One week later, time marches on. Joey and Vanessa flew to Napa and back. The Richardson Smiths made it to the Bahamas and back. To date, we have yet to see a photo of a vineyard, an ocean, a dolphin, or anything else vacationy. Meanwhile, Eva is snacking on lots of tasty baked goods (jealous!) and Kat is purchasing property.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I guess it really is true: time waits for no one. In this case, I think that was a good idea. It would have been really weird to come back from a week of reruns and pick up right where things left off. This was a really good way for Beyond the Gates <\/em>to make a soft reset \u2013 to move on from the show\u2019s current stories and advance to a point where other things could start to take place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s just a small issue with all of that. Even though I didn\u2019t post a column last week due to the reruns, I did record a new episode of my podcast. I invited the Evil Richard Simms (the executive editor of Soaps.com and former overseer of Soaps In Depth magazine) to join me to talk about why we love Beyond the Gates. <\/em>If you missed it or didn\u2019t even know that I have a podcast, you can listen for free on these streaming services: Amazon Music<\/a><\/strong>, Apple Music<\/a><\/strong>, Spotify<\/a><\/strong>, and iHeart<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The writers were obviously aware that a week break was coming. Otherwise, their choice to skip ahead one week after a one-week break is the most psychic thing to happen since Miss Cleo told us to call her now. On the podcast, Richard lamented that there should have been a better cliffhanger on the week before the week of repeat episodes. Don\u2019t remember what it was? It was Deanna hugging Vanessa after saying that she supported Vanessa and Joey\u2019s relationship \u2013 and flashing a devious smile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Days of our Lives was still airing on NBC, the show was preempted for several weeks by the Olympics every other year. One year, they had the entire town leveled in a gas explosion. Fairmont Crest was already heavily damaged by a tornado, so an explosion would be overkill. But I am inclined to agree that something more than that hug would have been a better way to go into a one-week summertime break, if for no other reason than creating a reason for fans to want to tune back in when the show resumed. It\u2019s summertime and there are oodles of things that people can choose to do other than watching a television program. Beyond the Gates<\/em> ratings are at near-all-time highs and I\u2019d hate for a week of reruns to ruin that momentum. Fortunately, for those of us that faithfully watch, there was plenty of action when the show returned from its summer vacation. So let\u2019s get into all of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s a term for taking pleasure in other\u2019s misfortune. It\u2019s schadenfreude.<\/em> Now, I\u2019ve never thought of myself as a schadenfreudist (which probably isn\u2019t a word and something that would upset the entirety of the German-speaking world), but in the case of Tomas I think I just might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\u2019s start with some of the basics. When Tomas first started telling people that he wanted to propose to Kat, he should have gleaned from their reactions and responses that it wasn\u2019t such a good idea. As a lawyer, he should be able to read the room. We\u2019ve seen time and time again that he cannot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still, Tomas decided to push forward with his plan to propose. On top of that, he decided that it would be a good idea to make this always \u201csus\u201d proposal in front of the entire Dupree family. What could possibly go wrong?<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Tomas wasn\u2019t already setting himself up for utter humiliation, he upped the ante by interrupting patriarch Vernon\u2019s speech. Again, people tried to tell him that it was tradition for Vernon to speak first. On top of that, it\u2019s just plain rude to go into someone else\u2019s home \u2013 particularly if you don\u2019t know them like that \u2013 and essentially tell them to sit down and shut up because you have something to say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As a quick interjection, the only<\/em> time that would be an okay thing to do would be if you were launching some sort of surprise for the person that was speaking. And even then it would still need to be done in a way that was respectful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ll admit that going into the proposal, I felt that there was a good chance that Kat would say yes out of some weird sense of obligation. Then, at least in the scenario I cooked up in my head, she\u2019d take him to the side after the party and say that she couldn\u2019t really accept his proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let\u2019s rewind back to the beginning. After Tomas shoved Vernon into a chair and told him to shut up, Tomas demanded the attention of the entire room. As he presented his opening arguments, he didn\u2019t see Juror #1 (Chelsea) shaking her head in the negative. She tried<\/em> to tell him to abort. Ted took a huge swig of champagne. Nicole took a deep breath and cast a gaze toward her ex-husband. Chelsea tried a new approach: mouthing the word \u201cNo.\u201d It was so awkwardly uncomfortable and I loved every single moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been quite a few on-screen jokes about how this is Princess Kat\u2019s world and we all just live in it. For someone supposedly so self-obsessed, Kat\u2019s rejection was incredibly sweet and kind. She escorted Tomas from the room so that she could talk to him privately. She pointed out that they hadn\u2019t even talked about marriage and reiterated her love for him and assured him, \u201cI want to wear your ring \u2013 I do. But not today.\u201d She asked that he hold on to the ring until they are both sure that getting married is what they want and not the result of tornado-driven fear. It might not have been what Tomas wanted to hear, but it was heartfelt and truthful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When Kat and Tomas rejoined the party, Vernon got in a good lick by saying he’d restart his speech “unless Tomas has something else to say.” Ouch, but also hilarious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I like the idea of Kat owning her own place, but I can\u2019t help but feel that the only reason she decided to buy a condo was to shore up her relationship with Tomas. There was an old joke on Seinfeld <\/em>about Jerry and Elaine \u201chaving sex to save the friendship.\u201d On Beyond the Gates<\/em>, Kat thinks that buying a place for her and Tomas to cohabitate is the best way to makes things better after publicly rejecting his proposal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think it\u2019s a terrible idea. You know who else does? Kat. The look on her face after Tomas accepted her suggestion that they live together \u2013 with a whole host of conditions \u2013 told me everything I needed to know. It became even clearer when Mona and Jan dropped by unexpectedly to check on Kat. As a total aside here, I liked seeing Mona and Jan in a set that wasn\u2019t Orphey Gene\u2019s or Ashley\u2019s apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While all of these was going on, Tomas was on the phone with his mother while sitting alone at Orphey Gene\u2019s. From the one-sided conversation, it sounded like Tomas\u2019 mother was pressuring him to get married. He mentioned that when his parents were his age they were already married with a kid. It also was clear that Tomas wasn\u2019t being totally honest with his mom. He didn\u2019t mention that he had proposed to Kat. He simply said that he knew that Kat wasn\u2019t ready for marriage yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Add to that the pressure that Tomas was getting from Bill to be a family man. Bill pretty much made it clear that the family man path was the only way to a thriving future at the law firm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While I am not a fan of Tomas, I kind of feel sorry for him. I don\u2019t think he is living his life for himself. He\u2019s chasing after a dream to advance his career and to appease his mother. His success as a lawyer is tied to being able to earn enough to then be able to send money home to his family. It\u2019s all sort of tied together and that\u2019s sad. It makes me wonder if he\u2019s done anything for himself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With all this talk of Tomas going back to Puerto Rico and the Season Two status change of Alex Alegria to recurring status, I am wondering if Tomas is going to go home to Puerto Rico and not return to the DMV. Other than Kat, there isn\u2019t much tying Tomas to the canvas. With the exception of Eva, Tomas doesn\u2019t even seem to have any friends. I\u2019d like their friendship more if that whole sexytimes thing hadn\u2019t happened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If Tomas were to exit, it would, as a lot of viewers have been demanding, free Kat and allow her to find a new relationship. There doesn\u2019t seem to be much lawyering at Bill\u2019s law firm, so I can\u2019t imagine losing Tomas would be that big of a hit. Plus, it would open up a spot for Naomi to finally join her dad\u2019s practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of Naomi, she finally opened up about the secret she\u2019s been keeping for the better part of a year: she has the BRCA gene mutation that puts her at a higher risk of developing breast and\/or ovarian cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It was interesting that Naomi chose to tell her mother first. Maybe Naomi knew that Dani would be a sympathetic ear so she wanted to start with the least confrontational person. Naturally, being a mom, Dani was focused almost entirely on what her daughter had been feeling while keeping such a massive thing to herself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even more interesting, when Naomi claimed that she\u2019d been lying to everyone for months, Dani immediately assumed that Naomi had cheated on Jacob. Project much, Mrs. Dupree-Richardson? Things get even stickier when Naomi said something to the effect of, \u201cNo, mom. I\u2019m like you. I would never cheat on the man I love.\u201d Oops.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then it came time to tell Jacob. I saw a couple posts on social media that wanted Jacob to be angrier with Naomi. Not every man \u2013 or every person, for that matter \u2013 is an \u201cangry\u201d person. I don\u2019t see Jacob as a door-slamming, wall-punching kind of guy. No, I think he is a little more complex than that. I think that Jacob internalizes a lot of what he\u2019s feeling. Even when he and Naomi were at odds over a potential pregnancy, he never screamed, cussed, or pounded his fists. I think whatever anger Jacob is feeling right now is overshadowed by fear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, I do worry that Jacob is reaching a breaking point. He still hasn\u2019t recovered from the death of his friend (Derek). He is still on a mission to capture the Impaler. And now he has this latest twist where he has to worry about the health of the woman he loves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Jacob immediately went to Izaiah (and Eva) and later to Smitty. While he didn\u2019t open up to either of them about what was going on in his life, it seemed clear to me that he wanted<\/em> to. Or at least thought about it. Men are strange creatures. I know this because \u2013 and you may have read this on the Internet \u2013 I am one. We\u2019ve been hardwired to not be emotional and to not talk about our feelings. It\u2019s not easy getting into our circuitry and reconfiguring everything to change that. That is one of the good things about the Gen Zers \u2013 they haven\u2019t been forced into that way of thinking, so I am hoping that future generations are better able to talk about what is bothering them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Well, it looks like I was wrong about Hayley\u2019s bosom poison. I honestly believed that Randy had given his cuz a placebo rather than anything truly lethal. Why? I was convinced that he was conning the con \u2013 perhaps in conjunction with the is-she-really-dead Lynette Wise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But based on the way Bill was acting during the deposition, it looks like the world\u2019s slowest acting poison may have finally started to work. Or, perhaps of more concern, Bill might be having a totally unrelated medical crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dialing it back a little, I still think this lawsuit against Madison would have been tossed out by any judge. It\u2019s ridiculous, meritless, and a total waste of time and money. But there\u2019s a peg for every hole. I\u2019m not sure that\u2019s the metaphor I\u2019m looking for, but it\u2019s the only one that came to mind while writing this column. There\u2019s a reason they need to put \u201cDo not use in a bath tub\u201d on toasters. It does make me wonder how much cheaper everything would be if there wasn\u2019t this constant barrage of frivolous lawsuits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now that that\u2019s out of the way, I am anxious to see what\u2019s really going on with Bill. I\u2019ve always questioned this poison that Hayley is using. What is it exactly? Randy claimed that it was something that wouldn\u2019t show up in any blood test, but I can\u2019t imagine that any such substance exists. If it\u2019s something that doesn\u2019t occur naturally in the body, it would show up. You just might need to run a test that wouldn\u2019t normally be run.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If I remember correctly, old murder mysteries often used antifreeze as a poison. The claim was that it could be used in small doses over time and it wouldn\u2019t show up on blood tests or toxicology reports. Maybe too many people tried that and they added antifreeze components to blood tests to put the kibosh on murder by Valvoline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s amazing to me that no one has caught Hayley giving Bill some of her boobie prize. She\u2019s been kind of sloppy, but I suppose she could have just chalked it up to giving Bill some sort of post-stroke supplement. There\u2019s really no reason for anyone to suspect that Hayley has <\/em>been poisoning Bill so she should be in the clear unless the tests turn up some anomaly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There was a time when I thought Hayley might develop real feelings for Bill, but that ship has sailed and sunk. I am trying to figure out how she gets out of trouble if and when someone learns that she\u2019s been trying to off Bill. Will she skip town and head to Genoa City to reconnect with Kyle Abbott?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I know that a lot of viewers are grumbling about the de-Lesliefication of Leslie Thomas, but I don\u2019t quite see it that way. I think that LSD (That\u2019s Leslie\/Sherry\/Dana for those of you that are new readers) has been operating at 100 for the better part of the past year. There was nowhere else for her to go but down. Where the week of reruns gave the show a chance to reset, I think that Eva\u2019s near-death experience allowed Leslie to be reset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t think that LSD is suddenly one of the good guys. She\u2019s already shown that. But I do think that nearly losing a child could, would, and should cause someone to reevaluate their life decisions. Now Leslie can operate on 50. She\u2019ll still be equally annoying to everyone that dislikes her, but it does give her the chance to be slightly more human.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the funniest moments in a while came when Leslie joined Jan and Mona at their table at Orphey Gene\u2019s. Leslie waxed on about how she was a changed woman and went to rest her hand on Mona\u2019s as a sign that they were, I don\u2019t know, cool with each other again. Before there was any contact, Mona quickly \u201cUh-huh\u201ded her and Leslie pulled her hand back with the same quickness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The ceasefire with Darlene is another example. It looked for a minute like the two women were going to be friendly. The Friday, July 10, episode put those fears to rest. Darlene made it quite clear that she doesn\u2019t trust Leslie and doesn\u2019t really like her. However, they both agreed that they needed to find a way to coexist since their kids were in love.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even Dr. Monica McCormick was willing to give LSD another chance. Her reason, though, was more about those that benefit from Garland Memorial\u2019s partnership with the free clinic than anything else. Still, Monica needed to know that she could work with Leslie. Little did she know, Leslie was already poking around trying to learn more about Monica. Like the Darlene and Leslie frenemyship, I think Monica and Leslie both realize that they need to be able to work together because it\u2019s in the best interest of the hospital, the clinic, those working at the clinic, and those who benefit from the clinic\u2019s services.<\/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 typically not a lover of teen love storylines. First, it seems a little creepy to not be a teen and to get invested in their love lives. I\u2019m not sure that I was all that into them even when I was<\/em> in the target demographic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That said, I like Tyrell and Jessica. Their relationship journey has felt fairly realistic, and I think Jaden Lucas Miller (Tyrell) and Camryn Jade (Jessica) are really great young actors. I admit that I liked Jessica more before the cotillion. Since the cotillion she has lost some of her charm because the friction with her parents seemed to get amped out for no real reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The tattoo story was an interesting story decision. The idea to get matching tattoos seems very unlike what a Gen Zer would do. Wisely, the writers chose to have the Gen Zers do what Gen Zers do. The matching tattoos went from being actual matching to tattoos to tattoos that were in the same anatomical location. I\u2019m still torn on whether the \u201cJ\u201d that Tyrell got stands for Jessica or June. He claims it stands for June, but I think he just lucked out to have a girlfriend and a mom with the same first initial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Soaps love to find a way to have shirtless men on-screen even if there isn\u2019t a legitimate reason for said men to be shirtless. Beyond the Gates<\/em>, which I feel like shunned shirtless men for much of the series\u2019 first season, has now decided that it has a legitimate reason for men to shuck their shirts: the locker room set. The women\u2019s locker room is far less clothing optional, but we\u2019ve definitely seen our fair share of implied nudity. The most recent example, I believe, was Hayley letting her trenchcoat fall to the ground so that Bill could see all of her goods and services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In my last column two weeks ago (“This Is The Part Where You Tell Me I\u2019m Wrong<\/a><\/strong>“), I said that I wasn\u2019t sure that Joey was buying what Deanna was selling. It turned out that I was right. Joey tasked Randy with getting close to Deanna to find out how she really felt. It didn\u2019t take long for Deanna to admit that she hates the idea that Vanessa is seeing Joey. I am wondering what happens next. It was clear that Randy was not entirely comfortable digging for dirt on his former bestie\u2019s little girl. Will Randy feel more of an obligation to Doug or to his employer? Maybe Joey already has all that he needs and he won\u2019t ask Randy to do any more reconnaissance work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\u2019ve read my columns for any length of time, you\u2019ll know that I often say, \u201cEverything happens for a reason on a soap.\u201d Actually, I usually say, \u201cNothing happens on a soap for no reason,\u201d but that\u2019s a double negative and I\u2019ve suddenly been awash with the voices of former teachers in my head advising me against that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Why the trip to English 101? The minute Grayson and Ashley encountered the problematic, under-five, substitute bartender at Uptown, I knew that Grayson would end up working there as a bartender. In a previous scene, Grayson talked about how he was having trouble making ends meet now that his red market job was snatched away from him. He really ought to be thankful that his freedom wasn\u2019t snatched away, but that\u2019s just my take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don\u2019t know that I see Grayson has a bartender. All of the women in the DMV seem to think he\u2019s fun to look at, so I can see that being a plus. He\u2019s not much of a conversationalist and, personally, I think he\u2019s very unlikeable. Is he really the type of guy that people are going to open up to over an IPA?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, to be fair, I do not drink alcohol and I do not frequent bars. So maybe my belief that bartenders are pseudo psychiatrists is skewed by old sitcoms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Anita singing “The Empty House Blues” was really funny. I really wanted more than just bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I am glad that Martin apologized for the way he treated Kat pre-surgery. I’m sure it won’t be long before he is a hot head about something else, but at least he admitted that he’d acted like a jackass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tyrell badmouthing pickleball made me laugh. I’ve played tennis since middle school and I am decidedly anti-pickleball. I have no reason for it other than I like tennis.<\/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 \u201cParanoia’s my secret weapon.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cThanks for coming to the dress rehearsal for our proposal.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cThink of what we can come up with if we put more than our heads together.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cDon’t worry about milk that hasn’t even spilled.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cMy diva mother would say, ‘listen to your gut and load your gun.’\u201d<\/strong> \u201cMore like I’m heels over head.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cHas Vanessa come to her senses and rebuked that card hustling demon?\u201d<\/strong> \u201cYou bet your sizeable derrier it is.\u201d<\/strong> \u201cI’ve been there and done worse.\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>Port Charles Confidential<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBreak Away<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Diamonds Aren\u2019t A Girl\u2019s Best Friend<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
My Way<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/danjkroll.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/BTG_318_SG_0004b.jpg\")
Beyond the Gates | Photo: CBS \u00a92026 <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nListen To Your Heart<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
A House Is Not A Home<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Poor Poor Pitiful Me<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Secrets That She Keeps<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Mad World<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Pretty Poison<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
That Girl Is Poison<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
We Can\u2019t Be Friends<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Agree To Disagree<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Beside, Behind, and Beyond The Gates: The Speed Round<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Sign Your Name Across My
Heart<\/s> Ankle<\/strong><\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\nNo Shoes, No Shirt, Okay!<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
The Eye In The Sky<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Where Everybody Knows Your Name<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Quick Takes<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Beyond the Gates: Lines of the Week<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Joey justifying his suspicion of Deanna to Vanessa.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Kat upon returning to her surprise party after Tomas’ botched proposal.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Leslie dirty talk about her uncertain future plans with Marcel.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Vanessa to Joey. This was almost the title of this week’s column.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Chelsea<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Jan’s saucy response when Mona observed that Jan seemed to be head over heels for her new man.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Mona, when Jan talked about some exciting news in Vanessa’s life.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Monica, when Leslie asked if her treatment of Shanice is the reason Garland was cutting ties with the clinic<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Dani to Naomi when Naomi hinted that she’s done something bad.<\/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