Don\u2019t have time to read the entire Beyond the Gates<\/strong><\/strong> column? You can now stream an audio\/podcast version of this commentary \u2014 complete with off-script silliness, bloopers, interviews, and more. And it\u2019s totally free to download or stream. SPOTIFY<\/a><\/strong> | APPLE MUSIC<\/a><\/strong> | AMAZON MUSIC<\/a><\/strong> | iHEART RADIO<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn’t matter what it is — restaurants, fashion, politics, or Beyond the Gates. <\/em>Everyone has an opinion. And, contrary to what some may believe, everyone is entitled to their opinion. But, as Salt n Pepa said in “None Of Your Business,” opinions are like… well, let’s just say that everybody’s got one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I put together my column and podcast every week, I am never under the delusion that everyone will agree with everything that I say. That would be weird. In fact, I love when I get feedback from other fans who tell me that they saw something a totally different way. It’s part of the communal viewing experience that I think soap fans have come to enjoy in the Internet age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’ve come to enjoy when I’m wrong about things. Remember when Vernon mixed up names? We were all certain it was foreshadowing an Alzheimer’s storyline. I was also certain that someone was going to die during the Impaler storyline. I suspected everyone except<\/em> the person who actually died. And speaking of the Impaler, Heather Armstrong was not at the top of my list of people that I thought were the Impaler.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I can look at my mistakes and (mostly) laugh, that’s not always the case with our soap friends. It appears, at least for now, Kat and Eva have realized that their mutual hatred might have been misplaced. Dani knows that her love in an elevator session with Bill was wrong, but Bill? He seems to think it is prelude to reuniting with Dani. And then there’s Tomas who is barreling ahead with what will undoubtedly be a huge mistake even though people have tried to warn him about the impending doom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As we all expected, both Kat and Eva made it through their respective surgeries. There were some hiccups along the way\u2026 and those hiccups had some viewers gagging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I watched the Tuesday, June 23, episode of Beyond the Gates<\/em> that revolved around Kat\u2019s subconscious, I knew it was going to rub a lot of people the wrong way. If you didn\u2019t catch the episode \u2013 and you really should check it out on demand \u2013 here\u2019s a brief synopsis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While still unconscious, Kat found her loved ones carrying on their lives in very strange ways. Instead of covering up his affair with Leslie, Ted actually chose to leave Nicole and start a new life with LSD (that\u2019s Leslie\/Sherry\/Dana for the uninitiated). Nicole spiraled and became something unrecognizable to how we know her today. And in that bizarro world, it was Eva who became the golden child \u2013 and, if you can believe it, Chelsea\u2019s BFF sister cousin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The mind works in mysterious ways \u2013 and anesthesia doesn\u2019t help. For example, when I am given anesthesia, I stop speaking English and speak only in French. It was so alarming to the medical team once that they paged someone who spoke French to the operating room just to make sure that I wasn\u2019t saying something urgent. Oh, and another time I started singing the last song that I\u2019d heard before being wheeled into the procedure room. If you want to know what song that was, you\u2019ll need to give the podcast version of this column a listen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve said this before, but it does bear repeating, I like both Eva and Kat. I think I might be the only person on the planet that feels that way. When I think about it, there are very few characters that I dislike (though I discuss one later in this column). I even tend to enjoy villains because it\u2019s fun to see how they make everyone\u2019s lives miserable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kat\u2019s mind did what it thought it needed to do. It gave Kat a perspective she hadn\u2019t considered before: what life must have been like for Eva. Now that Kat has seen what that was like, I think it will allow her to heal. I don\u2019t see her experience as being a way to redeem Eva as much as I see it as a way to redeem Kat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might be saying, \u201cWhaaaaat?!<\/em>\u201d Kat\u2019s anger toward Eva was turning her into someone she was not. Remember when Samantha and Kat were at Orphey Gene\u2019s and Samantha said that she wanted her fun auntie back? Kat\u2019s anger caused her to miss out on family functions. It was pretty much eating her up inside. No one deserves that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, I am hoping that Kat will be able to coexist with Eva in a way that doesn\u2019t bring her so much pain. I don\u2019t necessarily want Kat and Eva to have sleepovers so that they can braid each other\u2019s hair and play pin the I found it wildly fascinating that Eva had to point out to Ted that he routinely chose her over Kat. The fact that Eva could see it, recognize it, and share that it wasn’t right tells me a lot about Eva. It also tells me a lot about Ted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you say to someone who saved your life? I think Eva said all the right things. She acknowledged that Kat didn\u2019t have<\/em> to donate a piece of her liver. She expressed her gratitude and vowed to (at least try to) get along with Kat moving forward. That bedside chat between them was everything that I wanted and needed without it being a sugary, candy-coated sapfest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Interestingly enough, even Leslie\u2019s conversation with Kat was spot-on. If LSD had come in crying and profusely thanking Kat, that wouldn\u2019t have rung true. That creepy looming over Kat\u2019s bed, though? I don\u2019t know if that was the right move on Leslie\u2019s part. It reeked of \u201cI injected potassium into another woman\u2019s IV and no one can prove it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n What intrigued me was Kat\u2019s comment that \u201cwhen the time is right\u201d Kat will collect her \u201cdebts\u201d from Leslie. I still think it would have made for more drama if Kat had conditioned her liver donation upon LSD fessing up to trying to kill Laura, but I\u2019m willing to wait it out and see where this goes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that Eva and Kat may or may not have patched up their differences, are Dani and Bill next in line? Don\u2019t count it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For just a moment, I need us to set aside our thoughts and ideas about Dani and Bill as a couple. Let\u2019s get to a place of neutrality, as hard as that may be. A year ago, it was Dani who was begging and pleading for Bill to reconsider his marriage to Hayley. Dani insisted that she and Bill still loved each other and could still be an amazing couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, with the calendar on the year 2026, it\u2019s Bill who seems to think that he and Dani can still be magic. I don\u2019t know if Bill is fully wanting to ditch his \u201cpocket-size\u201d wife. He certainly seemed interested when Hayley shucked the trench coat she was wearing and showed him all of her goods and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is this a case of Bill being Bill? We know that he strayed from his marriage to Dani because\u2026 I guess because he could. If I am understanding what everyone has said, Bill slept around because he just wanted to have sex. There were never any feelings involved with his side pieces until Hayley came along. Is Bill now doing to Hayley what he\u2019d done in the past to Dani? Or is Bill realizing that he actually was happier when he was with Dani?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s a bit weird to me that Bill has transferred all of the things he liked to do with Dani onto his relationship with Hayley. If Miami was “your place” with your ex, shouldn’t you find a new place with your new lover? You can still like Miami, but trying to recreate the past with someone new is a recipe for disaster. Bill even recycled the same sexual fantasies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s honestly tough to gauge what\u2019s going on in Bill\u2019s mind. If I am being honest, it\u2019s not that easy to know what Dani\u2019s thinking either. I don\u2019t think anyone would disagree with the assessment that Dani obviously doesn\u2019t want Andre to get hurt. As I mentioned in last week\u2019s column<\/a>,<\/strong> it was a very powerful moment when Dani pleaded to Bill, \u201cDo not turn me into you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is Dani now a Bill? I think that depends. Yes, she stepped out on her marriage. The question is whether or not Dani has feelings for Bill. As I said, a year ago she still loved Bill. Or at least she thought<\/em> she still loved Bill. There\u2019s a difference between still loving someone and not wanting them to leave you. Now, Dani keeps thinking back to going up and down with Bill in the elevator. Is she flashing back to some hot sex or is she having these thoughts because she still has feelings for Bill?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I can\u2019t say for sure. I think it would be normal for Dani to have some sort of feelings for Bill. They had life together and share two beautiful daughters. I think still being in love with Bill would not<\/em><\/strong> be normal. There might be some sort of satisfaction in winning back the man from the woman he left you for\u2026 but how long does that satisfaction last? Probably until he cheats again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomas is one of the worst characters in daytime. There is very little about him that I actually like. He\u2019s smarmy \u2013 and that\u2019s a word you don\u2019t see often in a commentary. I\u2019m not even sure that he\u2019s a good lawyer. On top of that, he doesn\u2019t know how to read the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Just before the tornado hit, Tomas was badgering Jack and Diane Abbott about becoming his clients. When Bill suggested that Tomas use the fundraiser to make some connections, I\u2019m pretty sure that\u2019s not what he had in mind. They couldn\u2019t get away from him fast enough.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tomas had momentary moments of potential, but those were few and short-lived. I\u2019d hoped that he\u2019d have been more vocal when Bill\u2019s firm was sued for sexual harassment. He seemed like he was going to do the right thing\u2026 but then nada.<\/em> And his research into Lynette Wise was promising. He was on the precipice of figuring everything out\u2026 and then he wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019d like to believe that Tomas actually likes Kat, but\u2026 I\u2019m not so sure. It all became a big murky mess the moment that Bill told Tomas to become a family man. That\u2019s when Tomas wanted Kat to move in with him. That never happened, but Tomas and Kat have continued to date. He has, on occasion, done things that are romantic and boyfriendly. But I just can\u2019t shake that he\u2019s trying to force a square peg into a round hole. I swear that\u2019s not some sort of double entendre.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Once I\u2019m suspicious of someone, it takes an awful lot to get out from under that shadow. To me, everything that Tomas does is not about Kat or his relationship with her, it\u2019s about his advancement at Bill\u2019s law firm. When Tomas mentioned wanting to propose to Kat, the first thing out of his mouth was to link the proposal to Bill\u2019s previous statement about the importance of family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now about that proposal. Everyone that Tomas has told that he plans to proposal to Kat has pretty much told him not to. There were a variety of different reasons for the chilly response. Those reasons have included, but are not limited to: Kat just survived a tornado, Kat just underwent major surgery, and Kat rebuffed a previous request to live together. All of those are very valid reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If someone tells you — and in this case, it\u2019s actually multiple<\/em> people — that someone has been through a lot and probably doesn\u2019t need any extra excitement at the moment and you still insist that you\u2019re going to propose<\/em>, you\u2019re an ass. I hope someone warns Kat what Tomas has planned before she is blindsided and agrees to something out of some warped sense of obligation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kat deserves better. Free Kat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am glad that Kat has friends in her life \u2013 especially when her family fails her. The Deanna and Kat friendship makes me smile. Yes, it seemed to come out of nowhere, but I now fully believe that they\u2019ve been friends since they were younger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am also glad that Ghost Doug is back. This idea that Deanna is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown is a lot of fun to watch. Soap opera crazies are some of my favorite soap opera characters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deanna hasn\u2019t gone all stabby, stabby all the things\u2026 yet.<\/em> She could very well get there by the end of the summer. In the meantime, watching Deanna pretend to be happy is one of the most unintentionally funny things I\u2019ve seen on the soaps in some time. We know that \u201cDoug\u201d urged his daughter to kill Vanessa and Joey with kindness, so her sudden turnaround is obviously fake. Knowing how much it must be driving Deanna mad adds a layer of enjoyment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a question that I have: Do we think Deanna is actually talking aloud to Doug… or is she imaging all of this in her head? So far no one has stumbled across Deanna sitting on a bench talking to herself.<\/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 was surprised to learn that Elon has no idea how close Izaiah and Joey were and are. For some reason, I always thought that he had an inkling of their involvement and felt somewhat indebted to Joey for steering Izaiah in the right direction. Boy, was I wrong. I wonder how long it will be before Elon finds out and what that<\/em> reaction will be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like that the show revisited the Carlton and Naomi story. A bunch of weeks back we saw Naomi hovering outside of Carlton\u2019s office. At the time, in my January 30 column (titled From Zero to Shakespeare<\/a><\/strong>), I wrote, \u201cI have a strong feeling that Naomi is going to seek a prophylactic mastectomy.\u201d I still think that\u2019s the case. I\u2019m not sure if Carlton knows that Naomi has been keeping her BRCA results a secret from everyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I chuckled when, in her \u201cdream,\u201d Kat held up her hand and waited for a glass of Champagne to magically appear. She\u2019s been watching too many sitcoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why was Madison’s made-up proposal scenario where Tomas proposed to Kat better than anything that Tomas had cooked up?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, it looks like Ashley is going to give Grayson another chance. Hopefully the second time around is better than the first because I wasn’t a fan of their coupling. I am still holding out some sort of hope that Grayson has been lying about his mother and really is<\/em> a bad guy. I know that’s a bit twisted, but it’s the only thing that I can come up with that will interest me about them as a couple.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Miami. The Bahamas. Paris. Those were the options Samantha and Tyrell had for their family vacation, but they chose… pizza in the living room? It’s a super sweet choice since they won’t all be together for much longer. But at the same time… really?! The living room?! Thankfully their dads made a much better choice: they’re headed to the Bahamas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, a little bad news. Beyond the Gates<\/em> is airing all repeat episodes next week. I assume it’s because of the holiday week and the fear that people won’t be watching and the ratings will crater. Still, Beyond the Gates<\/em> has been on fire lately and I hate that its momentum could be broken by a week of repeats. Then again, maybe viewers who tuned in for the The Young and the Restless<\/em> crossover will watch these repeats and get hooked on Beyond the Gates<\/em>.<\/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 \u201cDid I follow a rabbit down a hole to crazy land?\u201d<\/strong> \u201cA blessing that comes too late can be a curse.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cReputations tend to be earned. So just be careful.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cMistakes don’t mean that people aren’t worthy of love.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cWord to the wise, little girl. Nothing ever tops the original.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cI wouldn’t give Hayley so much as a toenail clipping.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cTurns out the old dog doesn’t have any new tricks.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cThis is not a restaurant. You don’t have to tip.\u201d<\/strong> \u201c[She’s] the dancing queen of ‘It’s five o’clock everywhere.’\u201d<\/strong> \u201cYou’d be throwing ’em back too if you know what I have to do after this.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cThat’s like wearing suspenders and a belt.\u201d<\/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 <\/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 is on deck with week with a new column called, <\/a><\/a>A Sudsy Summer<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSend My Love To Your New Liver<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
She Did What Needed To Be Done<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
liver<\/s> tail on the donkey. I think there is still very much story to be told where Kat and Eva are rivals. I think that this new chapter of their rivalry can be just as much fun as the previous one. Well, after we get past them trying to outlap each other with their walkers in the hospital corridor.<\/p>\n\n\n\nWe Are Never, Ever Getting Back Together<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
You’re So Vain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
We’re Never Gonna Survive Unless We Get A Little Crazy<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Beside, Behind, and Beyond The Gates: The Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
My Baby’s Got A Secret<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Doctor, Doctor<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Quick Takes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Rinse and Repeat<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Gates: Lines of the Week<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Kat as she tried to figure out why everyone around her was acting so strangely<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dream World Nicole’s reaction to finding out what she was pregnant with Kat after Ted learned he’d gotten Leslie pregnant.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Kat’s advice to Deanna when Deanna made it clear she wasn’t afraid of Joey.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Ashley, as she decided to give her relationship with Grayson another shot.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dani to Hayley when she realized Bill had recycled their sexytime fantasies with Hayley.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dani won’t be donating anything to Hayley anytime soon.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Hayley being shady when she learned that Bill recycled his sexytime antics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Shanice to Leslie when Leslie showed up at the hospital with a roll of $100 bills as a “thank you” gift for the doctors, nurses, and other caregivers that had tended to Eva.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Martin describing Nicole in Kat’s dream.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Hayley to Randy as she downed booze to prepare for sexytimes with Bill.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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LSD’s version of “a hat on a hat.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nGatecrashers: Reader and Viewer Feedback<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Follow my Random Acts of Dan<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Life outside the gates<\/h5>\n\n\n\n