"Beyond the Gates" Week 25 Review

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy.

Week 24 of Beyond the Gates ended with the wild and insane revelation that the scheming Dana Leslie Thomas was the actual biological daughter of Barbara Mitchell, the fallen member of the Articulettes R&B group led by Anita Dupree. The revelation was made by Leslie's adopted mother, Peaches, on the August 15 episode of the soap. I said it in the Week 24 recap, and I'll repeat it here: Leslie became the most dangerous entity on the soap, even more so than Joey Armstrong.

I'm so so tired of being right. But it's the burden I'll happily deal with.

Leslie didn't believe it at first. Hell, she thought that Peaches was sent by Nicole to cook up this story to fuck with her. But it's legit. Leslie is Barbara's daughter, and she had a huge fortune waiting for her. Leslie tells the news to Eva, and it's at that point where she decides to actually pay Anita a visit.

In the immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld, "I foresee messiness."

So yeah, Leslie visits Anita, and she wastes no time antagonizing Anita with the mention of Barbara, and it increases when Leslie reveals herself as Barbara's daughter. As for the moolah Leslie's getting, that comes from a trust that Anita put together in Barbara's name, and since Leslie is the bio daughter, she'll get it. And that trust--pure Dupree money. Oh man! Leslie, in true Leslie fashion, pushes Anita's buttons immensely with repeated blame towards Anita for Barbara's demise, and Anita clearly had enough:

In 1951, baseball fans were treated to "The Shot Heard 'Round the World." 74 years later on Beyond the Gates, we were treated to "The Slap Heard Behind the Gates." Undoubtedly, fans and viewers clearly went wild just like the late, great Russ Hodges did when Bobby Thomson hit that walk-off. I know I sure as hell did. Anita Dupree is the epitome of composure on that show. So when she strikes like that, there has to be a good reason.

The reaction from the other characters was stunning to say the least. Nicole was livid, as expected. She has just finalized her long overdue divorce from Ted, and now she's hearing that the very woman who made those scandalous waves is not only Barbara's daughter, but to borrow from Sanford and Son, she's sitting on top of a gold mine. Kat was shocked when she learned that Leslie and Eva are now club members. We actually saw Ted even try to help Leslie fit in, yikes. Dani couldn't believe it herself.

"If Leslie is Barbara's daughter, then I'm Serena Williams," quips Dani.

"Just call me Venus," says Nicole.

So yeah, Leslie was putting up roots with the moolah she received. But while I only planned to talk about that aftermath, I have to mention this:

So while the rest of the family was trying to process the revelation about Leslie, Chelsea--the one family member who hadn't found out yet--would have her own problems. Just as Chelsea put on her expensive heels, she's chloroformed and abducted. Now, the kidnapper's face is hidden, but it has to be Alison, Chelsea's thirsty ex. The same girl who dumped and cheated on Chelsea had been really desperate to get back with her, especially when it's clear that Chelsea's moved on. So yeah, Alison has to be the abductor, and we should see that revealed in the following week.

* * *

Hard to believe that we are nearly halfway into the first year of Beyond the Gates! There are 52 weeks in a year, and the next week will be the 26th of the soap. I sense more explosions and some wild moments in the final week of August!