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Here's what went down Friday, August 1, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when a concert ticket became a battleground for the McBrides, Derek thought he could punch his own ticket with Ashley, and Smitty realized that he and Naomi were on the same ticket.
What happened on Beyond the Gates
On Beyond the Gates, Shanice was sure Andre had gotten Ashley a ticket to the Articulettes show, given his in with the Duprees. Ashley was clearly disappointed that Andre hadn't, but shrugged that they weren't a couple – turning things around to ask if Derek and Shanice were. Shanice said that the vibe had been friendship when they had been out, and that it was getting old that all Derek could do was talk about Ashley.
Derek came by the nurses' station to ask Ashley if they could talk. Taking her to Orphey Gene's, Derek clumsily admitted that he missed Ashley. Ms. Morgan blurted out that she missed Derek as well and hoped the admissions were signs that they could start interacting more – that is, Ashley added, if Shanice didn't mind. Derek took the high road and said he shouldn't have rubbed his friendship with Shanice in Ashley's face – and friendship was all there was between them. Derek waited for Ashley to confess to using Andre to make him jealous; when Ashley finally did, Derek hoped there might still be a future for them. “You broke up with me,” Ashley recalled. “Dumbest thing I've ever done,” Derek replied.
Ashley sat nearly speechless as Derek acknowledged he had given up too easily on them out of hurt when she didn't accept his marriage proposal. He wanted to give things another try, but Ashley said it was too late for them; Derek assumed her stance had to do with Andre. Ashley said nothing major had happened with Andre, prompting Derek to respond that nothing major ever would, because Andre was a player. Ashley called Derek out for telling her to move on and then not liking how she was doing it; to her, returning to Derek would be a giant step backwards. Derek was baffled when Ashley put an end to their chat and walked out.
Vanessa showed up to the hospital dressed to kill and ready to take Doug to the concert, but he begged off in favor of work. Mrs. McBride thought a fun night with music and friends would take their minds off the strain in their marriage; Mr. McBride didn't feel like forcing himself to smile all night and held his ground about not going. Vanessa considered it hypocritical for Doug to play the victim when he had made the mess with Joey that she was “busting [her] ass” to get them out of. Doug relented when Vanessa said she could only do so much to keep Joey from going off, and that Doug's veiled threats were going to bring them both down – but he still refused to keep up appearances with Vanessa and gave Shanice his ticket to the show.
Leslie was sulking because she couldn't go to the Articulettes concert – which was sold out, besides. Eva was just as glad they couldn't attend, because she didn't want Leslie and her to have to face all of the Duprees. Leslie told Eva how her mother had had all of the group's singles that she had played nonstop, and how she would have loved to see them live; Eva's offer to go back to her apartment and dance to the records sounded “puny” to Leslie. When Eva went to the ladies' room, Leslie reached into Eva's purse to get money for the check and found a ticket to the show that Ted had gifted her.
Eva was confused when Leslie suddenly took off – until she realized that her mom had taken her ticket. “Ted is gonna kill me,” Eva predicted. Ted was dismayed when Eva rushed in to warn him that Leslie was going to the show in her place. Realizing that he would be sitting next to “Dana,” Ted gave Eva his own ticket, since Eva was the only one who had the slightest chance of reining Leslie in. Eva felt bad that Ted was going to miss the event because of her carelessness, but Ted figured the Duprees wouldn't want him there, anyway.
Anita and Tracy gently encouraged Sharon to breathe through her panic attack. Sharon said she just couldn't go on stage; she'd been used to singing in her little world, and the reality of performing again professionally was overwhelming. Anita admitted her own anxiety and laughingly told Sharon that she would have told her if she wasn't good enough to pull the show off. Tracy backed Sharon up as well, and the trio rededicated themselves to their reunion – nerves and all.
Vernon watched as Anita presented Sharon and Tracy with matching diamond eternity bracelets to commemorate the show and how far they'd come. Tracy and Sharon thought back to the cheap costume jewelry they'd had when they were starting out, which had a tendency to fall apart during performances. They were all joined by Chelsea, Dani, Nicole, and Naomi, whom Tracy mentioned had been the impetus for the concert due to the karaoke night she'd gotten Anita to participate in. Sharon winked to Naomi that she knew who to blame if things went to hell. Nicole confirmed to Dani that both Smitty and Martin were coming to the show; the sisters high-fived.
The Articulettes practiced some moves in front of those assembled; Tracy marveled that their routine looked better with real diamonds. Kat arrived with Samantha, who was thrilled to learn that her fathers were both going to be in attendance. After Samantha went in to watch the Articulettes watching a video of her doing one of their routines, Kat realized that Nicole had been about to tell her about Martin and Smitty's separation just before Jacob arrived to question Nicole about choking Leslie. Nicole eased Kat's worry that Martin had had an affair; Martin walked in just as Nicole was telling Kat it was his place to say what happened, not hers. Kat quietly hugged her brother when she saw him.
Kat asked Vernon if he had known about her brother's marital problems and questioned whether every marriage in the family was going to break up. Vernon volunteered that he had shown his support to Tyrell, and Kat promised to keep an eye on Samantha. Kat agreed with Vernon that they needed to be there for Smitty and Martin to lean on.
Vernon interrupted Sharon and Tracy teasing Anita about her pre-show rituals and sung the singers' praises with them, and his family gathered in a circle. Afterwards, everyone got changed and went to the concert hall; Sharon was a bit green-eyed about Vernon bringing Anita flowers until he presented them with bouquets as well.
Martin encountered Smitty taking his seat next to Tyrell, remarking that their previous conversation had made the run-in less awkward. Smitty agreed yet still had little to say to Martin; Samantha wanted her parents to sit together, though Martin felt that would be pushing it. Later, Smitty talked to Naomi, whose cryptic comments made Smitty realize that Naomi knew about the whole ordeal involving “Kenneth,” including “Kenneth”'s death. Naomi hated having to keep it all secret from Jacob, but was willing to take it if it meant protecting the family.
Nicole decided to watch the show from the wings. Carlton approached Martin and all but expressed an interest in Nicole. Dani found Andre backstage and told him she knew about the “secret plan” Anita had recruited him to carry out. The Dupree sisters then caught sight of Anita in her costume and encouraged the diva to give it her all.
Kat ran into Eva and accused her of showing up to stare at Tomás; both sisters stopped short when they saw Leslie chatting it up with Smitty and Naomi. Eva ran to handle her mom while Nicole left her spot backstage to do the same. When Eva came down on the attention-seeking Leslie, the elder Thomas purposely yelled that Eva was making a scene. Vernon promised retribution if Leslie ruined the night for Anita; Leslie scoffed that she'd “choose silence” and that she was just there to see the show. Kat told Nicole that they should call security on Leslie (“The bitch probably bites,” Dani sneered), but when Carlton took his seat next to Leslie, the ladies sensed that Carlton would tamp down any shenanigans on Leslie's part.
Before going on, Anita led Sharon and Tracy in prayer, expressing gratitude for their resurrected friendships and the music they had never stopped loving. The crowd went nuts when the curtain rose and the group began their first number; Leslie knew every word. Next, Tracy and Sharon were seen introducing Anita's solo number; La Dupree took the mic and belted out one of her jazz hits while Vernon beamed with pride. After the bit, Anita received a standing ovation.
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Anita motioned to Andre, who left his front row spot; after Anita publicly thanked her co-singers, the talent agent who suggested the concert, and her family – especially Vernon – Anita Williams Dupree said the concert couldn't continue unless something very important happened first. Andre stood ready.
Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.
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