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Here's what went down Monday, December 22, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when Naomi was a little squirt, Tyrell gave the mother of all gifts, and Ted may have been truthful about an untruth.
What happened on Beyond the Gates
On Beyond the Gates, Ted stood in disbelief upon hearing Leslie's insistence that Vernon was having an affair with Sharon. Leslie cited having watched Vernon going into Sharon's hotel room and his telling her Anita couldn't find out they were together as proof of his infidelity. Ted deemed Vernon a gentleman and thought Vernon's visit to Sharon didn't prove anything, but he began to wear down when Leslie described confronting Vernon, who hadn't denied cheating.
Leslie told “Ted-dee” that she had promised Vernon she'd keep quiet; she certainly knew from keeping secrets, since she had hidden her fling with Ted for decades. Ted wanted to be called by his real name and snapped that Leslie taking him into her confidence didn't make them closer, as she hinted it would. Leslie sniffed that she had another iron in the fire anyway and that news of Vernon's hypocrisy, given how he had derided Ted for his unfaithfulness, was her Christmas present to Ted.
Dani declared that the pink Christmas tree Andre had chosen and put up was perfect. “Okay, Goldilocks,” Andre joked, with Dani preferring Leola and the Honeybears, an African-American retelling of that story that Dani used to read to Naomi and Chelsea when they were little. Though the Richardsons agreed that Christmas was about family and community, Dani was dead serious that having the best tree also counted.
At the Richardson-Smiths, Martin was determined to have the best tree; when Smitty said it wasn't a competition, Martin replied that everything in the Dupree family was a competition. June arrived and felt “warm and fuzzy” that she got to be with her kids for the first time in many Christmas Eves, and she presented them with adorably clumsy ornaments they had made when they were little. Samantha and Tyrell didn't remember crafting them; June recounted how she had been too strung out to get them a Christmas tree to hang their ornaments on that year, and how the incident had inspired her to call Child Protective Services on herself soon after.
Samantha didn't want June to keep beating herself up about how she had functioned as a mother. June was grateful that Martin and Smitty had given the children the home that she couldn't – while Tyrell acknowledged the work June had done on herself and announced that he had forgiven her. Bursting into tears, June hugged him and Samantha.
Eva arrived, figuring it was safe to get there alone before Ted since Kat wasn't attending. “And where did you get that idea?” Kat spat, marching in. Kat explained that she'd be heading over to Dani's as planned, but she wanted to see her brother and his family first; she ignored Eva as she was introduced to June and as she told Samantha what to expect with her imminent coming out cotillion. Eva hung back uncomfortably, and Ted, who had finally shown, apologized to Eva because he hadn't known Kat would be there. Ted himself felt awkward, as it was the first year his family wasn't participating in its “usual rituals.”
On her way out, Kat learned from Ted that he'd be spending the holiday alone watching football. Kat promised to call and said nothing to Eva, who soon made her own exit so she could finish getting ready for Christmas with Leslie. Martin and Ted appraised their family and both regretted having kept their secrets so long; though Ted griped that Nicole seemed to be moving on with Carlton, Martin reminded his father that at least he could be honest with her from now on.
Smitty brought in a new guest, whose face he strategically hid behind a poinsettia – it was Regina, who was stunned to see how much Samantha and Tyrell had grown. June was thrilled to see her sister, and Tyrell did remember his “Aunt Gigi,” who regaled him and Samantha with stories from their childhood, including a time the youngsters had pulled a Christmas tree down on themselves trying to decorate it. Samantha offered for Regina to top their tree with its angel, since she had been the angel watching out for them until they had been adopted. Regina assured June that she had done the right thing in giving the children up and invited June to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with her. When Smitty became emotional thinking how much the kids had been through before they'd become a family, Martin reminded him that they were resilient – and survivors.
Dani decried the “shrinkage” to her guest list when Kat was a no-show and Chelsea and Madison weren't coming over, either, but she determined to make the best of it – even when a pouty Naomi arrived having had a fight with Jacob. Neither Dani nor the appearing Nicole could get Naomi to talk about it, though Dani was surprised that the Hawthornes had battled considering couples therapy had been so beneficial to them. Just then, Jacob walked in and explained that Naomi had become upset when she'd found her Christmas gift – a Mexican monkey hat that sprays water called a changuito.
“It sucks!” Naomi wailed, feeling that her husband didn't know her and hadn't put any thought into his gift. But he had – it was meant as a souvenir in advance, since he had arranged for them to vacation in Mexico City. Naomi saw the folly in her attitude and thanked Jacob for remembering she had wanted to visit Mexico; she had only been angry because she'd feared that their therapy sessions hadn't helped them to communicate. When Chelsea entered anyway because Madison had been called to the hospital, Naomi put on the changuito and squirted her sister with it.
Later on, Chelsea wondered why Naomi was “bustin' out” the Cascade; Naomi explained that she didn't want Dani and Andre to be stuck with the party dishes and extolled the virtues of the detergent. Kat joined the festivities, noting that Tomás had to work; she was giddy when her loved ones encouraged her to put the star on the tree. Once everyone else had gone home, Andre showed Dani the images he'd taken during the soirée and informed Dani that she'd have to wait for her present – except for the mistletoe that he gamely held over their heads.
Tracy didn't believe Sharon's claim that she had been talking to a telemarketer and proclaimed her friend a terrible liar. Sharon promised she hadn't told anyone else about Anita's health concerns and accused Tracy of being suspicious. Vernon walked on the ladies' charged moment and knew they weren't being truthful when they fumbled over whether Anita was having vision or hearing tests done at the hospital. When Tracy excused herself, Sharon vowed that, with Tracy in the dark, no one knew about their get-togethers – but Vernon divulged that Leslie had seen them at the hotel. Neither Vernon nor Sharon trusted Leslie's promise to keep quiet, yet realized that putting faith in her was their only option.
At Garland Memorial, Anita struggled to take in Dr. Ahn's news that she had triple negative breast cancer – it was a form of the disease which had twice the prevalence in Black women than in white women, and, not only was it more challenging to treat, the malignancy spread faster and had a higher chance of returning. The words seemed to bounce off the overwhelmed Anita as Ahn recommended immediate treatment and the opinion of an oncologist. “Talk to Vernon,” the doctor advised gently, stressing that Anita would need a support person as she fought the disease. Anita tried to appear strong but broke down in tears.
As Vernon quietly played the piano at home, a dazed Anita summoned Sharon and Tracy to Uptown and told them of her diagnosis. She was more scared for Vernon and the rest of the family than she was for herself; her fellow Articulettes swore to be at Anita's side for every step. Later, after Anita left, Tracy demanded to know what was really going on between Sharon and Vernon. “Okay,” Sharon sighed. “I'll tell you.”
Nicole was surprised to see Ted in her living room when she came home from Dani's. Ted reassured his ex-wife that their children were fine, but he'd come upon some information and didn't want to repeat his mistake of keeping secrets from her. Nicole didn't know where to look when Ted said that her father was cheating on her mother.
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When Anita arrived at the Dupree manse, Vernon laughed over Sharon and Tracy trying to con him with a story to cover the fact that Anita was obviously out finding the perfect Christmas present for him. “Sit with me, Vernon,” Anita said, shell-shocked. “I have bad news.”
Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.
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