Beyond the Gates Recap, April 28, 2025: For Chelsea, three wasn't a magic number

Here's what went down Monday, April 28, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when life was not but a dream for Martin, Anita considered the ramifications of articulating with The Articulettes, and Leslie attempted to switch up her game plan at the last minute.

What happened on Beyond the Gates?

On Beyond the Gates, Anita was sure Vernon was again up to something, with Vernon saying he had merely brought his wife back to the scene of her onstage triumph. Anita wrote off karaoke as not a real performance; Vernon didn't know why she was still hesitant to accept the talent agent's offer for a bonafide comeback concert when her voice was as beautiful as it had been the day the Duprees met. Anita insisted that her instrument had aged and that there was no point in approaching Naomi and Dani with the agent's idea for them to back Anita up when she hadn't herself decided to do the show.

Vernon shared his observation that Anita had lit up again on the stage, as if she had found a lost part of herself. Anita countered that she hadn't started as a solo act; she had just been one of The Articulettes. However, she'd preferred singing with the other girls, Tracy and Sharon, as a group to performing solo, and said she'd be more likely to do the concert if she could do it with them. Vernon loved the idea of an Articulettes reunion, but Anita informed him that she hadn't handled herself well during their split – she didn't know if she could make up for what she had done.

Martin had another murky nightmare, which he was jolted out of by a knock on the door. Chelsea arrived to talk about threesomes, but Martin felt his cousin was mixing up being gay with having open relationships – besides, he and Smitty were monogamous. Chelsea just wanted to open up to Martin because she knew they could easily talk about sexuality: with her throuple, Craig and Allison, it turned out Allison was more into Chelsea than Craig was. Martin's view was that many straight men grooved on watching two women have sex, but Chelsea had been thinking about just getting to know Allison outside of their romps. Chelsea didn't like labels and preferred to keep her options open, except she had never allowed herself to really be involved with someone. Martin gave Chelsea the approval she wanted.

Sitting at a table at Orphey Gene's, Jan received a text notifying her that Ashley was moving in with Derek and wondered how they'd manage in such a small apartment. Mona joked that there'd be no place for “that big ol' fireman's pole.” Leslie told her friends that she never would have been able to start over in a new city without them; it sounded to Mona and Jan like they were never going to see Leslie again. Leslie merely said that she'd read online that friends should regularly let each other know how much they appreciated and cared for one another. After Jan and Mona followed suit, they excused themselves, leaving Leslie to curiously eye Martin and Vernon when they came in.

Leslie cut in on the congressman and the former senator, fangirling over them and gifting them with a brownie. She made a big show of what role models the Duprees were, then told them how glad she was that they'd made sure Bigfoot could hike unhassled and that Atlanta was still underwater where it belonged. She knowingly added that her life wouldn't be what it was without the Duprees.

Once Leslie strutted away, Martin told Vernon he was having “the dream” again, for the first time in a while. He reasoned that perhaps his tense exchange with Bill had triggered it. Vernon hated that Bill was connected to the issue; Martin wanted to know if Bill was the reason Anita and Vernon didn't want Martin running for president. Vernon wouldn't clarify except to say he still had reservations about such a campaign. Martin recognized that he had been distracted from his demons helping Tyrell through his ordeal at school, but now the demons were back...and he wished he knew how to get rid of them.

Vernon suggested getting professional help for Martin, leading Martin to name Nicole as the logical choice – but Vernon didn't want to burden anyone else who could be affected by the secret, which could harm the entire family. Martin regretted keeping it from Smitty and the fact that he had brought the whole thing on himself.

Derek brought his favorite chair, “Herbert,” into Ashley's apartment; Ashley didn't know if there would be room for all of Derek's belongings on top of hers. The couple began sparring over whose personal effects should go where, but did see the advantage of having only one bathroom, since they'd be able to shower together. Buttons were becoming unbuttoned when Jan let herself in carrying a mounted moose head Derek had left outside the door.

Ashley advised Jan that she'd have to knock in the future. Jan reported that the moose's eyes were following her. “Yeah, they do that,” Derek grinned. Jan, who had come to help with the settling-in process, concurred with Derek's previous contention that he and Ashley compromise, then tried to stuff the moose head in a closet. Ashley, however, didn't want her mom messing up her precise shelving system, and Derek wondered if he'd have to adhere to it as well; the couple wasn't open to Jan's compromise.

At Uptown, Chelsea greeted Allison, who had been surprised to receive Chelsea's text. Chelsea hedged before admitting that her night with Allison had been incredible – it was just that she had been more into Allison than Craig and wanted to know if Allison would be willing to play with her privately. Allison gently said that she and Craig had always played together, though a side trip with Chelsea wasn't off the table as long as there was transparency. Chelsea confessed to having feelings for Allison; Allison returned Chelsea's profession and was open to a solo encounter. Chelsea was glad and suggested that they “get wild” by having a meaningful dialogue about themselves “IRL.”

Jacob and Naomi met with Derek and Ashley, with Naomi happy she was finally practicing the kind of law that would let her sleep at night. Naomi saw Chelsea with Allison and invited them to join her and her gang. The girls watched as Ashley offered Allison the moose head, and Naomi related how she and Jacob had successfully lived together first before they had gotten married. Derek noticed Allison's ring and asked for her own advice as a married woman; Allison eyed Chelsea and counseled that everything would be fine as long as there was communication.

Ted tried to have a pre-anniversary celebration with Nicole before the party the next day, but it was interrupted by Eva, who was finalizing preparations. She needed Nicole for the last-minute touches, but hated to unravel Ted's plans, which included strawberries and champagne. Nicole balked when Eva predicted that she would never have a relationship like the Richardsons had. “I'm the one men leave,” Eva admitted sadly, “not the one they choose.” Ted was convinced that one day Eva would be attending her own anniversary party, which moved Eva.

When Nicole and Eva declared all of their details seen to, Ted sent the hard-working Eva home. Ted was about to renew his celebration attempt when Mona strode in, letting the Richardsons know she'd – ironically – arranged for them to have privacy after the party. Mona also seated herself to go over ideas to update the garden, much to Ted and Nicole's amused chagrin. Later, Ted finally got to make his champagne toast to Nicole, and the couple made romantic pronouncements to each other. Nicole and Ted agreed that the moment was only the beginning of what would be “an epic anniversary celebration.”

Leslie was having fun trying on an array of wigs as Eva came home. When Leslie asked which one she should wear to the party, Eva remarked that it seemed like her mother was trying to impress the Duprees. Leslie sniffed that she'd look better than Nicole in a garbage bag. Eva was confused when Leslie bragged about having run up on the Dupree men and fawned over them, because Eva thought their plan only had to do with Ted; she warned that Leslie was playing with fire by including Ted's in-laws. Leslie laughed that she knew the Duprees, and that she had lost her virginity while listening to an Articulettes record.

When Eva reminded Leslie that neither Martin nor Vernon had ever wronged them, Leslie was in accord but felt it was the Dupree status and opportunity that had caused Ted to choose Nicole over her; therefore, all Duprees were at fault for what Leslie and Eva had endured. Leslie revealed her new idea to extort a fortune from the Duprees, who would want to protect Nicole from the scandal of Ted having cheated on her – and after that, she and Eva could tell the world about it anyway.

Leslie wanted her and Eva to leave their cramped accommodations and finally live the life they deserved, but Eva didn't think Leslie could keep Ted's infidelity to herself long enough for such a protracted scheme. After all, Leslie liked to “poke the Dupree bear” and had already flaunted herself in front of Kat, her brother, and her grandfather. Plus, Eva pointed out, they couldn't change their strategy now that she had already spent weeks working on the party at Leslie's instruction. Eva knew that the whole plot wasn't just about the money for Leslie...

Leslie flashed back to looking over the celebration of life program for Alan. Leslie hid it when Eva came in from a long day of styling hair and talked about how it bothered her to see Eva working so much, only for them to barely be getting by. Leslie didn't want them to get second jobs – she wanted for everything to fall into their laps, like it did for so many other people. Eva didn't foresee that happening, but Leslie promised she would find a way for it to. Eva left, and Leslie chucked Alan's program to the side.

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Back in the present, Leslie seethed that she and Eva had had to live a lie for decades. She was supposed to have been a doctor's wife, and Eva was supposed to have known her biological father. Leslie decided Eva was right – they couldn't live solely for revenge. It was time to air all of Ted's dirty laundry, and Leslie was very much going to revel in settling the score.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus – but will be pre-empted Tuesday, April 29 and Wednesday, April 30 for UEFA soccer. New episodes will resume Thursday, May 1.

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