Beyond the Gates' Derek goes wild

On Beyond the Gates, Derek moved into Ashley’s small studio apartment, but it seems it was too soon for the relationship. In this “what if” scenario, we explore what could happen if “nice” Derek turned bad.

Derek Baldwin Beyond the Gates

Derek, played by Ben Gavin, is a stereotypical nice guy, but after he and Ashley moved in together, they began arguing daily.. One day, Derek couldn't take it anymore and believed that Ashley didn't really want him to move in to begin with. In fact, there was a question that was left hanging and was never answered: “Do you really want me living here?” Derek had asked her. That question never got replied to or addressed at a later stage. The argument left Ashley running for cover to Uptown, and Derek surveyed the remains of what he thought was his happy place, packed his bags, and left.

Backdraft meets Beyond the Gates

But what if Derek had never returned? He just kept on walking and stewed on his thoughts of rejection and being led to believe they were meant to be forever. What if all that became too much for nice, gentle Derek — and he snapped? Angry Derek could begin stalking Ashley, watching her every move, and seeing with fresh eyes what he saw all along: the spark between Ashley and Andre. Derek makes the perfect bad guy, and I’ll tell you why.

Until now, we have seen nice, gentle Derek doting on his girlfriend. The fireman and the nurse, the perfect couple. A first responder, Derek is always the first to care, but what if he didn't anymore? Derek, knowing all about fire and how it lives and breathes, is perfectly placed to start lighting his own fires so he can rush to the rescue, fuelling a ‘need to be needed’ complex. Could Derek intentionally light a fire with Andre in a building, knowing how to stage it so it doesn’t look like arson? Or maybe he could cause a fire so he could be Ashley’s hero instead? Either way, it’s a recipe for disaster, with liberal creativity from the writers.

Good-guy-goes-bad is always an engaging storyline, but I’ll tell you what makes this even better: Who would suspect Derek? Everyone only knows (and would believe) the nice guy version, while only we, as the fans and viewers, would see the smile be replaced by a sneer, or an evil glint in his eye when he thinks no one can see him.

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Not that we want to see anything bad happen to fan faves Ashley and Andre, but it would certainly liven up the storyline of Dashley, and even Andre’s crush and his perceived interference in their relationship.

Watch new episodes of Beyond the Gates weekdays on CBS or stream on Paramount Plus.

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