On Beyond the Gates, did Derek's heart break, or did he just snap?

On Beyond the Gates, Ashley and Derek's relationship has been headed down a one-way road since they moved in together. What now for the unhappy couple? Is it too late?

Not so happy days on Beyond the Gates

Ashley (Jen Jacob) and Derek Baldwin (Ben Gavin) were the happy couple and the ones who figured everything out from the start, but now we have a situation where, happy wife, happy life doesn't seem like it will be on the cards. So, how did it all go wrong for Mr. and Mrs. Right? Naomi said it best when she and Andre were discussing the two and what was happening at Uptown at that very moment. When Derek was brought into the Garland Memorial Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation after a fire rescue, Ashley was forced to confront Derek's mortality, given his highly dangerous job.

In doing so, emotions were heightened, and she felt very protective of Derek and nursed him back to recovery at her place. That could have overshadowed any doubt about security in the relationship for both of them. But during Derek's convalescence, Ashley became increasingly irritated at Derek being in the way and how it wasn’t so much her place anymore. That might have meant they needed to talk and communicate their needs — but this is Beyond the Gates, and we can’t have any of that. How else would dramatic situations be created if not for miscommunications during a relationship? The moving in together was done rather hastily and felt like it was a “well, we need something and we can’t get married yet, hmm, let's live together” situation. Things were going so well up to this point, surely that couldn't ruin it, right? Famous last words.

Wedding bells become slay bells?

Derek left his frat-house style living situation with his roommates and traded that in for moving in with the love of his life. Unfortunately, that experiment was not a success, and here we are: They can’t live together. What’s the solution? Counselling? Couples retreat or therapy? Nah…Derek decided they should get hitched.

Derek, before taking the plunge, sought advice from Ashley’s bestie, Naomi (Arielle Prepetit). He told her that he was going to pop the question that night at Uptown. Naomi advised that he wasn’t “going to get too many more chances with Ashley, so do this right.” Those words made Derek dive right in.

In a spectacular backfire, Ashley declined the proposal twice, citing that she wasn’t ready yet. Derek took this to mean that she was just holding onto him as a placeholder. He felt used, and suggested that maybe they both ought to see other people. But did anyone caught Naomi telling Andre (Sean Freeman) that she felt that proposing wasn't really what she thought Derek's best move at this time? That would have been relevant info a few hours prior, don’t ya reckon?

Ashley got some grief consolation from Andre, and I have a feeling that this relationship will lead to some bad decisions fueled by emotions. As for Derek, well…the look he gave Ashley right before he put the ring (and hopefully the receipt) in his jacket pocket and skidaddled out of there was either chilling or upset, but I’m going with chilling. In fact, Derek looked exactly like someone who was about to start their villain arc. Stay tuned, soap fans, maybe this author will get his wish and see Derek go rogue, or maybe the Dashley hopefuls will see him fight for Ashley and prevent her and Andre from getting together.

Trending

How do you see it going? Leave a comment below.

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

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback