Beyond the Gates Recap for January 6, 2026: Tracy pulled some reverse psychology on Anita and Joey green-lit the clinic

Here's what went down Tuesday, January 6, 2026 on Beyond the Gates when Tyrell and Jessica danced around cotillions, Vernon got a chance to cut up, and a ray of light shone through Eva's armor.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Vernon visited with Martin, who told the former senator that he had a town hall coming up – it was just one of several political events he was to attend leading up to Martin Luther King Day. Martin didn't lie when Vernon got the sense that he was trying to invent distractions from Anita's cancer. Vernon remembered being able to write speeches that changed lives – yet there was nothing at all he could do to stop his wife from being sick.

Deciding that he could indeed use the diversion after all, Vernon offered to play act at being a constituent who might attend Martin's town hall. The patriarch was relentless, functioning as an everyman who wouldn't let his representative pivot away from hard questions or accusations of nepotism. It was all in good fun, but when Vernon cracked that Martin's grandfather ought to enter himself as a write-in candidate for the congressman's seat, Martin couldn't ascertain whether Vernon was serious or not.

Vernon chuckled and said he would never do such a thing – especially not now in the middle of a battle where his wife needed him. Martin let Vernon know that it was his feeling that Anita would still be around for a long, long time.

Tracy came to see Anita, who hadn't been expecting a guest. When Tracy felt the chemotherapy port in Anita's chest while hugging her, Anita explained that it made administering the medicine easier, though it also made her feel “a little bionic.” Though Anita did relay that she was to receive her first treatment the following day, she otherwise dodged the subject of cancer every time Tracy brought it up, preferring to focus on their tea and the dessert that Rowena was making. Tracy finally had enough when Anita suddenly decided Vernon should take them to a club, wondering why her friend didn't want to deal with her mortality or her faulty DNA. Surely Anita felt guilty for potentially passing something down that could ruin her loved ones' health!

Anita called that an ugly thing for Tracy to say – and besides, their also being carriers of the BRCA gene wasn't a guarantee that they were going to develop cancer themselves. When Tracy persisted that Anita's children and grandchildren would be living under constant threat, Anita wondered if Tracy wasn't turning out to be the real threat.

Tracy replied that she had been waiting for Anita to give her “that look” – the one Anita had always displayed on stage when she was signaling that she needed assistance. “Stop pretending you've got it under control!” Tracy commanded, sniffing at Anita's “notion of forced strength.” To Tracy, Anita needed to wake up; she was facing something she never had before, and she needed to feel the full weight of what she was up against so she'd know how to fight it.

Anita took exception, acknowledging that she would be a chemo patient tomorrow – but she was going to live for now, enjoying as much tea and dessert as she wanted. She fumed that she had always felt protected behind the gates of Fairmont Crest – but now this “thing” was not only trying to destroy everything from right inside her own body, she was going to actually have to destroy a part of body just so she could live. All she had wanted was a day of peace before the storm hit. There was still so much she wanted to be around for, from her children's and grandchildren's accomplishments and milestones to the smell of azaleas in her garden. She wanted to take walks with Vernon and go back on tour with Tracy and Sharon. “I want it all, damn it!” Anita shrieked, shattering her teacup on the floor.

Vernon saw the moment, having just arrived; Tracy responded, “Took you long enough!” Tracy had been worried that Anita had been repressing her emotions; she “needed to see my Cabrini-Green girl peek through.” Anita made no bones about that girl still being present, while Vernon agreed with Tracy that there was no need for Anita to shield those around her from her feelings.

Izaiah was with Eva at Orphey Gene's, where he had bought her her favorite milkshake; he praised himself for being able to deliver “easygoing romance” in addition to fireworks. At first when Izaiah said he was really “feeling” Eva, she confirmed his suspicion that the admission scared her, then changed her tune, saying that her self-esteem had taken a hit after growing up thinking her father didn't want her – and then, of course, there had been years of being forcefed her mother's “warped version of reality.” Izaiah decided that Eva was now free to become whomever she wanted to be, and that he was there to remind her of that fact.

Despite having come home to D.C., Izaiah hadn't been sure at first that he would even stay for long, between his relationship failure and having to live down his past with his family. But, he added, because of Eva, he felt a sense of renewal. Eva concurred that Izaiah had managed to slip into a space in her life that had been waiting for him. The pair made a pact to trust each other with their vulnerabilities.

Across the diner, Tyrell was sitting with Jessica, who scoffed at Samantha's interest in the upcoming debutante cotillion; having grown up in the country club circuit, the girl minimized it as one of the “performative trappings of wealth.” Tyrell stressed that his sister was “geeked” about the event, yet worried that Samantha wouldn't get all the prep she needed now that Anita was no longer to provide as much assistance because of her cancer. Jessica popped off that not having to deal with the cotillion was at least one fringe benefit of Anita getting a tumor, prompting Tyrell to frown that Jessica could use some etiquette lessons herself.

Jessica was contrite, having meant to say that Anita was more important than some “stupid dance.” But Jessica put her foot in it further as she decried all the wannabes that would be hanging around the Duprees in an attempt to elevate their own statuses. She couldn't wait to go to college with real people from a variety of backgrounds, not just the wealthy. Tyrell didn't think Jessica needed to study thousands of miles away in Los Angeles to satisfy that need.

Tyrell brought Jessica over to Eva and Izaiah, and introductions were made. When Tyrell asked Izaiah to tell Jessica that not everyone who went to the local Banneker University, where Izaiah was an academic supervisor, was part of the 1%, Mr. Hawthorne joked that they also had royalty in attendance. As Tyrell grimaced, Izaiah smiled that there was room for everyone at his institution of higher learning, regardless of their financial status. Talk turned to the cotillion, and Izaiah and Eva eyed each other in amusement as Tyrell reacted to Jessica's continuing distaste for the gala; Jessica hoped Tyrell wouldn't become a stuffed shirt country club type, which he assured he wasn't about.

Martin saw a sullen Tyrell coming through the browstone door; Tyrell admitted that he was glum because Jessica still felt UCLA was a better fit for her than Banneker. And yet, Tyrell revealed, cotillions and college all felt so trivial compared to what Anita was going through. Martin animatedly replied that Anita would absolutely want Tyrell to keep living his life and not be sad because she was ill.

Joey was impatient as Marcel met him at the casino, running late. Marcel snarked that he'd had his hands full, and Joey took that to mean with someone other than his wife. Armstrong wanted to be sure that the pledge the police chief had made to the mayor about cleaning up the streets wouldn't extend to his “neighborhood”; Marcel grinned that Elon had only been paying lip service to the official and that both men had Joey covered...though the detective added that Joey might want to find “more peaceful solutions” in the future.

Understanding Marcel's oblique reference to having Doug killed, Joey affirmed that had been a one-time thing. Marcel wanted reconfirmation that there was nothing that could trace the death back to him, since he didn't want to spend his long-anticipated retirement in jail. Joey promised that every loose end was tied up; Marcel marveled that Vanessa “[didn't] even know you're the reason she's a widow.”

Nicole met Vanessa at the country club – she could barely tolerate her friend's pleasantries, but she didn't want to talk about what was wrong, either. Finally, Nicole explained to Vanessa about Anita's cancer and how her daughters and grandchildren could have inherited the mutation-causing gene from her. Vanessa was surprised that, now that Nicole and Dani had both had blood taken to determine if they carried the gene, they couldn't simply rush the results through. “Your name has power!” Vanessa insisted, almost panicked. Nicole emphasized that it wouldn't be right for her or her family to use their influence to give them priority over other patients.

“Cancer is expensive,” Nicole went on, aware that she and the rest of the immediate and extended Duprees could afford the best treatments, but so many others couldn't. And, Nicole regretted, somehow her family had never set up any initiatives regarding cancer, despite having done so for other diseases. “If my mother survives,” Nicole swore, “I'll pay it forward.” In the meantime, Vanessa recommended that Nicole handle her stress the way she had in the wake of Doug's death – by screaming in the car.

Vanessa was clearly rattled when Nicole left, so much so that Joey was worried about her when she called begging to see him. When she got to the Lakeview, he was glad she wasn't hurt but noted that part of his concern about them taking their relationship public was that he had enemies that could use that against them. Vanessa was remorseful that she had scared Joey and explained about what the Duprees were going through in regard to cancer and the BRCA gene. Joey couldn't deny there was no love lost between him and the power family, but he hated that they were grappling with the ordeal. Vanessa asked Joey to reconsider funding the free clinic that Leslie had approached him about. Joey said that “freebies [weren't his] thing,” and that even the most advanced such facility wouldn't be equipped to help Nicole's friends, but Vanessa was more concerned about other people's lives. She said it wouldn't hurt for Joey to show he was capable of doing good in the world – and she saw the medical center as a way of honoring Doug, who had wanted to join Doctors Without Borders but never did. Seeing Vanessa's sincerity, Joey relented and suggested that they schedule a meeting with Leslie.

Nicole came home to find that Mona and Laura were there with flowers. Plus, they presented her with a gift certificate for the services of her favorite chef, who made house calls. Nicole was moved, and her friends/employees knew that Nicole would need a little pampering, since she was about to be very busy taking care of everyone else.

Trending

Mona and Nicole laughed to remember the day they'd met: Nicole had gone to the park with a very young Kat, who darted away when Nicole wasn't looking and found then-stranger Mona, wanted her to meet her mom so they could all play together. Laura learned that Mona had been very emotional that day because her best friend had just died in a car accident, and being introduced to a caring psychiatrist that day had been a godsend. Later, Nicole had offered Mona the job of house manager despite Mona having had no experience. For her part, Laura couldn't forget how Nicole had supported her when she was recovering in the hospital, and both she and Mona were resolved to get Nicole through her current trials...no matter what the gene test results had to say.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback

Quick Links

More from SoapCentral