Beyond the Gates Recap, August 21, 2025: The Duprees tried to mount a defense against Leslie

Here's what went down Thursday, August 21, 2025, on Beyond the Gates when one baby made her first million, one baby learned that mama and dada were all gone bye-bye, and another baby just couldn't catch a break in her parents' crib.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Eva greeted Leslie at Orphey Gene's, noticing that she was once again dressed up. She noted that the duo used to make fun of rich ladies; Leslie said that was because they had never imagined being rich themselves and crowed that Eva was the heir to not one, but two fortunes. The Thomas women toyed with the idea of dining next at a fancy establishment, and Eva smiled that they could raise their tea cups to “Miss Barbara.” “And to our sugar mama,” Leslie added smugly, “Miss Anita Dupree.”

Leslie described the trust fund Anita had set up for Barbara's kin and said that “the sting of Anita's badly manicured hand across my precious cheek” had been La Dupree's reaction to finding out Barbara was Leslie's mother. Eva assumed that Leslie had antagonized Anita, who “didn't ruffle,” but Leslie blew it off. The women were then visited by a lawyer who had an appointment with Leslie; he asked for Leslie's ID and then handed her a first disbursement check – in the amount of one million dollars.

When Leslie forecast that checks were going to keep on coming, Eva concluded that the reason rich people stayed that way was because they were careful with their money. Leslie didn't disagree, but she remained adamant that she treat herself and Eva to silence the little voice she'd always had in the grocery store and malls, telling her she couldn't afford things. Eva conceded that she had been that voice, and Leslie gently asked her daughter to give it a rest. She was ready to deposit her check, and then she wanted to handle some things that had been “a long time coming.”

Vernon came home after preparing for a lecture. Anita informed him that Kat and Nicole were in a heavy conference in the living room – and that she wasn't proud of herself for going “bitch slap first, ask questions later” with Leslie. Vernon lamented that Anita had waited decades to find peace about Barbara, only for Barbara's trust to be bestowed on their daughter's worst enemy. Anita admitted she hadn't told Nicole about Leslie inheriting the money she had laid aside for Barbara and was concerned that the family had fallen far enough to condone violence when Vernon said Anita had been justified in slapping Leslie.

Worried that Leslie could do even more damage now that she had wealth, Vernon concocted a plan and asked Anita if he should make “the call.” Anita nodded, then looked at Barbara via the tribute video on her own phone.

Kat's face fell when Nicole announced that she was divorcing Ted. Nicole elaborated that it had been a long time coming and gave her daughter permission to feel whatever came naturally. Hurting, Kat reminisced that when she and Martin were younger, all the kids wanted to hang out at their house because they had “the cool parents.” Dr. and Mrs. Richardson had been an entity, and their love had shone over everyone. Kat hated that it had been a lie; Nicole faulted herself for presenting a fairy tale to her children and assured Kat that the love she had shared with Ted had indeed been real...until it wasn't.

Nicole didn't want to run Ted down for Kat's benefit, but Kat was all right with running down “the Leslie and her little evil spawn.” Kat didn't want to hear that Nicole was moving toward forgiving Eva, or Nicole's contention that Leslie had ruined Eva like she had ruined her marriage. But Nicole did admit that her dreams were filled with scenes of Leslie getting what was coming to her. Later, Kat and Anita commented on how sad Nicole seemed – but, while Anita urged Kat to share her own sad feelings with her whenever they should come up, she also coaxed Kat to concentrate on the ChelseaKat purse launch later that evening...and to be proud of what she had helped create.

Anita peeked in on the solemn Nicole and sympathized that it was hard to give one's children bad news. Nicole sensed there was yet another calamity, but before Anita could expound, Bill arrived at the door. Vernon let Bill in, and Nicole exclaimed, “Of course you're invited to whatever fresh hell this is.” Bill scoffed that once again, the Duprees had prevailed upon him to clean up one of their messes. Nicole freaked when she learned that Leslie was due Barbara's money, and Anita asked Bill if the trust could be reversed.

Bill laid out that the trust was iron-clad and that it wasn't possible to separate Leslie from the cash. Nicole railed about there being no options, but Bill advised his former in-laws to be prepared and protect themselves in advance from whatever Leslie might do to them with her newfound power. When Bill offered to be the lookout, he said the only payment he wanted was the respect he'd never had...and if the Duprees weren't willing to offer that, he was out.

Vernon refused to bow down to Bill, who confessed that he had always longed for Vernon's respect, especially since his own father wasn't capable of showing him any. Bill quipped that it seemed only those with Dupree blood counted, which was why Ted had stepped out on Nicole. “There's some things even you can't fix,” Bill retorted to one-time “fixer” Nicole when she said the family didn't need him. Bill groused about how he had always made himself available to the Duprees, and how he'd long been in awe of them – but now they were all together in the dirt. If the dynasty – including Dani – couldn't look Bill in the eye when he walked into a room, they could deal with “crazy Leslie” themselves.

Anita gave a nod, so Vernon shook Bill's hand. Once the attorney departed, Nicole vented her frustration about Bill having no moves to negate Leslie's inheritance; Anita replied that there really was nothing that could be done – because the trust was irreversible. Nicole was gleeful upon learning that Anita had slapped Leslie, but she quickly returned to her umbrage over Leslie being rewarded for ruining her marriage and trying to kill Laura twice.

Nicole didn't fully comprehend Anita's lingering sense of guilt over Barbara until Anita told Nicole how The Articulettes' founding member had killed herself as a result of being jettisoned from her own group – and Anita's part in it. Anita maintained that the trust she had established had been intended to do right by Barbara, even after her death, and Leslie's receiving the funds didn't alter that intention. Nicole's argument was that Anita owed nothing to Leslie.

Anita pondered if Leslie would have turned out the way she had if she hadn't devastated Barbara, but Nicole wasn't buying that Leslie was dark because of “some girl group drama that happened way before she was even born.” Anita shared her daughter's disgust over Leslie coming into Barbara's money, but there was no method for cutting Leslie off from it. And now, every time Anita looked at Leslie, she would be thinking of how badly she had treated Barbara. That said, outside of the money, Anita heaved a sigh of relief that Leslie couldn't further infringe on the family.

Ted found Andre at the country club and observed that he looked more miserable than he had during their “pity party.” Andre explained how Ashley had rejected him after witnessing the one moment he had kissed Dani – which Dani walked in and overheard. Dani made a snarky comment about Andre seeking romance advice from Ted of all people; she didn't want Andre to end up with a secret love child like Ted had.

“Uncle Can't Keep It in His Pants is your love guru?” Dani asked Andre once Ted took his leave of Dani's sarcasm. Dani wanted to take Andre to her house and promised that even she knew how to handle a problem without sex; she was offended that Andre could open up to Ted, but not her. Once at Dani's, they discussed how Andre was going to be photographing the ChelseaKat event. Andre was surprised when Dani gave him club soda – when she remarked that he had already had two shots at the club, he knowingly replied, “Now you're counting my drinks?” Dani didn't want him to turn into her and encouraged him to talk about his disappointment with Ashley.

Dani listened as Andre finally divulged that Ashley didn't want to be with him because she had seen him and Dani kissing and thought it was a prelude to lovemaking. Andre felt like he would be “the biggest ass in the world” if he texted Ashley, given everything that had happened to Derek. Dani had heard about the accident from Naomi and knew how much she and Jacob adored the firefighter. Andre went over how Ashley had believed he hadn't moved beyond the kiss with Dani, but seeing it had cemented Jan's fears over Andre being a player. He couldn't believe that Ashley had jumped back into things with Derek.

Andre tired of devoting time to what might have been. Dani understood that “the heart wants what it wants...even if what it wants is a vanilla milkshake.” She hoped she hadn't cost Andre his chance with Ashley and said he was allowed to mourn the fact that Ashley had woken his heart up. Andre didn't want to burden Dani, but she wanted to be there for him, as he had been while she went through all her ups and downs about Bill.

Dani hugged Andre, but he wanted to revert to having sex to make themselves feel better. Andre was amazed when Dani pulled back; Dani said they couldn't just return to being friends with benefits because Andre felt like it, especially after Andre claimed he had evolved. Dani wanted to remain friends with Andre, but notified him that he'd have to put in the work if he wanted the benefits back – she desired the kind of romance Andre had lavished on Ashley. Andre worried that romance might imply more than their relationship actually was, but Dani was willing to chance it. After Andre consented to the idea, he tried to kiss Dani again, which he ultimately chalked up to force of habit.

Ted was annoyed when Leslie showed up at his room, clucking about how small it was. She thought that perhaps Ted was attempting penance by slumming it; Ted griped that he was forced to live at the hotel because Leslie had destroyed his marriage. “From insult to come-on in seconds,” Ted sniffed when Leslie figured the silver-spooned Ted had originally come to her because he'd craved something from the streets. Leslie resented Ted always reminding her of their class difference, then purred that she was now as rich as he was...if not richer.

Learning that Anita had been thrust into the role of Leslie's benefactress, Ted intuited that Leslie wanted his insight on how to deal with the matriarch. Leslie did, in fact, want lessons; though Ted acknowledged that Leslie had smarts, he imparted that only bloodlines counted at Fairmont Crest. Ted added that wealth was about nuance, and that “you couldn't buy subtlety with all the money in the world.” Leslie attempted to pay Ted his $50,000 back, but he wouldn't take it; she began crumpling up the bills and tossing them at her former lover.

Kat found Eva at the diner and raged that it was her and Leslie's fault that her parents were getting divorced. Eva seemed to stun Kat by saying that she was devastated by the news, since she genuinely cared for Nicole and she and Ted had been developing their father-daughter relationship. Kat held back tears, then became indignant as Eva said that Ted and Nicole had looked to be the perfect couple. Seeing an opening, Eva jeered that a couple either had basic compatibility...or they didn't. Kat appeared to understand Eva was talking about Tomás as Eva left the table.

Eva visited Ted and saw the “Benjamin confetti” on his floor. Ted relayed that he had apparently hurt Leslie's feelings and commented that Eva was nothing like her mother when Eva expressed condolences about Nicole filing for divorce. Learning that Leslie had made a show of announcing her multiple zeros windfall, Eva hoped maybe Leslie's appearance had been an attempt at closure. Ted disclosed that if he had been worried when “Dana” first came back to town, he was even more worried now.

Vanessa went into business mode when she brought Leslie into the county club, assuming Ms. Thomas wanted to invest in a starter home. The realtor offered to connect Leslie with an associate who handled those, but Leslie wanted to effect a transaction that was the opposite of small. Leslie declared that she wanted to live behind the gates.

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