"Beyond The Gates" Week 2 Review

I'm still in "mark-out" mode regarding the first week of Beyond the Gates. I said this a number of times before and I'll say it again: the soap opera genre needed this. Badly. Mostly because of the representation, but also because this show is not as dramatic as the average soap. As I said, the first week was stellar, absolutely epic as hell. And that first week has resulted in huge ratings for CBS in that time slot.

So what did Week 2 have in store for us. Let's look, shall we?

March 3

So who did Dani Dupree actually shoot in the tail end of Week 1? As we saw on the Monday episode, it wasn't who, but what. The only thing that was harmed by Dani's explosive anguish was a flower arrangement. That's it. Even so, this was quite an amazing moment, and Karla Mosley shined in this follow-up. So the situation was diffused, and with the whole thing being inadvertently live-streamed, it was time for damage control, Dupree style.

March 4

I know MVPs when I see one, after all, I root for Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar (the latter being a Conn Smythe Trophy winner). If there was ever a true MVP in the Tuesday episode, it was definitely Vernon Dupree. The way Vernon totally served Bill verbally was delicious, and even better, it was cool, it was calm, it was collected, and very smooth. It still amazes me to see Clifton Davis in the world of soaps. That's My Mama was before my time, but I saw the reruns. Amen was during my infancy, but I do have some memories of that show on my TV. Davis did mostly sitcoms from what I remember, so for him to step in to the world of soaps and take on this role? Epic as hell.

March 5

I did like that the Wednesday episode actually centered on Nicole Dupree, well, Nicole's side of the family. We see Nicole's daughter, Kat, catch Eva looking very, very sus, which she is. Kat tells her suspicions of Eva to Nicole, but Nicole's not hearing it. Holy moley, she's naive. I love Kat already, she is such a strong character, and I was happy with what I saw from her this past week. As for Nicole, well, her portrayer, Daphnee Duplaix is amazing. Oh, and regarding Eva, she has no clue that Leslie caused Laura's accident. Hmmm. Oh, and another interesting tidbit we learned. Vanessa McBride's hubby? Yeah, he's quite the gambler, and he sucks at it. I'll bet money he bet on the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2022.

March 6

OK, so let's talk about the couple of the week here. Earlier in that week, Hayley nags Bill about his plans to appear at the press conference--this was in the Tuesday episode. What do we see here in the Thursday episode. Bill "suggests" to Hayley that she quit her job, and then hands Hayley a credit card with no limits. In one story on Vocal, I mentioned the text stories that had been hitting YouTube in the early stages of the pandemic. I mentioned ones that feature evil mothers-in-law. Another popular type of text story: the domineering misogynistic husband. That's what we're seeing here. Bill wants to rule Hayley, and I can see how this will go. If Hayley gives in, she better be prepared for a marriage where Bill browbeats Hayley for "living off him."

March 7

Yeah, Leslie is definitely the Sheila Carter of this show. She set the stage for this whole thing by running Laura off the road, and then she keeps Eva in the dark about her role in Laura's hospitalization. In the Friday episode, Leslie is quite hellbent bent on going scorched Earth on Nicole, and that last moment, where she plays like she's going to jump, but faces Nicole with that sinister grin? Oh man! Also, Dani's enjoying life finally moving on from Bill and finding love with Andre, but Week 2 ends with Dani actually being arrested, and of course, Bill's behind it.

* * *

The plot, much like my anticipation for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, thickens immensely. Week 2 was absolutely delicious, and I'm excited to see what Week 3 brings!