Beyond the Gates Recap for November 25, 2025: The DMV did the TD

Here's what went down Tuesday, November 25, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when Joey traded cooking people's gooses for cooking turkey, Leslie was suddenly really into cops, and Dani and Andre were burning for more than each other.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Jan and Ashley did up their Thanksgiving feast, with the younger Morgan admitting she'd missed cooking with her mom. Jan noted that it was Ashley's first Turkey Day hosting in her own place. Their only other guest was Mona, who arrived with her own dish...and the hope that Leslie wouldn't be joining them. Jan confessed that she had thought about inviting Leslie, yet hadn't out of respect for Mona.

Uptown was closed for the holiday; Joey had spoken to the owner and been given permission to use the establishment's kitchen to prepare “spatchcooked” turkey and pumpkin brulée for a very impressed Vanessa. The chef knew that Vanessa had been anxious to sample the results of his culinary skills, but Vanessa became emotional over the effort Joey had gone to for her; she couldn't remember the last time someone had fussed over her that much. Joey expressed gratitude that Vanessa was in his life and stated that, given his druthers, every day with her would be a holiday.

Joey asked about Vanessa's twins: Vanessa lamented that Deanna was still refusing to come home, even after Vanessa offered to sell their Fairmont Crest home to alleviate the pain of Doug being gone. The widow McBride was at least glad that Donnell was growing closer to his sister, since their bickering had once been legendary. Joey acknowledged that those Doug had left behind were still tender after his loss and said he wanted to make Vanessa feel safe – but not too safe, since he knew Vanessa liked a little danger.

Vanessa was moved by how well Joey knew her and suddenly suggested that the casino owner open a restaurant to bring his brand of cuisine to the public. Joey winked that Vanessa saw everything as an investment opportunity and declined, predicting he would probably lose his shirt. Vanessa undid a button on the one he was wearing and purred that he'd forgotten how much fun losing his shirt could be.

Ted escorted Eva into Orphey Gene's, where Eva was shocked to hear there was such a thing as fried turkey. After Ted talked it up, Eva became aware that her dad's first Thanksgiving without Nicole must be difficult. Ted wanted to know more about his daughter and found out that she had taken an interest in ice skating as a girl but had suddenly stopped; he reasoned that the lessons were probably too much for Leslie to afford.

Leslie arrived, happy to see the three of them were making up for lost time by sharing a holiday as a family. When the fried turkey came out, the satisfied Leslie proclaimed that “the chef put both feet and a hand up in this meal.” Ted suggested that Eva accompany him to Martin's for dessert; Leslie told Eva to go ahead, since she would be on her way to visit Peaches after dinner. Eva didn't want to further ruffle Kat's feathers by showing up at her brother's house, but Ted explained that Kat was out of town with Tomás. Eva marveled at how Kat had traveled just so she didn't have to run into her.

Both Ted and Leslie thought it would be a good idea for Eva to ask Izaiah to accompany her to Martin's, though Eva reported that Izaiah was spending time with family members. Ted recalled how Izaiah had disrupted Jacob and Naomi's wedding, making Leslie curious as to how Izaiah and the Hawthornes knew each other. While Ted was at the counter ordering pie, Eva admitted that she hadn't mentioned the fact that Jacob and Izaiah were related because she didn't want Leslie to judge Izaiah. At first Leslie fretted about Izaiah being connected to a cop who wanted to “throw me under the jail” and having a father who was the chief of police...but then she decided that having an in with the police could be advantageous. Eva stopped short of rolling her eyes.

Bill and Hayley were seated in Fairmont Crest's country club banquet room; Mr. Hamilton didn't want Mrs. Hamilton to have to worry about cooking and cleaning on Thanksgiving. Hayley was unhappy when Anita and Vernon arrived, with Bill explaining that they always gave their cook, Rowena, the holiday off.

The Duprees were both happy and sad that they'd be hosting such a smaller group as compared to previous years; Vernon noted that it simply meant that all their grandchildren had found love: Chelsea was with Madison, Kat was with Tomás, and Martin was with Smitty and the kids. Jacob came in with Naomi, who gave Nicole an ornament for her eventual Christmas tree and reported how Chelsea had managed to broker enough peace between Madison and her mother that they were dining together – most of the Duprees winced upon learning that, because Madison's mom was vegan, Chelsea was enjoying a cauliflower steak.

Naomi visited Bill at his table and was thankful that Bill's health had been restored after his stroke. Bill credited this to Hayley, who was carefully monitoring his diet. Naomi let Hayley know that she appreciated her seeing to Bill's well-being. Hayley smiled as she replied that she wanted Bill to be around forever.

Hayley was babbling to Bill about interior decorators she liked, but he was tuned out as he watched his ex-in-laws. Bill reluctantly accepted Hayley's contention that it was only natural for the Duprees to now treat him like an outsider and offered to take Hayley somewhere else – but then Izaiah walked in, and Hayley was all right with staying.

Later, Izaiah and Hayley bumped into each other in the lobby, with Hayley complimenting Jacob's younger brother on upgrading his wardrobe to fit into high society. Izaiah pshawed that he was only there because of Jacob, and Hayley shared that she used to be a Dupree family friend herself. After Izaiah intuited that Hayley had traded that friendship for something she wanted more, Hayley breathily told him that she was a fool for love.

At Dani's house, Andre was gobsmacked to find his wife cooking. “You know how?” he quipped, catching a baby carrot Dani playfully chucked at him. Dani reminded Andre that she had learned a few things having raised a family – including how to let Cascade handle the mess. Andre offered to do dishes by hand but Dani had him load the dishwasher, and Dani had him insert a Cascade tablet, grinning that she “used every shortcut” to keep things clean.

Andre informed Dani that he knew how to cook as well, but soon smoke began emanating from the oven, and Andre had to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher. Afterwards, the Richardsons surveyed the damage, and Dani was disappointed because she had been trying to make Andre's day special. She'd come to realize that she had taken something away from Andre by making so much noise about not forgiving Ted – she was conscious that Andre missed his parents, and that Ted was still a link to them. Andre loved that Dani wanted him to think of her home as his and insisted that they could salvage the turkey...at least until the handle of the knife Andre used in attempt to carve it broke off. Both Dani and Andre broke into raucous peals of laughter.

Martin returned to the brownstone with Smitty, who said that Martin had looked hot while they were playing flag football. The husbands were amazed to see that Samantha had festively set the table; the teen wanted things to be extra special for the expected June, since she hadn't had a real home in years. Tyrell, however, watched the clock because he couldn't wait to join Jessica. Martin urged the boy to not be in such a hurry to leave, since this was going to be Tyrell's first Thanksgiving with his mother...and his last living under the Richardson-Smiths' roof.

June was near tears from the moment she came through the door. She listened as Samantha thanked her dads for not letting her grow up to fast; Tyrell was grateful for Jessica and admitted he was falling in love with her; Smitty was glad for a healthy family and to be working as a reporter again; Martin was just happy to be with his entire family. June finally began crying but, encouraged by Martin, said that all she had ever wanted was to see that her children were loved and cared for. The former homeless woman thanked Martin and Smitty for including her as a member of their family.

Bill approached the Duprees to wish them a happy Thanksgiving, and he wanted to let Jacob know that he hadn't forgotten how much he owed them for rescuing Chelsea when she was kidnapped. “None of us have forgotten,” Naomi said lovingly, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. Hayley sauntered up and presumed that everyone must be happy for Dani and Andre. Anita graciously, but coldly, replied that they didn't want to keep Hayley from enjoying her own celebration with Bill.

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Their dinner done, Hayley was ready to go home, but Bill wanted to stay and hear Vernon's speech. The one-time senator welcomed Izaiah and stressed the importance of practicing gratitude every day, even during the most difficult of circumstances. A montage played of Ashley laughing with Jan and Mona, Vanessa slow dancing with Joey, and Ted bringing Eva in to meet June and reacquaint herself with her brother and his family as Vernon spoke about how gratitude could help the broken-hearted find joy, those navigating loss to find comfort and healing, the lonely to develop compassion and a willingness to reach out, those who have failed to persevere, and those who had erred to find forgiveness. Vernon finished by raising a glass and reminding everyone to share their blessings with people who needed it the most.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus. The next new episode will air Monday, December 1; the show is in reruns tomorrow and Thursday, and is completely pre-empted on Friday.

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