Jacob’s undercover gig is the worst-kept secret in history, but that didn’t stop his face-to-face with Grayson from being dramatic. Now he’s scrambling to keep his mission alive, while Grayson is scrambling to make sure that he doesn’t end up behind bars. And we still don’t know who else is involved and how that involvement could take down other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vanessa tried to hide her relationship with Joey from Deanna. In fact, she had this whole carefully choreographed performance of how she would eventually break the news to her daughter. She might not have been lying<\/em> lying, but she wasn’t being totally honest either. What makes this such a tinderbox is that Joey has a secret of his own. You know, this little, tiny secret that he had Doug killed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Madison had a secret until Kat outed her as a multi-decibel screaming machine in the sack. “Nicole After Dark” isn’t really a secret any more, and now Dani has outed her sister’s men as being “old and busted.” Mona and Randy’s situationship took a turn when Mona caught him sucking Lynette’s fingers. And then there’s the best-kept secret in daytime: the awesomeness of Beyond the Gates<\/em>‘ recurring players. Why no one other show has tried to replicate the success of BTG’s<\/em> background players is a mystery me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n So let’s start exposing some of these secrets in this week’s column.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The dedication of the Doug McBride clinic got as much on-screen time as Doug\u2019s homegoing ceremony. Poor Doug, gone, not forgotten, but not shown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have to wonder if we will ever actually see<\/em> the clinic. Maybe the show is waiting until the Impaler storyline bleeds (sorry!) into the clinic story. With the way DracLia (that\u2019s my cute, working nickname for Chief of Staff Lia Whitmore) was practically foaming at the mouth when Derek asked her if Garland Memorial could partner with the clinic, I have to assume that\u2019s eventually coming. And I hope it does because that is a storyline that has drama coursing through its veins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It seems a given that the clinic is going to get caught in the crossfire of Jacob\u2019s undercover mission. Here is what I\u2019ve crafted in my mind as the possible fallout. Leslie\u2019s investment is going to go up in smoke and it may somehow spiral and dry up her seemingly never-ending supply of money. With Joey as an investor, his enterprise is going to end up under a microscope\u2026 which could lead to Joey and Vanessa\u2019s \u201claundry\u201d business being exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We don\u2019t know if Marcel Malone is really infatuated with LSD (That\u2019s Leslie\/Sherry\/Dana for new readers) or just playing along. If he really does like Leslie, might he fall on the sword to save her? He could turn State\u2019s evidence and testify that Joey had Doug killed. Joey, in turn, could make public whatever it was that he showed Leslie to get her to stay in line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vanessa\u2019s world would explode. Or implode. Hell, it would probably do both. She\u2019d be devastated that the man she was cheating on her husband with had her husband killed. Deanna and Donnell would probably never forgive Vanessa. Vanessa herself could turn to overindulging\u2026 or she could realize she has nothing left to lose and try to kill Joey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before this column turns into a work of fan fiction, I\u2019ll just wrap things up in this section by saying that I want and need everything to just goes nuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One last thing: I thought it was interesting that Joey talked about a new \u201cproject\u201d he had taken on, one that had become a \u201cbloody mess.\u201d I am nearly certain that this comment was a red market herring. Joey has done a lot of bad things, but I think the blood and plasma theft is outside of his orbit. Not only that, the writers have given Joey enough simmering drama and don\u2019t need to pile on anything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I have grumbled for quite a while about Deanna being missing in action. I think I\u2019ve been grumbling about it ever since Doug died. This week, Deanna finally showed up\u2026 and it was well worth the wait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought it was a nice touch that the writers mentioned on multiple occasions that Deanna had not been back to town because she was struggling with Doug\u2019s death. That makes it better than having had her return but not been shown on-screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I felt for Deanna. We don\u2019t really know much about the kids\u2019 relationships with Doug. Was Deanna a daddy\u2019s girl? Not that it matters, but her reaction to Doug\u2019s death seems to be a lot stronger than Vanessa and Donnell\u2019s. I am wondering if there is some other underlying reason that we don\u2019t know about. Grief, of course, often has no rhyme or reason and Deanna is absolutely entitled to feel however she feels. I just don\u2019t like to see people \u2013 real or fictional \u2013 in so much pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was an upside to her pain. The way that Deanna tore into Vanessa at the post-dedication party was a thing to behold.\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anyone who watched the \u201cNext Week\u2026\u201d previews last week knew that the Deanna read was coming. Every time Deanna appeared on screen I reached for some popcorn and wondered, \u201cIs this when it happens?\u201d When Deanna stared intensely at the door as Vanessa and Joey stood outside, I knew it was just moments away. Sadly, I had already eaten all of the popcorn and had nothing left to snack on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHow long have you been screwing Joey Armstrong?\u201d Deanna snarled. This is one of those moments when I wondered if PG-friendly dialogue dampened the moment. Would a naughtier word choice have made the confrontation more powerful? I don\u2019t think so in this case because I believe that Deanna still respects that Vanessa is her mother. Well\u2026 mostly respects because her next remarks were\u2026 Well, judge for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat kind of man comes in here and dedicates a building to your dead husband and drops all that money unless he\u2019s getting something in return,\u201d Deanna continued. \u201cClearly, you\u2019re serving it up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n So much of our Beyond the Gates<\/em> conversations have to do with the main characters on the show. But I really need to take a few moments to praise the work of Nydell Nalls, who plays a member of the Fairmont Crest Country Club staff. His performance when he tried to clear Leslie\u2019s table of crumpled paper made me laugh. While he had few lines, his face told an entire story. It was part, \u201cThey do not pay me enough to deal with this kind of crazy\u201d and part, \u201cThis <\/em>bitch.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I am on the topic of actors who are not on-contract, I really, really like the scenes with the twins at Orphey Gene\u2019s. If you made a bet saying that this would be the column where I mention being an only child, prepare to get paid. As an only child, I have no idea what it\u2019s like to have a bond (or any sort of relationship) with a sibling \u2013 and I definitely can\u2019t fathom what it would be like to have another me out there in the world. Thankfully for those in the world, you will never have to find out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I thought the Donnell and Deanna scenes felt real. Siblings can tell each other that they are sucking the life out of the room in one breath and in the next say how much they love each other. Or at least that\u2019s my vision of siblingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And making this a trifecta of extras, the waitstaff at Uptown also had me cracking up. We never got to clearly see who they were, but if you rewatch the scenes when Deanna tore into Vanessa, you\u2019ll see them listening intently to what was going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve always complained when a TV show has some \u201cbig\u201d scene and only the main characters seem to be in on it. If I am at a restaurant and someone starts a very loud conversation, I am definitely listening — after I look for the nearest exit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can anyone think of a time on a soap when two recurring characters had a sex scene? And I am not referring to a star who was on contract and then dropped to recurring for some reason or another. I ask because I kind of wanted to see what Randy and Lynette were up to with all that ketchup Lynette mentioned. But I guess since neither are on contract we\u2019ll never get to know.<\/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 Jacob might be the worst undercover agent ever. First, he told everyone that he was going undercover. Second, he didn’t even try to disguise himself when he did the pick-up at Garland. I am not sure if he was supposed to engage Grayson after being spotted, but I squirmed while watching him try to convince Grayson that he really was<\/em> a courier for the blood smugglers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I couldn’t even keep track of all the excuses he tried to pass off. He was in debt. His marriage was in trouble. His marriage wasn’t<\/em> in trouble. I honestly have no idea if Grayson believes him. Even though I don’t like Grayson, at least he had a singular reason for doing what he was doing: he needed money to pay for his mother’s healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Derek really should have walked away from the clinic when Leslie started being rude and disrespectful to him. I know that he\u2019d never turn his back on the community because he\u2019s very much a Dudley Do-Right. Still, Leslie deserved it and I don\u2019t think anyone would have blamed him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve heard the explanation straight from her mouth, but I really don\u2019t understand why Kat decided to move in with Anita and Vernon. We\u2019d previously heard how she needed to experience life on her own\u2026 and now she\u2019s chosen to move to in with her grandparents on the other side of the gated community?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If she thought hearing Madison scream her way through sexytimes was bad, Kat had really better hope that Anita isn\u2019t equally as \u201cexpressive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bill and Hayley have been on two vacations in the last year\u2026 and both have lasted about 24 hours each. They are either the unluckiest vacationers in the history of life, or Bill is just looking for reasons to not be abroad with his broad. Bill needs to make sure all of these places have extradition treaties before going anywhere with Hayley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I laughed and laughed and laughed when Mona whopped Randy on the back of his head. The scene was perfectly constructed and the acting was brilliant. Big tough bodyguard Randy looked like a little boy when he asked Mona why she\u2019d bopped his head. And Mona\u2019s delivery of, \u201cBecause ya\u2019ll are nasty\u201d was absolutely everything. Adding in seductress Lynette and her subtle digs at Church Lady Mona made the scene even more delicious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know that Beyond the Gates <\/em>is a television show and sets need to be made camera-friendly, but I cannot for the life of me understand why so many people have furniture backing up to their fireplaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For example, the upholstered chairs at Martin and Smitty\u2019s face away from the fireplace. Wouldn\u2019t you want to face<\/em> the fireplace when reading a book or having a fireside conversation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vanessa had a lot of reckoning to do this week. Obviously, there was the incident with Deanna. That, however, led Vanessa to realize that she didn’t really know all that much about Joey. To be fair, we don’t really know that much about him either. Let’s see… we had a cursory knowledge of his “enterprise,” knew that his mom died undergoing a medical procedure, knew that he has an occasional soft spot for some reason, and that he likes the Scotch he keeps in his VIP room. Other than that? Not much. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When Vanessa pressed Joey for information, I worried she might regret what she’d be told. Either that or she would simply realize that she and the man she moved on with didn’t have much in common outside of the bedroom and poker table. Well, now we have a little<\/em> more detail into Joey’s life. It seems that Joey followed in his old man’s footsteps. The unnamed dad was as “old-school syndicate” in New York who forced Joey to become his “apprentice.” Joey’s dad studied at “the iron fist school of parenting” who didn’t care that Joey didn’t want to follow in his footsteps. We also learned that Joey has a sister named Heather that he hasn’t seen spoken to in a very long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vanessa also had to turn down what could have been a big stepping stone in her career because of her relationship\/involvement with Joey. The tally of losses from the relationship is starting to add up. Still, Vanessa declared her love for Joey and promised that she’d never let him go. I’m not Nicole Dupree, but to me that sounds like she’s trying to overcompensate for what happened to Doug. Still, I wonder how much more loss Vanessa will be able to take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Can I tell you now much I loved that Vernon\u2019s hearty laugh got reshown in the Monday episode recap? As soon as I get a free minute, I am turning that laugh into a notification tone on my phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to know more about “Anthony,” Nicole’s first love. Will he show up at Fairmont Crest now that his name has been mentioned?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was fun to see Joey have a reminder in his phone about the $10,000 bet he and Dani made. It was even more entertaining to watch Joey and Dani dance around their bet while a clueless Andre tried to figure out what was going on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t know where Shanice received her physical therapy instruction, but none of my therapists ever got that “hands on.”<\/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 \u201cI have become a woman who kisses and tells \u2013 and I love it!\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cAll your men are old and busted.\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cAll Hail Nicole, queen of the reverse harem.\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cMoney talks. I\u2019m money.\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cIs that the guy who shows up in the old school mix in your car?\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cBecause ya\u2019ll are nasty.\u201d<\/em><\/strong>\n \u201cYou know there is nothing little about me.\u201d <\/strong> \u201cAre you Nicole-ing me?\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cYou and I have felled many a tree. Not one of them has ever made a sound.\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cMadison\u2019s a screamer.\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cHow long have you been screwing <\/em>Joey Armstrong?\u201d<\/strong>\n \u201cIt think this tricycle needs to be a bicycle.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cThat son of a bitch!<\/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\n There were some interesting theories about DracLia this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is from Kam from the Comments on last week’s column: “I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if Leslie were to partner up with Lia rather than be a victim of Lia\u2019s backdoor dealings.”<\/p>\n\n\n\nA Clinic in McDrama<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Closed Before it Opens?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Communism and Joey Armstrong Are Just a Red Herring<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
She Came In Like a Wrecking Ball<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Deanna](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260313-btg-04.png\")
How Long Has This Been Going On?<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Extra Extras!<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Nydell](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260313-btg-02.png\")
The Wonderful Twins<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Standing In the Shadows<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260313-btg-05.png\")
Ketchup and Mussed Hair<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Beside, Behind, and Beyond The Gates: The Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Undercover<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
![\"Jacob](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260313-btg-03.png\")
Derek Do-Right<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Movin\u2019 On\u2026 Over?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Why Even Pack a Bag?<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Miss Wilson If You\u2019re Nasty<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
![\"Her](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/260313-btg-01.jpg\")
Putting the Fireplace In Its Place<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Devil You Don’t Know<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Quick Takes<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Gates: Lines of the Week<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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A giddy Nicole revealing the details of her date with Kial.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Dani zinging sister Nicole when Andre came out unscathed from the basketball match that had Ted, Kial, and Carlton on the injury reserve list.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dani with another quip about her sister dating multiple men.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Leslie explaining why she needed a prominent speaking spot at the clinic dedication ceremony.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Hayley\u2019s response when hubby Bill mentioned Jimmy Buffett.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cI can\u2019t believe I let you share my pew.\u201d<\/strong>\n
Mona after seeing Randy literally eating out of Lynette\u2019s hand.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Randy <\/em>reminding Lynette of his, um, personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Leslie\u2019s reaction when Eva started a little makeshift therapy session.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Joey, attempting to calm Malone\u2019s fear that someone might find out that they played a role in Doug\u2019s death.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Kat, offering more information than I ever needed to know about Chelsea\u2019s fianc\u00e9e.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Deanna\u2019s question wasn\u2019t necessarily funny, but it sure was memorable.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Chelsea, as she excused herself to allow Kat and Tomas some time to talk.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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\u201cNo, my grandmother was a fine<\/em> woman.\u201d<\/strong>
Vanessa’s reaction to learning that Joey’s dad wasn’t such a great guy.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nGatecrashers: Reader and Viewer Feedback<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-7.png\")
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