The Best & Worst of Beyond the Gates: 2025

The very first Beyond the Gates annual report card

Are y'all ready to go Beyond the Gates? Hayley went from jealous new wife to inveterate trickster, Dani surfaced from a sea of vodka, and Leslie got punished for her crimes by becoming a gazillionaire. Meanwhile, Joey ruled the roost like a Soprano, things that smell good interrupted our air time, and Martin's one-nighter from two years ago was a mystery that would have even intrigued the Hardy Boys! Let's fill up those Two Scoops and find out what happened inside and outside the gates of Fairmont Crest in 2025!

Ay yo, Scoopers! I don't know how we're about to turn the page on yet another year already, or how we've just hit the ten-month anniversary of this here soap we call Beyond the Gates. These Best & Worst columns are always a treat for me to write – and for those of you new to Soap Central, or even just soaps in general, here's a little tutorial for you.

My first year-end column in this place happened in 2009 – and every one I'd written, until last year, had been for The Bold and the Beautiful. That I get to do it up for this brand-new soap gives me a genuine thrill...especially since B&B has been on my naughty list now for many years! GATES is a beautifully refreshing change of pace. So, here's how I do it: I'd long since collected dozens of categories from my vault full of Soap Opera Digest issues, plus the long-gone Soap Opera Weekly. Then I go over what happened in a year and plug in what seems most likely to go where. And from that, I give what I hope is a good cross-section of what was good and bad! Can't get to every story or every character, but you'll get a heapin' helpin' for sure.

So – think y'all are up for it? Let's cut the chatter and dissect the DMV for 2025!

PRODUCT PLACEMENT PLACARD:

CASCADE: 2

FEBREZE: 12

PARAMOUNT PLUS: 1

TIDE: 11

BEST PAYOFF | The Richardsons' anniversary party

Leslie wanting revenge on the married Ted for dropping her two decades earlier was evident from GATES' first moments. But her path there ended up being intensely satisfying. She plotted with Eva to drop the bomb of Eva being Ted's daughter at Nicole's award ceremony, but Eva herself defused that by getting wait staff Leslie fired. Undeterred, Leslie moved her reveal to Ted and Nicole's anniversary party, where the suspense built as the to-the-nines Leslie locked the wavering Eva in a closet and finally had her moment. Naturally Nicole was devastated, but it was the repercussions among the rest of the Duprees that served as the real party treats. Delicious.

MOST ANTICIPATED EVENT WITH NO PAYOFF | WinterFest

GATES knows how to throw parties, and WinterFest already began building intrigue weeks before its arrival on screen. Hayley was drugging Bill, Vernon seemed to be cheating with Sharon, and Marcel was in place to monitor Leslie, whose victim from months earlier, Laura, was back on the canvas in force. Did the snow fall at this wintry event? Alas, no. Bill didn't collapse, Sharon and Vernon only dragged out their are-they-or-aren't-they interactions, and Leslie got champagne from Marcel instead of handcuffs. It's simply Soap 101 to pack punches at big events based on developing story, but this gala only hibernated for the winter.

BEST NEW CHARACTER | Izaiah

Okay, for real – all characters on Beyond the Gates were new characters this year! But this fellow stands out, and not simply because he showed up seven months into the soaps' run. Izaiah Hawthorne immediately swaggered onto the canvas, firing up chemistry with Eva that she never had with Tomás, and showing himself to be connected to a surprising number of DMV denizens. Brother Jacob, sure. Bill the lawyer, maybe. But the dastardly Joey, in whom Iz brings out a fatherly side? Wow! Best of all, this bad boy has turned himself around and is using his powers for good. If only papa Elon could cut the dude a break.

LEAST DRAMATIC CONFLICT | The Hawthornes' pregnancy scare

It was about time detective Jacob and lawyer Naomi got their own story after supporting other characters' dramas – but the possibility of Naomi expecting turned out to be a pregnant pause. The couple's dispute was oh-so-relatable – one partner wanting a child, the other not – too bad it mostly descended into Naomi being a brat and Jacob coming off as henpecked in his desire to be understanding. Then they resolved things with off-camera counseling sessions - and no indication of any new place they might have arrived on the subject. Their discussion about Tide being more interesting meant there was a problem with storyline conception.

BEST SOCIAL ISSUE | Tyrell's cyberbullying

Kids being tormented by other kids is unfortunately as old as the first school. But adding an electronic layer to Tyrell's teasing made his arc decidedly au courant. His underwear-clad image was captured with a smartphone, then passed around via text, making it onto his high school's social media thread. Poor Tyrell couldn't get away from it, which only made the IRL chortling of his classmates worse. And it was something that dads Martin and Smitty, who were high schoolers pre-Internet, couldn't quite understand. The pixelized persecution was all too relevant, and Jaden Lucas Miller made Tyrell's embarrassment completely palatable. Technology in the wrong hands...

WORST SOCIAL ISSUE | Dani's alcoholism

The stage was set for unofficial lead Dani to battle with booze as she struggled to accept her divorce from Bill. She broke into his stash, she blacked out on the floor several times, and Vernon even smelled vodka in her morning OJ. Yet for all the clear signs that Dani needed help, she never got any. Marrying Andre in a drunken stupor was funny, but it wasn't any sort of wake-up call; Dani seemed to gleefully sober up solo, cheating us out of any tangible recovery and making a very serious disease unrealistic. Dani Dupree would never be so ordinaire as to go cold turkey.

BEST FOLLOW-THROUGH | Examples of Black culture

When GATES premiered, we were promised not only a soap with a predominantly Black cast, but illustrations of the Black experience. Both promises were kept! From Orphey Gene's menu items to Vernon and Anita meeting at a civil rights protest in the '70s, the show has consistently given us glimpses of Black society, yet without hitting us over the head with them. Most recent examples are Dani reminiscing about the Black version of Goldilocks and Bill finding the briefcase used by the first Black woman lawyer as a Christmas gift. It's a wonderful way of keeping things uniquely African-American while giving non-Black viewers a little education to boot.

WORST FOLLOW-THROUGH | Dropped story points

When you juggle twenty regular cast members, and even more recurring, details are going to fall through the cracks. But GATES has gotten into a habit of bringing things up only to leave them hanging. Dani and Pamela are supposed to be opening a modeling agency, but it never happens. Martin and Smitty skipped going to couples' counseling. Leslie only got a first disbursement of $1 million, but her bank account appears to be bottomless. And that's only a few instances. It's awesome the show has so much going on; it just feels like they might need a spreadsheet to keep better track of the bread crumbs they drop.

MOST ENTERTAINING CHARACTER | Leslie

Villains were first popular when soaps were still radio-only – but no baddie has ever done her deeds with the sheer glee of Dana Leslie Thomas. With an array of wigs, and aliases to match, Leslie works her devil magic with smiles, sassy retorts, and nicknames for everyone. Whether she's using motorcycles as battering rams or delivering sympathy cactuses to the stodgy Duprees, every act is committed with fun and style. And surprise – Leslie's actually got a heart under there, as we've seen in her interactions with Eva and Peaches. This is one hellcat who's a hoot and a half.

MOST ANNOYING CHARACTER | Kat

Ms. Richardson would be the first to tell you she's a brat, and proud of it. Plus, as the miracle child of Ted and Nicole, at least she's consistent. It's Kat's never-ending hostility toward Eva – to the exception of everything else – that gets her listed here. Did Eva do wrong? You betcha: helping to destroy Kat's fam and lusting after her BF did not earn Eva points. But Kat's obsession with her half-sis is all consuming – so much so, her equally wronged loved ones are telling her to get over it. Kat needs to either act with some truly soapy revenge or zip her lip already.

BEST CROSSOVER | Devon Winters, Y&R

Fans of The Young and the Restless have been watching Devon since his first appearance on that show in 2004. He's not what you would call its most high-profile character, but when Mr. Winters-formerly-Hamilton walked into the Fairmont Crest country club, it was like he belonged there. Best of all, his being a music producer fit perfectly with former recording artist Anita and her mission to do right by her fellow Articulettes in getting Devon to sign them. The nod to Devon's dad Neil Winters (the much-missed Kristoff St. John) was glorious icing on that cake. Now, when will a Dupree show up in Genoa City?

WORST CROSSOVER | Ridge Forrester, B&B

It wasn't that The Dressmaker of Los Angeles showed up on GATES, and it certainly wasn't portrayer Thorsten Kaye's fault. It was that Ridge was so pitifully underused in this much-hyped, universe-linking visit. He only ever appeared via phone calls with Dani (without even one wink that Ridge was an in-law to Maya Avant, Karla Mosley's B&B alter ego) – then, after much Sturm und Drang about whether Andre would participate in the photo shoot Ridge wanted Dani to star in...the newlywed Richardsons skipped the gig and never actually showed up at Forrester Creations. Stitching L.A. to D.C. was cool...but the method wasn't very fashionable.

BEST STORYLINE TRANSFUSION | Hayley is a scam artist

The show started with a lift from Dynasty: Bill (Blake) took new wife Hayley (Krystle), leaving his scheming ex, Dani (Alexis), to cause them trouble. Things evolved into Hayley being constantly insecure over Dani's antics, which got old fast. Turned out Hayley was the schemer! Roles reversed when Hayley (or “Val”) was revealed to be an expert at bilking men out of their fortunes – which meant that Hayley's grating jealousy was all an act. Suddenly Bill and Dani became victims, and Hayley became intriguing. Whether this was a later shift or part of the long game, GATES sure flipped this story on us – for the better.

MOST FRUSTRATING STORY | Leslie's freedom

That soap criminals get away with so much is part of why we love to hate them. But there comes a time pipers must be paid, and Leslie passed that time months ago. The investigation into her running Laura off the road and nearly killing her with potassium of course needed to be complicated, and the twists and turns were welcomed. Yet just as Leslie was about to be snagged, the inquiry cold cased – and the bankrupt baddie inherited millions, as if she were being rewarded for her crimes. That's a bad look in today's world – and staggering Leslie's comeuppance has many of us stamping our feet.

BEST TREND | Non-traditional relationships

Our remaining long-running soaps were slow to think outside of one-man/one-woman couplings – B&B only this year finally installed a gay duo after nearly 40 years on the air. Not GATES, which jumped right in by depicting Smitty and Martin as husbands – and Chelsea as gender fluid. Parameters of relationships expanded, too: Chelsea was initially involved in a throuple, Dani and Andre were friends with benefits, and the McBrides had an (unofficial) open marriage. Even now, the Richardsons' union is as unconventional as all get out. Tradition is awesome, but it's incomplete – and this soap thankfully gives us a much wider picture of love.

WORST TREND | Excessive pre-emptions

Part of being a soap fan means accepting that holidays, national crises – and, on CBS, basketball – interrupt the narrative. But GATES took these pauses to a new level by not only cutting out for soccer (?!), but taking entire weeks off, severely hampering the momentum of this new show. Yes, we were told that only 200 episodes were ordered, and that the schedule was being stretched out to New Year's. Then the premiere should have happened in April instead of letting the show go AWOL for days at a time, which confused viewers and blunted suspense. Hopefully 2026 will provide us a more regular calendar.

BEST DYNAMIC DUO | Kat and Jacob

They couldn't be more different, and their worlds barely intersect. But when they get together, they're fiyah. Jacob is a by-the-book cop who lives and dies by procedure. Kat is a brash crime podcast enthusiast who thinks she knows better. Damned if she isn't right most of the time, getting the goods on Leslie and tricking her into leaving all-important DNA on a napkin. Straight man Jacob rolls his eyes but follows his cousin-in-law's leads, which is what helped them to rescue Chelsea from a secluded cabin. They haven't been on the case since, but...maybe Jacob could make Kat a deputy?

MOST FORCED COUPLE | Kat and Tomás

For as much as Kat shines as a junior detective, she and junior lawyer Tomás have lost any spark they had...because they're together for the wrong reasons. Kat couldn't help being a virgin, or later thinking that sex wasn't all that. But she erupted like a volcano any time Tomás even mentioned Eva, and him sniffing around Eva like a lost puppy didn't help matters. By the time Tomás took Eva to bed, Kat only reunited with him so Eva wouldn't win, and Tomás started taking relationship cues from Bill so he could use his romance to advance his career. The evidence says...these two don't work.

BEST EXIT | “Kenneth”

When bearded blackmailer “Kenneth” (if that was his real name) revealed himself to Martin, he couldn't help upping the ante by accosting both of the congressman's teenagers. Martin was so rattled, he organized a press conference to explain how he had disfigured “Kenneth” and killed his brother trying to protect Vernon from a hate crime. But it was game over when we saw “Kenneth” in hired gun Marcel's clutches through the slats of Orphey Gene's blinds – and when Bill showed Martin a photo of the dead baddie's body. The suspense was thicker and more scrumptious than we're told the diner's banana pudding is supposed to be.

WORST EXIT | Doug

The cardiac surgeon seemed to have a target on his...heart from the very beginning. Not only did Doug gamble his way into crippling debt owed to unforgiving casino owner Joey, he threatened to expose Joey's criminal organization – something he should have kept to himself and BFF Randy, with whom he was planning. Doug made the mistake of mouthing off to Bill, who mouthed off to Joey – and the next thing we knew, Doug had burned up in a car accident...off-screen. Yes, budgets, but Doug's demise would have hit a lot harder had we been able to see it. And Dr. Doug deserved a more visible ending.

BIGGEST SCENE STEALER | June

A sassy homeless person? Not exactly soaps' first stereotype. But Jasmine Burke imbues her June with such soul, she consistently outshines her scene partners. Sure, June was volatile while still on drugs – yet, even in recovery, the woman unashamedly wears her heart on her sleeve, and with the same delightful lack of filter. June will ugly cry around the children she'd given up for adoption, but she'll also dump a milkshake on a horny jock trying to get with her daughter. And it's not just anyone who can refuse to blink while facing Leslie! It's good to see June busting out all over every month.

MOST WASTED OPPORTUNITY | Nicole versus Leslie

GATES' resident shrink might want to examine why she doesn't finish things she starts. When her assistant, Laura, nearly died in the hospital from a very unusual potassium spike, Nicole swore to get to the bottom of the matter – then promptly did nothing. Likewise, while Kat had gotten a lead potentially placing Leslie at the site of Laura's car accident, Nicole determinedly announced that she would help her daughter and the ever faithful Mona get the goods on her rival...but flaked out. Making Nicole proactive in the fight against Leslie held such promise; it's a shame Nicole's bark ended up bigger than her bite.

BEST FRIEND | Pamela

There's your ride-or-die, and then there's Pamela Curtis. This ultimate bestie will find an identical frame to the one you broke in your ex's house and carbon copy the booze you boosted. When you feel down, she'll cheer you by resurrecting your modeling career. And if your romantic life is in the toilet, she'll let you kiss her – even if you're the same gender. All My Children veteran Cady McClain makes Pam haughty but accessible, playful yet serious, and glamorous through it all. Hopefully McClain and ex-husband Jon Lindstrom (Joey) are on good enough terms that we can get them in a scene together soon!

WORST MOTHER | Vanessa

If you thought that the cheating realtor was a terrible wife, that ain't nothin' compared to her maternal skills. Even before hubby Doug died, Vanessa's prime focus seemed to be Joey – and she mourned for about five seconds after becoming a widow. Grieving son Donnell wanted answers, but, to keep the college student from finding about her illegal and sexual doings with Joey, Van-Van shipped him back to school against his will – and off-screen daughter Deanna barely gets mentioned. Vanessa's singular desire is to live the life she couldn't while tied down – if there's an award for Most Selfish, she's short-listed.

BEST SIBLING RIVALRY | Kat and Eva

It had to happen – for the eyes to side and the nails to flex as much as they do between Ms. Richardson and Ms. Thomas, they had to end up sisters. (Half, as Kat would remind us.) Kat knew Eva was up to no good as soon as they met, delivering salty one-liners about her wardrobe. But, despite Kat seeming the more bullish of the pair, Eva gets her zingers in, too – and naturally, the ladies had to compete for the same man. Hopefully things won't mellow too much now that Eva has Izaiah; Ted's daughters are long overdue an old-fashioned soap catfight by any measure.

WORST CRUSH | Samantha

Maybe it was her seedy upbringing that made her like bad boys. Maybe it's her overly-sheltered existence as a congressman's adopted daughter that makes her break rules. But Sam was all hormones and disobedience wherever football player Nathan was concerned. She abused her privilege of using ChelseaKat's office to get her first kiss there – then, Samantha worked to get devirginized on her own living room couch. When she got grounded, all she could do was pout, and she still jonesed for Nate, despite Tyrell telling her he was a total skank. As a teenager, Sam was realistic, but does she ever need to up her standards.

BEST REFORMATION | Dani

Dani Dupree was the unmitigated star of the show when it started, slapping rivals and shooting up weddings. She turned her mugshot into a headshot, and she happily guzzled booze episode after episode. In other words, she was quickly becoming a cartoonish villain. But somehow, she began to mellow under the unorthodox but regular care of Andre. While Dani hasn't lost her edge, she's much more multi-faceted now, much more human – plus she smiles far more often than she frowns. GATES wisely saw they were writing Dani into a corner and changed course before their heroine got permanently stuck as a caricature. Good for her! And us.

WORST GIMMICK | In-story product placement

They're soap operas for a reason – radio dramas already had cleaning products as sponsors in the 1930s. But this year GATES took the practice to a new level: putting products on-screen. Does it hurt anything to see Smitty with a bottle of Tide in his laundry basket or for Nicole to spray her beloved Febreze around? No. But having Naomi extoll the virtues of detergent or Dani school Andre on the use of Cascade not only pulls us out of the story, it's painful to watch. We get it – sponsors want the best bang for their buck. But in-universe commercials are a washout.

BEST VILLAIN | Joey

Running an innocent girl off the road? Plying her with potassium? Leslie's antics are child's play compared to those of Sir Armstrong. Joey ruined a marriage just to be able to launder money through Vanessa's real estate firm – he demanded favors from Martin as payment for helping to rescue Chelsea from Allison, and he would have whacked Randy had the McBrides not talked him out of it. Then there's Joey ordering the murders of both “Kenneth” and Doug. And all with that gleam in his eye and an arsenal of witty retorts. No wonder Vanessa can't get enough of him; on GATES, Joey makes crime pay.

WORST HUSBAND | Martin

Remember when Kat said Smitty deserved better than her brother? This. Granted, Martin was dealing with the harrowing after-effects of committing violence in response to a hate crime, but it wasn't just the congressman's secrecy on that subject. He had already exerted his dominance, doing Smitty out of a job because he wanted him kept at home. He ran to Tyrell's principal to handle the boy's bullying without even consulting his other father. Martin's clear disregard for Smitty was only amplified by keeping him in the dark about “Kenneth.” Mr. Richardson may be trying now, but Smitty should have followed their separation with a divorce.

BEST TWIST | Randy and Hayley are cousins

Dani wasn't the only one who wondered if Hayley was faking her pregnancy – and Mrs. “Shamilton”'s sketchy behavior only increased when she began making mystery phone calls to an unknown source. Then, when the noose tightened around her neck, Hayley hit the same digits for help. Dani was shocked when Hayley emerged from the Uptown restroom covered in “blood” – as we were to see Hayley assisted by Randy, who turned out to be her cousin; these disparate characters had known each other all along! Giving them a family tie was brilliant, and the arrival of Lynette just makes info about their shared past the need-to-know variety.

MOST UNNECESSARY TWIST | Leslie's inheritance

Smooth criminals getting away with (sometimes literal) murder on daytime dramas is often par for the course...but GATES took the unusual step of bankrolling this attempted murderess. It was enough to make her deceased Articulette Barbara's long-lost daughter...but then it gave Leslie access to the riches Anita had long funnelled into Barbara's trust. Suddenly Leslie, who should be in jail, was lording shouses and power over everyone from the help to the Duprees. Unless this is all leading to a giant comeuppance where Leslie loses everything, it's a bad message to allow her to be rolling in dough – and above the law.

BEST COUPLE | Vernon and Anita

All the generations listing them as “relationship goals” was our first indicator. The former senator and legendary songstress quickly established themselves as this show's rock, banding together and maintaining family unity through a myriad of crises. But Anita and Vernon were there for each other, too, as Vernon supported Anita making amends to her fellow Articulettes and Anita helped Vernon through Martin's violent defense of him coming to light. Their decades-long love never wavers, and, though Vernon didn't know his lady was about to begin a cancer battle, the song the secret singer performed for her took on new, deep meaning. Never can say goodbye, indeed!

WORST COUPLE | Derek and Ashley

It should have worked. But this firefighter/nurse combo sabotaged themselves immediately, fussing over housekeeping and battling to see who was more insecure. The real conflict began when Ashley crushed on Andre and Derek pushed to keep Ashley in their relationship. Any hope of growth was dashed when Ashley took Derek back after he became paralyzed...only for him to fake recovery because he was still afraid of Andre. We live for couples to fumble over themselves, but not only did Ashley and Derek have no chemistry – they were boring. Hopefully the second breakup is the charm and Dashley won't try for a third go-round in '26.

BEST SUPERCOUPLE IN TRAINING | Ted and Shanice

Maurice Johnson's Ted had mad warmth with Nicole. Keith D. Robinson's Ted...not so much. But it was the writing: Ted's post-Leslie reconciliation attempts consisted of repeated flower deliveries and trying to make himself look good in Nicole's eyes. That's why nurse Shanice entering Ted's orbit was just what the doctor ordered. With Shanice, the often dour Ted is light – and lights up. And fan favorite Shanice, our spitfire spinster, deserves some romance. Their slow burn, starting by developing a friendship, just makes them more enticing. Nicole who? Leslie had better watch out, too; Shanice and Ted are already far hotter together than Ted and Leslie ever were!

WORST STORY | Chelsea's kidnapping

It was a great cautionary tale about the dangers of social media, at least. But Chelsea's captivity at the hands of Allison rather underwhelmed. RhonniRose Mantilla is wonderful; it's just that Chels isn't a strong enough character yet for this kind of plight. Retconning her throuple sitch with Craig and Allison to make him Allison's partner in stalking crime was a neat switcheroo, except Allison wasn't an enthralling abductor: she seemed borrowed from the pages of comic books. Then, the shackled Chelsea got fantasy advice from her relatives on how to handle the cuckoo but ignored it, antagonizing Allison instead of trying to outmaneuver her; throwing over a table and calling your captor crazy doesn't exactly inspire self-reliance. Allison's forced wedding to Chelsea had potential, but then the show blew that momentum by scheduling a week-long break in the middle of it. GATES's first hostage story unfortunately took itself hostage.

BEST STORY | Martin's nightmare come to life

When Martin started having bad dreams in the show's first week, we knew something was up. We were, however, subjected to exquisite torture as we waited for reasons, the soap dropping subtle clues in the congressman's ever clearer night (and day) terrors. Hair-trigger Martin seemed capable of violence – and we soon learned he had protected Vernon from a hate crime, rearranging the face of perpetrator “Kenneth” and accidentally killing his brother. But before we even got that news, “Kenneth” returned to the DMV – initially unrecognizable because plastic surgeon Ted had reconstructed his mug – and went from blackmailing Martin to reaching his kids simply to let him know who had the power. “Kenneth” got his, but not until Bill, Joey, Elon and Marcel also got pulled into the mix – and not until GATES told a story about the horrors of racism. Suspenseful, solid, and involving the majority of the cast, this tale earns 2025's highest marks.

This brings us to the end of another Two Scoops, D.C. Edition – and Best & Worst Edition. Think I'm spot on, or way off? Tell me all about it in the comments below. Season 2 starts on January 2 (I am avoiding spoilers and the official trailer, thank you very much!), but first we've gotta finish out 2025 – and as news of Anita's cancer gets around, it's gonna be a humdinger. Until next we meet, Scoopers, happy New Year – and don't forget to 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.)