Thanksgiving Cascade: Beyond the Gates Two Scoops for the week of November 24, 2025

Make it stop, Beyond the Gates

Are y'all ready to go Beyond the Gates? Kat and Tomás either proved they're horrible for each other or the perfect pair. Izaiah got some...Thanksgiving turkey, that is. Marcel sought out Leslie – but on what side of the law? The DMV proper celebrated Turkey Day...though the show's latest attempt to go commercial was a total turkey. And with only two episodes this week, there's lots of room for dessert in the way of some sweet speculation! Let's fill up those Two Scoops and find out what happened inside and outside the gates of Fairmont Crest!

U got nerve

Kat just keeps crossing lines because of her hatred for Eva, doesn't she? Last week she flat out told Eva she should never have been born (code for “I wish Leslie had gotten the abortion Bill told her to get”), then went up against her own brother in her quest to keep Eva out of the family. This week, Kat's response to Ted wanting Eva included in his Thanksgiving plans was to say that it wasn't a good idea to sit her across from Eva while having access to a knife!

At least she's consistent! But, while continuing to cast Eva as a “hood rat,” Kat is beginning to act like one herself. It was one thing for her to pass on feasting with Ted and Eva; it was even understandable that Kat would reject Nicole thinking that her hanging with her new fam jam was a good idea. No, it was Kat's boldfaced lying to Tomás that sprinted her into new territory.

Not that Tomás was exactly being honest himself – not with Bill just having filled his ear with stuff about being much more likely to make partner if he was in a stable, committed relationship. So Kat goes to Tomás and lies that she's considering turkeying with Ted and Eva, but oh, poor Nicole will be alone if I do. Bish! But Tomás had the next move: come have Thanksgiving with me in Chesapeake Bay instead!

That would have been a good workaround, except Tomás gave away the game by telling Kat the insta-trip would be a great way to show everyone they were serious! And Kat was so glad she didn't have to be within dozens of miles of Eva that she didn't pick up on the sudden paradigm shift in her own romance. Healthy relationship, innit, where both partners just silently manipulate each other?

In all of this, I have to wonder – would Kat even be behaving this way if she knew that things were steadily developing between the hated Eva and Izaiah? Kat is still making noise about how Eva slept with Tomás – and remember when she told Chelsea that she wanted Tomás back because she couldn't let Eva win? I'm surprised Eva hasn't told Kat about Izaiah just to get her out of her damn grill.

Relationship-wise, Tomás and Kat have become about as exciting as Ashley and Derek were, which isn't very much. We don't see love between these two; we see game-playing and insecurity. I love that Kat's a brat – she's fun and she gets some of the show's best lines. But her “everyone is against me” shtick is wearing super thin. As for Tomás, I'm beginning to wonder if he hasn't just been using Kat this whole time. Like a lot of you have thought!

I need love

Izaiah was being all smooth in...well, I thought it was a hospital cafeteria, but I guess it's some sort of food court? Anyway, he was telling Eva stuff like she was the woman of his dreams and all that. Laying it on thick much, Iz? Just weeks ago you were all bummed because Yolanda didn't want anything to do with you. Of course, we don't know how long they've been broken up; still, it's not a good look.

Then there's Eva – she and Tomás didn't have a relationship, but there were still feelings involved, and that means the chances of a double rebound are imminent. Which is a shame, because Izaiah and Eva give off enough electricity to light up the whole DMV and beyond! I will give the writers credit for having “Ezaiah” mention that they hadn't been on a first date yet. So they might have a chance after all.

Ted came by and saw the flirting, and to say he wasn't groovin' is an understatement. He recognized Izzy Iz and remembered the commotion he caused at his former daughter-in-law's wedding. But Eva ran interference and got Ted hip to what Izaiah was up to in the present day, after which Ted chilled. That wasn't why he was there, anyway. He wanted to extend his Thanksgiving invitation that Kat had spat on to his other kid.

Eva was all for it, but she had two serious reservations: one was Kat, despite her refusal (what if she changed her mind?), and the other was Leslie. See, Thanksgiving had always been a mother-daughter thing for the Thomas women, even when Alan was alive. So Eva couldn't see ditching Leslie to sup with Ted – and later she flashed back to Leslie throwing her out of the apartment because of her supposed preference for Ted. Eva wasn't keen on reliving that moment.

Over at the station, Elon and Marcel were openly talking about falsifying arrest reports to make the precinct look good for the mayor! And Jacob just stood there! What happened to all his Cub Scout cred? Why would the crooked cops even have that convo with Jacob in earshot? Instead, Jacob used the incident to basically challenge Marcel to make more arrests so he could retire on a high note.

We'll come back to that. Once Marcel stomped out, Elon got all up in his resentment about Izaiah and how his non-cop son was too busy with his new life to have anything to do with his family's Thanksgiving celebration. Jacob pointed out that Elon could be proactive and extend an invite himself, but Papa H couldn't be bothered. Apparently other son Luke was excused, because he was busy with police business in Detroit.

Jacob received a shock when Elon admitted that he truly was proud of both him and Luke. The young detective should have left it at that, but he replied that it hadn't often felt like Elon had been filled with pride. Dude. Stick-up-their-ass parents aren't easily forthcoming with the compliments. Take the win and don't make your dad wrong, sheesh.

Izaiah was ready to crash at “home” (wherever that is) with takeout of some description, at least until Jacob called. The former bad seed appreciated Jacob doubling down on their mother's invitation to dinner, but he knew that Darlene didn't appreciate her homemade biscuits flying across the room thanks to Izaiah and Elon's disagreements. See, Darlene? You shoulda used Pillsbury! Then you wouldn't care!

Jacob had a compromise: come to the Dupree pre-dinner (or is that “Dupree-dinner”?) over at the country club with him and Naomi. Izaiah was meh at first, but he accepted – then told Eva that it seemed like the fates were conspiring against them, because every time they tried to do a second kiss, they got interrupted. What was that about them going on a first date? Do that first and then get to smooching.

Call me old-fashioned. Anyway, the potential lovebirds decided they would have Thanksgiving with their families and then compare notes afterwards. They also managed to squeeze in Kiss #2 before going their separate ways for the holiday. I do like Eva and Izaiah together; I just don't want them to have rebound troubles. Lawd, imagine if Kat dumps Tomás and then goes after Izaiah for revenge!

Bring da ruckus

Leslie decided to hang back and sip martinis at Uptown, where she was approached by Marcel; she was not impressed with him runnin' tired lines on her. For some reason she “remembered” that he was a cop – after which Marcel declared that Jacob was his “ex” partner. Was Marcel just faking Leslie out? Or did Marcel become free of Jacob once Elon busted him down to desk duty?

Marcel moved on to a spiel about how his wife was treating him so badly, he was practically divorced. Why do I not recall Marcel having a wife? That might have gotten by me in 179 episodes, but I got the feeling that Marcel was telling Leslie a sob story to soften her up. If he was, it worked – because she was predicting that she might soon be the one to swab the deck of Marcel's beloved boat Sheila!

Hey, why not – Leslie is the Sheila Carter of Beyond the Gates! Leslie was so into the cop who admittedly was looking mighty fine in his leather jacket that she defined Ted as her partner in a “situationship” and deemed herself a free agent until such time he should commit to her! Who expected that? Makes you wonder why Leslie even cares if June or Shanice flirts with Ted, in that case. Do as I say, not as I do, I guess!

Now, this could be going one of two ways. Either the corrupt 5-0 just happened to run into Leslie and was hoping for a hookup on the basis of a crappy marriage...or Marcel purposely tracked Leslie down and is trying to set her up to admit to her crimes against Laura so he can make the high-profile arrest Jacob was basically daring him to! Seriously, folks...which one seems more likely to you?

I am in agreement with y'all who say that Leslie can't keep getting away with her ish. Yes, she's a soap villain – but if any soap villain is that untouchable, they run the risk of becoming cartoon characters, and there have been too many of those in soap history to list. Leslie basically has everything she wants – money, getting to annoy the Duprees, and, for all intents and purposes, Ted, whom she gets to see all the time.

Between that and Laura's numerous appearances lately – plus the attacks on Laura getting hella mentions – I'd say the riding-high Leslie is heading for one helluva fall. And, knowing soaps the way I do, my prediction is that it happens during WinterFest. What I wouldn't have expected in a million years is that Marcel might be her undoing. This is why I don't read GATES spoilers! I love that, nine months in, I can still be surprised!

Be thankful for what you got

Tuesday was Thanksgiving for those in Fairmont Crest and beyond – because we once again had episodes whittled off our week. I've heard that this will stop once we get into Season 2 – Episode 201, to be exact – so we'll have to see. In the meantime, there were no less than seven demonstrations of T-Day in that one episode, so let's do a quick “roll” call, see what I did there? Pass the butter!

It was nice to see Jan and Ashley doing their thing, as they probably did many times over the years, given Jan was a single mom. Bringing Mona in was lovely, and her strategies about navigating the following day's Black Friday was a hoot. But ya know, I actually felt bad for Derek! Not that he should have been included, but he didn't even get a mention. Maybe he deserved to spend this one alone with his walker!

Vanessa finally got a chance to sample Joey's cooking, and for once this can be interpreted literally and not as innuendo. It's always made gangster Joey more three-dimensional to have him be able to whip up haute cuisine; this is just the first time we saw him do it. Ooh, but extra sting for Joey saying Vanessa and her kids were still grieving Doug...when he was the one who made sure Doug went up like a flambé!

Ted invited Leslie to join him and Eva, and their feast at Orphey Gene's gave us a glimpse of how they would function as a family – which Leslie herself noted. The parents were even in agreement that Ted should take Eva over to Martin's brownstone so she could have dessert with her brother. And that's exactly where Eva went, via montage at the end of the episode. I presume Eva got to meet June!

At the Richardson-Smith compound, Tyrell was ready to ditch the entire fam so he could rescue Jessica from the “bougie brunch” he'd previously said his boo would be subjected to – but Martin slowed his son's roll, reminding him that this would be his last Thanksgiving before going off to college. Tyrell got it. That was a nice bit of realism.

And June couldn't stop crying from gratitude that she was getting to spend the holiday with her kids. She took special care to thank Martin and Smitty for raising Samantha and Tyrell up right. Hell, even Samantha came off her pout long enough to set a special table without being told and praise her dads for not letting her grow up too fast! Oh, the miracles of the holidays.

Finally, at Fairmont Crest Country Club, the Duprees settled in for what seemed to be their own tradition of supping there instead of at home, since they always gave cook Rowena the holiday off. Okay, so it was only some of the Duprees. Like Kat, Chelsea was also AWOL – she had managed to broker a peace between Madison and her psycho mom long enough to break cauliflower steak with them. Yum!

Bill had brought Hayley to the club as well, but she was annoyed that her hubby kept getting distracted by what was going on at his ex-in-laws' table. She would have been even more annoyed had she seen the slow burn he'd done standing at the same table the day before after hearing how happy Dani was with Andre! Hayley looked ready to take Bill up on his offer of leaving...until Izaiah showed up in his new fit.

Somehow Izaiah went out to the lobby and Hayley pounced on him – in a manner of speaking, anyway. She made flattering remarks about his country club duds, then mentioned how, like him presently, she had once been a family friend of the Duprees. Izaiah noted that Hayley had given that up for something she wanted more (Bill). Hayley replied by cooing that she was a fool for love!

What's this, Hayley getting genuine hots for someone instead of playing them, like Bill and her previous marks? She doesn't have a chance in hell of getting with Izaiah. Even if she offs Bill without getting caught, it wouldn't look very good if she took up with Izaiah even months later. So I'm not sure what her endgame is here. I do know – based on my soapy hunches, at least – that Bill will probably succumb to Hayley's poison at, you guessed it, WinterFest!

Meanwhile, Bill visited the Dupree table and told Jacob that he hadn't forgotten how much he continues to owe him for bringing Chelsea home safely from Allison's clutches. “None of us have,” Naomi smiled, lovingly placing a hand on hubby's shoulder. Wow! That's the nicest Naomi has been to Jacob in weeks! I was glad to see that her love for Jacob still exists, especially because she's been such a icicle to him lately.

Hayley was ready to bounce, but Bill wanted to stay and hear Vernon's traditional Thanksgiving speech. I guess the other patrons of the country club wanted to as well, because every guest seemed to be enraptured by the former senator's words! I found that kind of hilarious. It just seemed odd that strangers were listening in on someone else's celebration. Maybe Vernon speechifies so much there that they've just come to expect it!

Got to give it up

Okay, Beyond the Gates. Have a seat and get comfortable, because we have to have us a serious talk. We know you're a soap opera. We know soap operas got their name because such serials were sponsored by soap companies already when y'all were only on the radio. And we know ya gotsta make money. But there are lines, and you're crossing 'em. Boy, are you crossing 'em.

In 40 years of watching soaps, I'd never seen characters from any of 'em suddenly bust out and use a real-life product in front of us. So, congratulations; you broke ground on that score. And I might even be able to get used to Nicole casually spraying her beloved Febreze around the room, or, like last week, Samantha tripping down the stairs with a laundry basket containing a well-placed bottle of Tide.

But that should really be the extent of it. Back in April, when Naomi and Jacob spilled chocolate on their pillow, and Naomi suddenly started extolling the stain-getting virtues of Tide, it was like an earthquake had suddenly struck the DMV – it was that jarring. It takes us out of these folks' fictional world to suddenly have them doing commercials for stuff we see when we're at a grocery store or superstore.

Not only that, but such in-universe “ads” are cringeworthy – and laughable. I'm actually embarrassed for the actors when they're made to do these. This week might have been the worst offender, with Dani – Dani Freaking Dupree! - cutting into her Thanksgiving prep to lavish praise on Cascade dishwasher tablets, and Andre making a show of popping one into her dishwasher. Since when does Dani do dishes?

Sure, she raised a family, as she said. But please. You think she didn't have someone like Jan or Rowena in there taking care of cooking and cleaning while she decided which color scheme her girls should be glowing up with that day? Not only was the lengthy discussion of Cascade painful to watch, they didn't even give the speech to a character from whom it'd've made sense.

Dani and Andre as a couple have actually become a joy to watch, and their “Hey! I can cook!” bravado being upended by burning the hell out of their turkey was hilarious, as it was when Andre broke his knife handle off trying to carve the ashen offering. (Question: why was the turkey not smothered in the white goo emitted from the fire extinguisher?) But the amusement, like the bird, was ruined by this effort.

GATES, I am begging you. Please stop with the makeshift ads uttered by characters. If you want to stick a bottle of detergent or air freshener – or a box of dishwasher detergent – in an obvious place in the frame, go for it. In that way, they're almost like Easter eggs; it's a wink/nod to the audience. But anything else has got to go. It's obnoxious, is what it is. Do you want to drive away viewers in trying to please sponsors?

There's a lot going on

All right. That was still a lot of text to cover our lone two installments, but I still have a little room here to go over some general thoughts that stories for 20+ regular characters don't give me time to explore. We just went through an entire November sweeps, and...nothing very sweepy happened. No major revelations, no major twists, no disasters, no events. It was all kinda just business as usual.

There really haven't been any big explosions since July, when “Kenneth” went on his blackmail spree only for him to be taken out by Marcel – which finally got Martin to 'fess up after four months of secrecy. What we've been doing is planting seeds, and then planting more on top of those, and even more on top of those. I love that the show isn't rushing through stuff (the way B&B does!), but I feel like we're not harvesting these seeds nearly often enough.

Another aspect to all this seed planting is that I think sometimes the show forgets they put certain ones into the dirt. Weren't Martin and Smitty supposed to go to couples counseling? That was Smitty's condition just to start dating Martin again – then they went ahead and renewed their vows, mentioning the counseling but never actually doing it. Naomi and Jacob were supposed to do therapy, too! What happened with that?

When Donnell showed up, I was sure he'd be the one to find out that Joey had killed Doug – but when he started getting close, Vanessa, still not aware of that fact herself, shipped him back off to Banneker. I thought Donnell would agree to go back and then show up catching his mom and Joey in bed. I know continuing to keep secret Joey ordering a hit on Doug plants another time bomb, but Joey's another one who needs to do some serious piper paying.

Ashley and Derek are finally apart – again. Please please PLEASE leave them that way. Ben Gavin and Jen Jacob are capable actors, but they got the short end of the storyline stick, and their characters have minimal, if any, chemistry. It's time to either write them off or put them in new tales independent of each other. Y'all already know I think Ash is Joey's daughter. If you didn't, I just mentioned it again. Let's explore that. And let Derek be single for a few minutes before trying to pair him off again, wouldja?

There are things that happen off-screen that shouldn't. Doug's death, Derek's accident, Madison facing her mom – and apparently making up with Chelsea for interfering in that relationship. Those are the ones off the top of my head – it's not something that happens often, but when it does, it rather dilutes the moment and cheats us out of drama that we should be allowed to see for ourselves.

Look, I am loving Beyond the Gates – it's a damn good show, and it's especially refreshing after covering B&B for 15 years do I hafta tell ya?! It does a very good job of giving stories to essentially everyone; no one's on the backburner for months and months. The soap could just use tweaking some pacing issues and giving us more frequent big moments instead of letting things stew quite so long, and it'll be even better than it already is. Looking forward to the next chapters of Dupree/Hamilton/Richardson/Hawthorne et al madness! Bring on WinterFest!

This brings us to the end of another Two Scoops, D.C. Edition. Serve up your tasty comments below – what would you like to see done differently on the show, and what do you think is just fine the way it is? Talk to me, people. Until next we meet, Scoopers, live your life beyond!

(Purchase Adam-Michael James' ”Bewitched” books on Amazon.)

(Listen to isletunes, AMJ's podcast featuring nothing but music from the artists of Prince Edward Island, Canada.)