Beyond the Gates Review: Dr. Dupree Needs to Heal Thyself Before Wrecking Her Family

On Beyond the Gates, we need to be real for a second. For a woman touted as a "world-renowned psychiatrist," Dr. Nicole Dupree (Daphnée Duplaix) sure has a funny way of showing it.

What Happened on Beyond the Gates

If I didn’t know better, I’d say she skipped the class on "How To Deliver Bad News Without Traumatizing Your Children" during med school.

On the January 1 episode, Nicole gathered Martin (Brandon Claybon) and Kat (Colby Muhammed) to drop the bombshell about Anita’s (Tamara Tunie) triple-negative breast cancer and the looming specter of the BRCA gene. But did she sit them down and deliver the facts with the calm, clinical grace we expect from a top-tier shrink? Absolutely not. Instead, she hedged, stalled, and amplified their anxiety until the poor kids were practically hyperventilating. It was baffling to watch. As a viewer, I found myself screaming at the screen, "Just spit it out, Nicole!" Her delivery was the most unprofessional display I have seen from a fictional doctor in years. If she treats her patients with this much unnecessary suspense, I’m surprised she has any left.

But Nicole’s questionable judgment doesn’t stop at her bedside manner. Her personal life is becoming a masterclass in "What Not To Do After a Divorce." We all know Ted (Keith D. Robinson) is no saint—his affair with Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) and the secret-daughter saga were a low blow that ended their marriage. But does that really justify Nicole’s decision to date Carlton? Choosing to romance your ex-husband’s best friend and business partner is not just messy; it is vindictive.

How was this ever a good decision? You are living in a gated community where everyone knows everyone’s business. Dating Carlton (Robert Christopher Riley) is like pouring gasoline on an already burning bridge. It is a slap in the face to Ted, sure, but what about the collateral damage? Martin and Kat are already dealing with the implosion of their parents' marriage and their grandmother’s cancer diagnosis. Do they really need to see their mom canoodling with Dad’s office mate? It puts the children in an impossible position and guarantees that the tension at the next Dupree family gathering will be thick enough to cut with a scalpel.

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Nicole needs to take a long look in the mirror—or maybe book a session on her own couch. Right now, her choices leave a lot to be desired, and she is rapidly losing the moral high ground she held when this divorce started.

You can watch Beyond the Gates weekdays on CBS or stream live or on-demand on Paramount Plus.

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