"Beyond the Gates" Week 26 Review

Please forgive my lateness for this recap, because once again, CBS placed Beyond the Gates on yet another hiatus. While the end of August saw more new episodes, the beginning of September didn't. The first five days of September came and went, with no new episodes of Beyond the Gates. This is the third time we've seen a hiatus like this, and the soap's only been on for a hair over six months. I'll just say it: the hiatuses are racially motivated. Why is BTG being put on these random breaks, but Y&R and B&B run uninterrupted? CBS has been targeting any shows with representation for while now. Yes, BTG's getting another season, but still. There's only one good reason to pre-empt anything from CBS Daytime, and that's the beginning of March Madness. Other than that: run it!

So yeah, with that said, let's talk about how the month of August ended on Beyond the Gates. There was only one central highlight during the week of August 25-29, so let's get to it:

August 25

"Surprise, surprise, surprise!" said no one ever when Allison was revealed as Chelsea's kidnapper. The August 25 episode saw Chelsea in a number of imagined scenes with Dani, Bill, and Kat helping her through the ordeal, but once reality came in, we saw Allison as the abductor. We all figured this, because Allison had been going off the rails for weeks; obsessively appearing to Chelsea and acting like she wanted to get back with her even after dumping her, and Allison had been falling deeper into that rabbit hole as the weeks went by, leading to this exact moment. Allison states that she and Chelsea belong together. Right. If she believes that, then I have a bridge I can sell her cheap.

August 26 & 27

This capture is from the August 26 episode, but honestly, I just wanted to show it because of Allison holding the apple. The whole thing with Allison holding Chelsea hostage like this is similar to a lot of fairy tales with unhinged villainesses. Rapunzel definitely comes to mind, and here's how in the dark I was regarding that story: it took Disney releasing Tangled for me to finally learn that Rapunzel featured a villainess. And of course, Allison holding an apple is giving off clear Wicked Queen vibes, especially since Chelsea suspects it may be poisoned.

August 28 & 29

The August 28 and 29 episodes saw Allison really go even deeper into her delusions by wearing a wedding dress and stating that she and Chelsea were getting married on the spot. We did learn days ago that the whole thing started as a setup. Allison's "husband"? Not really married to her. They approached Chelsea thinking that Chelsea was only dating men, but the entire plan was for Allison get with Chelsea. The break-up, despite Allison pulling the proverbial trigger, sent Allison off the deep end, and we see this "wedding" play out in the August 29 episode, but things could get more perilous for Chelsea.

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Regarding the character of Allison Bailey, she's played by Brianna Roberts. I looked into her IMDB, and it's mostly full of short film appearances, with BTG being her biggest break. She is really showing out as Allison, especially when it comes to Allison's insanity and delusions, just a terrific performance. As for the show, I'm very excited for see how this crazy angle develops! Beyond the Gates continues to be one of the hottest things on TV, but again, CBS needs to stop these random week-long hiatuses. The last week of August was great, but between September 1 and 5 saw reruns. No more random week-long hiatuses, please!