especially given the identity of his bedmate. I\u2019d say it was the magic of the ding-a-ling, but at that point Tom\u00e1s\u2019 magic wand had yet to pull a, um, rabbit out of Kat\u2019s hat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But I digress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kat then sought out Nicole because she needed someone to co-sign her feelings. She didn\u2019t get it. Nicole told her daughter exactly what I\u2019ve been thinking for the past however many months: Kat has allowed her hatred for Eva to completely alter her life. She\u2019s skipped out on family functions and her light has been dimmed. Eva lives rent-free in Kat\u2019s head. Kat needs to get to a place where she can dislike Eva and still live her life. The best way to stick it to Eva, since that is what Kat seems determined to do, would be to live her absolute best life and appear as unbothered by Eva as possible. Carrying all that negative energy can\u2019t be good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The second highlight of the week came later in the same Wednesday, January 21, episode, when Kat popped by Martin and Smitty\u2019s as part of her Deliver Me From Eva world tour. We haven\u2019t gotten to see nearly enough of Martin and Kat doing whatever brothers and sisters do. As an only child, I can only imagine what it is like to have that sibling bond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As much as I liked Martin and Kat talking, the standout moment came when Samantha joined them. Remember when Kat overheard Eva and Samantha at the diner and thought Eva was encouraging Samantha to have sex? Right after that, it was Samantha who was the one to point out that Kat wasn\u2019t fun and happy any more. We got another dose of that and this time around it was ever more impactful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She might only be 16 years of age, but Samantha offered sage advice well beyond her years. Fun note: I accidentally typed 126 instead of 16. Apparently, my fingers got jokes. Anyway, Samantha urged Kat to Freaky Friday<\/em> life with Eva. She thought trying to see life through Eva\u2019s eyes might help Kat get to a point where she can let go of the hate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Samantha even brought up her own experience with June. In Samantha\u2019s story, she got her mom back. Knowing that Kat didn\u2019t really want Eva in her life, Samantha again hammered home that forgiveness can give you back yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you missed the scene, it happened within the last eight minutes of the episode. It\u2019s definitely worth a watch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was something in the Ted and Kat discussion that stood out for me. For a second time, Kat was told that one day she might need Eva. It\u2019s a common thing to say in an argument something like, \u201cYou\u2019ll need me some day!\u201d But this being a soap, the remark hits a little differently. In my mind, I thought, \u201cForeshadow much?\u201d Then I tried to figure out what the foreshadowing could be, um, foreshadowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With Nicole’s genetic testing coming back okay, I will assume they\u2019re removing any sort of cancer diagnosis from Kat’s future. What did come to mind what that Kat could potentially need some sort of organ or tissue donation in the future, even though Kat made it abundantly clear that she would never accept an organ from Ted\u2019s \u201cspare heir.\u201d My first thought would be a possible kidney donation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Black men and women have a significantly higher rate of kidney failure than their white counterparts. There is a genetic component, as well as other things like lack of equitable health care. Yes, I know this is the second column-in-a-row where I\u2019ve become Dr. Dan and started spouting medical information from my days as an almost-physician. Here is why I am not sure that we\u2019d see that sort of storyline right now. First, I don\u2019t know that the show would do two medical storylines at the same time \u2013 especially since there do not appear to be more than a couple hospital sets. Second, I don\u2019t know if the show wants to have another discussion about genetics. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As an aside, if I remember correctly the genetic risk for non-diabetic kidney failure is highest among those of West African descent. I could see this become part of story if someone on the show wanted to do an ancestry-related DNA analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Back in the 80s and 90s, ABC\u2019s daytime lineup prided itself on bringing \u201clove in the afternoon\u201d to its viewers. Little by little that seemed to fade away across the daytime spectrum. After the Super Bowl halftime show wardrobe malfunction, a lot of shows decided to cut back on the romance so as not to upset \u201csensitive\u201d viewers. Ironically, around the same time a Procter and Gamble-produced soap showed an actor\u2019s bare butt. Later, a pandemic understandably cut back on on-screen intimacy. And there have also been shows that have been rocked by sexual harassment allegations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Love in the afternoon was alive and well this week on Beyond the Gates. <\/em>We saw Carlton hoist Nicole into the air, press her against the wall, and\u2026 go to town. Elsewhere, Ted and Shanice were getting busy in his hotel room. That was a much better look than their clunky, almost-sexing session in Ted\u2019s office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What I like about Beyond the Gates<\/em> is that the writers are not afraid to spice up the dialogue, too. Yes, most of us like a good soap lovemaking scene. But often what gets lost in translation is having characters talk about sex in a way that can get by the network censors. \u201cGolly gee, I\u2019d like to pull your panties down\u201d doesn\u2019t work in 2026. At the same time you also can\u2019t have characters saying, \u201cHey $@#$, I want you to #$%#$% my *#*$ and #@*#*$@$ $%^%$^ @#$@#$!!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve ever used that many symbols in a sentence in my life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There is a lot of talk about whether Nicole and Ted are truly interested in their new romances or if they are simply using those new lovers to make each other jealous. I’d like to think that Nicole and Ted aren’t just using Carlton and Shanice as part of some twisted mind game, but I’m sure there is<\/em> an element of make ’em jealous in the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last week I almost put in a \u201cWhere\u2019s Kial\u201d blurb in the Speed Round section. The reason? There had been so much hype about Greg Vaughan joining the show that I couldn\u2019t believe we\u2019d seen him for all of 5 minutes since his debut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This week more than made up for Kial\u2019s missing-in-actionness. I thought the scenes between Kial and Vanessa were a lot of fun. Maybe a little too much fun. The chemistry between them was palpable, even if there has been absolutely no indication that the show is headed in that direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am sure I am not the only one that thought Vanessa had slipped Kial one of her \u201cHeart Attach\u201d business cards. I completely forgot that Vanessa had business cards for her non-escort \u2013 I\u2019m sorry \u2013 non-dating service<\/em> real estate company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another highlight was Nicole returning to the hospital and finding Carlton, Kial, and Shanice standing behind the nurses\u2019 station. That was so deliciously messy that I couldn\u2019t look away. I like that the two men now know about each other. I want to see how they try to outdo one another when it comes to winning Nicole\u2019s heart. You know, I always hate to say someone has \u201cwon\u201d another person because that makes it sound like a person is one of those ratty Styrofoam ball-stuffed toys you win at an amusement park.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And thirdly, Kial had his name brought up during Ted and Carlton\u2019s unplanned run-in at Orphey Gene\u2019s. Ted took pleasure in \u201cwatching him get blocked by a guy who spells his name K-I-A-L.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019re mind works anything like mine, you probably had just one question when Jacob announced that he wanted to go undercover: Is there really a black-market plasma trade or is this something that was created due to its soapiness?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, it turns out that there is<\/em>. I made some calls and found out that it\u2019s much more common outside of the United States, but it still happens here during times of supply shortages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joey claims to know nothing about the blood ring other than the name of its boss: I also have to wonder if Grayson might be in on the action. After all, this out-of-the-blue newcomer does work in the hospital lab. If anyone would have easy access to blood products, it would be him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The impending snowstorm here in the East has me \u201cDoomsoaping\u201d more than usual. If you missed my April 19, 2025, column,<\/a><\/strong> I described Doomsoaping as watching a soap and fearing that something terrible is about to happen. In this undercover operation, I am particularly worried about Jacob and Smitty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The danger posed to Jacob is obvious. He\u2019s a cop who is putting his butt on the line to infiltrate what is probably a multi-million-dollar operation. I don\u2019t know about you, but Jacob seems a little \u201csoft\u201d for something like this. I suppose that could<\/em> work for him if the blood cartel is looking for someone who could easily integrate into more mainstream operations. Still, I\u2019m worried about him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Smitty has no real reason to wedge himself into this undercover operation. That alone is enough to make warning sirens go off. The second reason I\u2019m worried about him is that Smitty has yet to have a storyline of his own. He\u2019s been a wronged spouse and a dad, but those have all supported others\u2019 stories. In fact, we don\u2019t really know much about Smitty other than that his parents were traveling over the holidays.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Has the show skimped on the details of Smitty\u2019s world for a reason? Will Smitty go nosing around somewhere he shouldn\u2019t and get seriously hurt or killed? I hope not because I actually really like the guy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, Chadison was fun while it lasted. I have always thought that Chelsea and Madison were a cute couple, but that ended this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Chelsea ran into her old dealer at Uptown, she was more than happy to take a free sample. Drugs aren\u2019t my thing, but Chelsea is an adult and can make her own decisions. Where she totally lost me was when she copped a really bad attitude to Madison\u2019s concerns about Chelsea taking street drugs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison is a neurologist. I am sure she\u2019s seen patients who have suffered negative effects of drug use. Even if she hasn\u2019t, she\u2019s probably heard the statistics and the what ifs. She was absolutely right: Chelsea had no idea what was in the pill that Malik had given her. Chelsea was visibly annoyed that Madison didn\u2019t want to have \u201cfun\u201d and pop pills with her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The moment Chelsea offered that condescending \u201cLater, baby\u201d blow off to Madison, their relationship was over. There is absolutely no coming back from that, at least for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Some folks on social media felt that Chelsea\u2019s reaction was out of character, but I disagree. I think this is exactly how a spoiled, celebrity influencer would act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since I am sharing my Doomsoaping scenarios, here\u2019s something that crossed my mind about Chelsea and her “party favors.” I think this will happen again, and I can see Madison going against her better judgment and popping a pill to \u201csave\u201d her relationship with Chelsea. Yes, she\u2019s a doctor and yes she knows better. But we\u2019ve all done dumb things for love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Unfortunately, I think a cosmically tragic twist will have first-time pill popper Madison getting something from a bad batch. Maybe Madison suffers irreparable harm to one of more of the various parts of the brain that she had rattled off when citing the reasons not to take drugs. And there\u2019s always the possibility that something even worse could happen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the thoughts and observations about other things happening on Beyond the Gates<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am happy that someone has finally stepped up to keep Leslie in check. I\u2019ll admit, I wasn\u2019t expecting it to be Joey Armstrong. What was on Joey\u2019s USB drive? I\u2019m guessing it has to be something that would implicate her in one of the attacks on Laura. The only other possibility \u2013 other than it being some sort of criminal activity that none of us know about \u2013 is that it\u2019s a copy of a real DNA test that shows Eva isn\u2019t really Ted\u2019s daughter. I always thought the DNA test provided after the anniversary party debacle was a little sketchy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whatever is on the drive definitely rattled Leslie, even if she doesn\u2019t want to admit it. I still don\u2019t see the free clinic ever opening its doors, but I don\u2019t really mind that because I am enjoying the Joey\/Leslie antics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacob and Naomi finally have a living room! It was one of the things I asked for in my Worst of 2025 column<\/strong> <\/a>because I was tired of having Naomi\u2019s visitors have to hang out with her in the bedroom. My fear? They took away the bedroom completely and replaced it with a living room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It wasn\u2019t really a surprise that Naomi had lied about her BRCA test results. I like that we also got to hear Naomi explain why<\/em> she\u2019d lied. She is doing what\u2019s best for her, but I can\u2019t help but think that the bad news will sting even more when she finally does admit the truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also, I still can\u2019t shake the feeling that there is more to Naomi\u2019s false pregnancy test than meets the eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am worried about Lance, the husband who accosted Vanessa because his wife was using the Heart Attach \u201cdating\u201d service. I understand his anger over his wife sleeping with other men. That gives him no right to put his hands on Vanessa \u2013 or anyone else for that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t see this ending well. My initial thought is that Lance is going to kill his wife and blame the escort service as part of his defense. That will, of course, bring scrutiny to the company and, by extension, Vanessa and Joey. It could expose the money laundering and open the door to the Feds looking into Joey\u2019s other businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I knew that someone was going to see Bill and Dani\u2019s smooch \u2013 and of course it had to be Tom\u00e1s. I suppose this means that Tom\u00e1s has secured himself a partner position. We still haven\u2019t found out how much of Hayley\u2019s phone conversation with Randy that junior partner overheard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The importance of remaining positive is high when battling any sort of malady. That said, walking around in denial is also not healthy. So what exactly is the middle ground?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think Anita may have found that with Sharon in her most recent chemo treatment. For just a moment, Sharon allowed Anita to think of the worst case scenario. There was a moment of levity as Anita talked about a service she found that somehow turns a person’s ashes into a living tree. There was also a moment of mixed emotions as Sharon talked about how Anita’s children and grandchildren would continue to have amazing lives even after Anita was gone. It’s nice to know that they will find triumph even after a great loss, but it is also sobering to hear that the world will not stop when you die.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The scene was capped off with Sharon singing “His Eye Is On The Sparrow.” Anita drifted off to sleep and I found tears welling in my eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Shanice going off, or awf<\/em> as the Internet seems to spell it, on Anastacia was a laugh riot. Just when you thought Shanice would take a breath and end her read, she kept going… and going… and going.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Smitty said, “Actually, there is something that you can do for me.” The line itself isn’t funny, but Jacob thinking that Smitty was propositioning him was hilarious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was tickled by Naomi and Chelsea huddled up and hoping that Dani and Hayley would get into it to liven up the ho-hum genetic test celebration party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Proving yet again that Ashley is better single than coupled, I thought her silly locker room talk with Shanice was fun to watch. Later, Ashley provided a shoulder when Naomi needed to reveal that truth about her genetic testing. In both situations, Ashley was a whole character with something to offer. When she started flirting with Grayson? I lost all interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Creepy Stalker Derek is really uncomfortable to watch. I absolutely love it. We need to start a pool and have everyone pick what day we think he will finally snap and do something dark and twisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I liked the special episode that aired on Monday, January 19. This was really the first time that we’ve gotten to see the entire cast talk about the show in an official, non-social media capacity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If I am being picky, I would say that some of the segments were a little choppy. Maybe it would have helped to have it in more of a talk show environment with a host to guide things along. I also would not have minded if they’d shown bloopers and outtakes.<\/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 “Was it my cologne?” <\/strong> “The customer gets to choose the length…”<\/strong> — Vanessa offering up the similarities between a manicure and her dating service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I respect the hell out of her, like any active threat.”<\/strong> — Jacob when Marcel asked that Jacob “put some respect” on Leslie’s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “She’s a genetic aberration”<\/strong> — Kat with a vicious assessment of half-sister Eva<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Beep beep! Toot toot!”<\/strong> — Madison channeling her inner Donna Summer seconds after saying she didn’t want to toot her own horn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Interrogation with a vampire”<\/strong> — This quip by Marcel about the illicit blood and plasma trade was almost the title of this week’s column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “I have love for all my children.” <\/strong>— Me, too, Ted. Me too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Hayley will have a stroke if she sees me eating this.” <\/strong> “If cancer wasn’t intimidated by Anita Dupree, what hope do I have?”<\/strong> — Dani when Bill joked that cancer wouldn’t dare fight her “crazy ass.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “We’re not doing that! I give you a name and the next thing I know you’re off digging in your magic box full of wigs and trench coats<\/strong>.” — Eva when momma Leslie asked who Ted was dating.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Well I never<\/em>“<\/strong> I love interacting with other Beyond the Gates fans. So I thought I\u2019d create a section to share some of the comments I\u2019ve received on my columns and social media posts. If you\u2019d like to see your comments shared here, you can scroll down to the Comments section below this column and post away. You can also chat with me on Bluesky<\/strong><\/a>, Instagram<\/strong><\/a>, Threads<\/strong><\/a>, Facebook<\/strong><\/a>, and\/or TwitterX<\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nKatherine Heartburn<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
At \u2018em and Eva<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Deliver Me From Eva<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Putting Mess Into the Universe<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Love In The Afternoon<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Where\u2019s
Waldo<\/s> Kial?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\nDMV Undercover<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Vlad<\/s> the Impaler. I\u2019m inclined to believe him, but I do wonder if someone in his orbit is part of the gang. Remember how Randy secured blood when Hayley needed to fake her miscarriage? We never learned if the \u201cblood\u201d was actually real blood or not, but if it was\u2026 could Randy have had a connection in the world of black market blood?<\/p>\n\n\n\nDoomsoaping Revisited<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Bitches of Chadison County<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beyond, Behind, and Beside The Gates: Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Who\u2019s Gonna Check Me, Boo?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Boom! Boom! Shake the Room<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
You’re Givin’ Me A Heart Attach<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Kiss Your New Partner Hello<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Silver Lining to the Chemo Cloud<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Quick Takes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Clip Show<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Gates: Lines of the Week<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
“If it was, let’s bottle it and bathe in it daily”<\/strong> — Andre and Dani when Hayley suddenly scurried away upon his arrival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“Promise?”<\/strong> — Bill and Dani upon him seeing the celebration food his ex-wife had brought him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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“And you never will!”<\/strong> — Anastacia after being “read for filth” by Shanice, and Ted’s response to her reaction. In the interest of disclosure, I said the same thing Ted said at the exact same time he said it.<\/p>\n\n\n\nGatecrashers: Reader and Viewer Feedback<\/h4>\n\n\n\n