The Color of Money: Beyond the Gates Two Scoops for the week of June 16, 2025

Smitty finally became proactive on Beyond the Gates

Are y'all ready to go Beyond the Gates? This week, Dani hit a self-fulfilling prophecy about Andre, the Richardsons started doing their best imitation of two paths diverging in a wood, and June had one helluva photo finish. Meanwhile, Chelsea rushed into her relationship, Kat put the brakes on hers, and Dashley ended theirs. Then there's that whole thing about the particulars of Martin's once-foggy night coming in fast and furious! Let's fill up those Two Scoops and find out what happened inside and outside the gates of Fairmont Crest!

Escapade

TIDE WATCH: 0

FEBREZE WATCH: 0

Wait, what? No product placement this week? Not a single can of air freshener? Not a single orange container of blue liquid? This show is going downhill!

I'm being facetious, of course. And I don't miss the household items...I'm just surprised they were absent, since they've put in regular appearances since mid-April. Fun fact: neither Leslie nor Eva showed up this week, either!

But this now new-ish soap stepped on the gas of the McBrides' unholy alliance with Joey, and didn't Vanessa turn out to be quite the negotiator. Joey, who successfully manipulated Doug through every twist and turn leading up to Doug having no choice but to go to Vanessa about the quarter mil he got Doug to owe him, surely had to have been surprised when the naughty but otherwise unassuming Vanessa took control of the whole sitch.

She immediately sussed out that Joey had to be in some kind of desperate strait to want to use her business as a money laundering front (will they be using that missing Tide?). And, with Joey in need, that gave Vanessa the upper hand. Not only that, but, in regard to the shady real estate deals Joey wanted to go in on with her, she haggled for Doug's debt to be forgiven and for her to get an 18% commission, six of which would go to Doug. Damn, gurl!

For a woman who has only been seen as being a slave to her desires, Vanessa certainly showed Joey who was the master, didn't she! And he loved it. So much so that the casino owner and realtor did the do on that poker table for a second time. I wouldn't want to be the dealer at the next big game conducted on it. Even Tide can only get out so many stains!

But if Vanessa's deal-making skills were the surprise, Doug's were an absolute, unadulterated shock. The until-now wussy doc was done with Joey holding the axe over his neck and Vanessa holding herself over Joey. He was super snarky with them both, only to go in for the kill, demanding a 20% commission that he and Vanessa would split! You could tell Vanessa was impressed! I was amazed she didn't throw Joey over for her newly emboldened hubby right there.

Doug was right about one thing: Vanessa is turned on by power and danger. Too bad for Dougie he didn't figure that out earlier, but the McBrides do not have a marriage I need to see continuing. They want totally different things. But as a team stepping up on Joey? I'm there! Plus, Vanessa and Doug each separately warned Joey that they could undo him with everything they know.

Got 'til it's gone

They broke up. Paragraph done.

Just kidding.

But really, no tears were shed in my vicinity when Derek finally had enough and told Ashley it was over. He presents a ring, and she labels his proposal a test. But wasn't she right, though? Derek, sensing something amiss, had wandered onto the back burner, but now we know that awareness never really left him. This bore fruit when Derek, point blank, suggested that Ashley had her eye on someone else.

Because that's been there the whole time. Alas, Ashley kept insisting Derek was the only guy for her; it's just that Derek didn't believe her. He especially didn't believe her when he found out that Ashley had blabbed about the whole non-engagement to Andre, with Derek barely out the door. Andre may need some poker face lessons from Joey, because even Jacob picked up on the Ashley/Andre connection and told a disbelieving Naomi about it.

Naomi, who had spent the evening doing tequila shots with her dumped bestie, was also under the impression that Ashley's heart lay elsewhere, but even she couldn't get the truth out of the nurse. I wonder why Ashley won't say anything? Right now, it's the most frustrating part of the story. Her subconscious knows, since she had that near-waking dream about Andre serving up some heat, and I don't mean the coffee Dream Andre brought her.

Then Derek came by for his gym bag, nursed Ashley through her hangover, and stopped just short of telling her that he knew she had feelings for Andre. GAAAAHHHH! Somebody just spit it out already! It would seem GATES has killed this couple finally, and I hope they're not just teasing me. Derek deserves more, and I hope Ashley gets her dreams dashed when Andre chooses Dani over her.

Personally, I'd love to see Ashley come to the dark side. Let her get fired from her nursing position over something ridiculous, then take a job as a waitress at the casino out of desperation. From there, she graduates to croupier and gets pulled into Joey's escort service, turning tricks on the side. Wouldn't that be fun? Sure, Derek could rescue her. As long as they don't get back together. Friends forever, though? Def.

I'm gonna be the one in control

We didn't see Bill released from the hospital – suddenly, he was just home. And doing nothing that Madison and Shanice had instructed him to do. He poured himself a drink before noon and refused the heart-healthy meal Hayley had made for him. No wonder she was all bummed out and fretting that Bill was all she had, since she could count no one as family or friend. Ouch. When you put it that way...

Shoulda known Bill's tough guy act was all bravado, because as soon as Hayley was out of earshot, he took out a life insurance policy naming her as sole beneficiary. For ten million dollars! But I'm not exactly sure what the point was. There was no discovery: in the next episode, Hayley confronted Bill about the policy after she took an off-screen call from the company. That's it? Seemed there should have been more to the plot point instead of popping the balloon so soon.

In another event that just kinda happened (which seems to be a pattern with this show – most of the time it's all right; it's just a wavelength to get on), Chelsea got her ass sued for copyright infringement, although she and Kat haven't launched any ChelseaKat products yet. At least we know they're still working towards that. But Chels knew she needed counsel from the best lawyer she knew – Bill.

Never more alive than when he's in his element, Bill took one look at the claim from the accusing company, Mode Pizzicato (which is making me want pizza), and called the whole thing B.S. He'd take care of it. Of course, this was more of a device to put Chelsea in Bill's orbit, given their estrangement since the series' start, but that's ice which has been melting anyway, and it dripped even faster this week.

Chelsea acknowledged she could have gone to Naomi; it was just that her sister was great for moral victories. The former model needed someone more cutthroat, and, well, as she said, “better call Bill.” Sweeter words had never been known to Bill, but that wasn't the only wound that saw healing. When Hayley figured she'd better vamoose after Chelsea made a snarky comment, Chelsea had other ideas.

Stepdaughter told stepmommy she had no right to tell Hayley where she could be in her own house, and then she doubled down on the thanks she had given Hayley at the hospital, reiterating how grateful she was for everything Hayley had done and was still doing for her dad. Didja ever think? Bill's in like Flynn right now – even Naomi has been easing up on him. Bill may just be golden, and Chelsea wowed me about Hayley.

Kat needed legal services, too, just not the ones Tomás wanted to provide. Apparently, it could be months yet before the folks running the DNA test on Leslie's napkin – to compare it to the DNA on Leslie's helmet – will turn up results, and Kat wasn't about the waiting. She wanted to hire a private outfit to examine the DNA instead. Too bad for Kat, Tomás said that results obtained like that wouldn't be admissible in court.

After that, Kat had two things under her blouse that Tomás thought were admissible, but she stopped him from unbuttoning the garment. You tried it, eh, Tomás? While he apologized for pushing, you could tell he's getting closer to being over waiting for Kat's goodies. And that was before Kat added that she was going to be the one to decide when devirginizing happened. I'd be willing to bet that Tomás is going to be knocking on Eva's literal and figurative door before too long. You?

That's the way love goes

Dani wasn't happy when Andre revealed that Kat and Chelsea probably knew about them. Heaven forbid – what would people think? Andre was stunned that Dani cared about what anyone thought and called her on it. After some sidewinding around concerns about age and the fact that she had squealed to Pamela (didn't Dani's jaw drop when she found out Andre had squealed to Ted!), Dani got real.

Or, at least, real again. She'd already said once that she was afraid that Andre would leave her the way Bill did. And, she had previously seemed to intuit that Andre had an unrequited thing going with another girl. Would he just end up leaving Dani? Andre said he wouldn't (you better listen, Ashley) and managed to finally convince Dani that it was time to go public with their whatever it was. Yes!

But Dani's field test of that didn't go so well. I had wondered why she was suddenly worried about how Nicole would react. Sure, the truth of Ted's affair with Leslie had hit the shrink hard, and Nicole wasn't in the strongest of places. But why would she really give two hoots about her sister hooking up with her nephew....by marriage! By marriage! GATES has been going a little B&B overkill in reminding us that Dani and Andre aren't blood related. We know. It doesn't have to come up every episode now.

Dani found herself alone with Nicole, and, inspired by Nicole's ongoing irritation that Ted had spent nearly three decades hiding things from her, Dani decided not to be that guy and confessed to her romance with Andre. And Nicole blew up! But it seemed to be more because it was just one more secret that had been kept from “poor, stupid Nicole.” Though “sissy” did get hissy about Dani's lack of appropriateness in doing Andre. Now, let's be fair, Nic. Inappropriate is how Dani rolls! That's what makes her fun!

Someday is tonight

Sometimes I forget just how young some of these characters are, and how much like them I was when I was their age. Case in point: after one date featuring Chinese food, Chelsea and Madison served themselves up for dessert. After which, Chelsea declared she was in love. Ah, youth. And youthful stupidity. Did enough of that in my 20s! But didn't Chelsea just have the feels for Allison a few weeks ago?

Ah, rebound: I've done that, too. Wanna see my trophies? I did like that Chelsea caught Madison repeatedly taking the conversational spotlight off herself and got the neurologist to talk about her coming out experience with her family. The fact that Mads had had some initial trouble expressing her identity to her father illuminated Chelsea's own conflict about having that talk with Bill.

Two women kissing on daytime? Bold. Though I'm sure there was still some pearl clutching out there in Televisionland. The concern I had, however, was Madison's was-it-innocuous-or-wasn't-it declarative to Chelsea, “All your secrets are safe with me.” It just set off some alarm bells. Plus, look how aloof Madison was toward Chelsea...until she learned that Bill was her father and that she has a Dupree for a mother. Chels better be careful.

Dani had her own doubts about Chelsea barreling forward so soon after Allison, but that didn't stop Dani from outbarreling Chelsea and setting up a next-morning gathering so Madison could meet “the family”! Hold up! Didn't Madison tell Chelsea, post-boof, that she had a morning shift the next day? How was Madison able to dally with the Duprees in the AM hours, then?

Details. In total character, Dani blurted out to everyone that Chelsea was in love. As Chels herself would say, “That was so cringe!” I mean, it's not like Chelsea had even had a chance to share that emotional state with Madison – that we know of, anyway. But Madison very publicly professed her own love, and that somehow made me more worried.

Vernon, despite taking an instant liking to Madison, shared his own sense that Chelsea was jumping into things with her new lady as a way to patch her hurt over losing the family unit she had known once Bill ditched Dani for Hayley. I hadn't even thought about that. But there's wisdom in it, and Vernon doesn't even know that Chelsea was all into Allison a month ago. Do y'all see disaster ahead for Chelsea, or is it just me?

Love will never do (without you)

It came late into an episode, well after the day's story arcs had been set, but suddenly Naomi was at Orphey Gene's, meeting with a dispirited June. The unhoused urchin talked about not being able to afford the coffee she was drinking, and I found myself wondering why June was even there. But then GATES played June's card. A “cleanup crew,” I would assume sent by the city, had broken up June's homeless camp and subsequently bagged up everyone's belongings.

I can almost understand a municipality clearing away a group of unhoused folks – almost – but I don't get why they would trash anyone's personal items. I'm guessing this must be a thing, because GATES introduced it, and June was more distraught over the loss of the faded photo with the two children that Naomi saw when June needed to be hospitalized than anything else.

A wave of serenity came over June as she described how the photo had allowed her to exist in a universe where people were happy and she wasn't lonely. She knew others would find it foolish of her to feel gutted over the loss of a picture, but Naomi understood and put Jacob to work on it. He soon returned with a box of effects that may or may not have belonged to June, and it was then we seemed to get the biggest clue about her.

June was next to stoic as she opened the box and began to peruse its contents, but the closer she got to the bottom with no photo, the more frenzied she became. Couldn't God just let her have this one thing? When she located the snap, she dissolved in tears of relief and satisfaction, to the point the Hawthornes stared at each other like, “what the actual?”

I'm tellin' ya – those kids are June's. I know she acted like they were randos she just liked to look at, and that another time she went into her As the World Turns diatribe about the fact that one of the kids in the pic was “Bonnie” (Jessica's daughter on ATWT). But I think these children are real, and, given the age of the photo, they're not kids anymore. Wonder if June might be the mama of someone on the canvas?

Meanwhile, Andre had a sit-down with Ted and told him that, well, a one-time send of flowers to Nicole was nice, but it wasn't gonna get Ted's marriage back. Guess the plastic surgeon took this to heart, because he followed up by...sending more flowers. Dude. Is this the only trick you got in the book? Nearly two months of separation, and he's shown he has FTD on lock, but you'd think he'd be more take-charge about things.

Nicole sure was – and this after I wondered why she hadn't filed for divorce yet in my last column. She didn't go that far, but she most assuredly tip-toed up to it: she foisted upon Ted several legal documents whose signing would render them able to function more as individuals rather than a married couple. Ted took the hint, and, assessing what was likely next, he decided that moving back in could prevent a permanent split.

Methinks Teddy might have been grasping at straws a bit there, going from flowers to homecoming, and Nicole wasn't about it, either. Oh, she became vulnerable enough to admit that she did indeed miss Ted, but inviting him home would be like inviting Leslie to move in with them. Yipes. I can totally feel her on that. Nicole needed to find a sense of self after being Mrs. Richardson for so long, and she traded Ted's FTD for SOL.

Look it up. Anyway, I don't think the Richardsons will ever reunite. I feel like it would have worked with original portrayer Maurice Johnson still playing Ted, but, even though Keith D. Robinson has been more than credible as a recast, I just don't see his Ted fitting with Nicole as a couple. I would be willing to wager the show doesn't, either, or Ticole (Ned?) would be a lot closer to a reconciliation by now. Am I wrong?

The knowledge

When Smitty took an assignment from his paper to interview Detective Marcel Malone – and Martin's eyes bugged out – it was obvious there was a heretofore unknown connection between the dirty cop and the congressman. But this week, did those unknowns get known! Marcel was told to play nice with Smitty since the precinct needed some good PR, but Malone quickly got a zinger in by telling Smitty (surprise! His given name is Bradley in case you didn't know) that Jacob was his partner “in name only.”

It went downhill from there. Smitty was all right hearing about how the near-retirement Marcel was preparing to pack it in on a boat once he clocked out for the last time, but we got to see that Smitty is actually a good reporter – as evidenced by the fact that Smitty produced a photo of Marcel and his vessel...with Joey in the background. Marcel backpedaled, but Smitty wasn't done.

Mr. Smith also brought up the fact that a different man connected to Joey had beaten a murder rap and more than intimated that the department might have had something to do with it. Marcel put an end to the chat and reminded Smitty what people said about glass houses. Yes, they shouldn't throw stones, but I felt like Marcel was using the adage to make a much greater threat.

Smitty went home and Tyrell was kinda just there, but the soap cleverly tied the teen into the action by having him hear the rough draft of Smitty's interview – and then by letting him brainstorm with Smitty about why Marcel made two mystery deposits in cash...one for $5,000, and another for $500K “two years ago.” (Pay attention to that time frame.) Maybe Tyrell was subtly using his chess skills to help figure out Marcel's moves?

Unnerved that Smitty had gotten so close to uncovering the link between himself and Joey, Marcel went to Elon, who suggested that Smitty might have been tipped off. Elon also remarked that Smitty's search for facts was liable to take him right back home. Yup. Because, at that point, Marcel had hinted to Smitty that he knew “all about” Martin.

Smitty didn't know that the crooked po-po was intent on sending him a message warning him to butt out (rut-ro!), but I think even if Smitty was aware, he would have taken his next step anyway – and, like McDonald's, I'm loving it. We've heard so much about Smitty being this ace reporter, and we're finally getting to see that coming to fruition. Smitty went to Jacob at the station and begged him to have a chat anywhere but there.

It was just enough for Elon to spy his son talking to Smitty, after which Elon had another bitchfest with Marcel. And...as it turned out...Joey. Hope Smitty knows how to swim, because there are now three men who would like to see him floating face down in the Potomac. Meanwhile, Smitty took Jacob to Orphey Gene's (do you feel like we're seeing that set too much? And what happened to the much-ballyhooed outdoor shots we got in the first week that quickly reverted to all in-studio?) and laid it out.

Jacob remembered seeing Marcel taking an envelope from Joey the same day Smitty said Marcel had deposited the five grand. And it wasn't like Hawthorne hadn't had his misgivings about Malone. But the idea of Elon potentially lying to Jacob about Marcel and why he was seen with Joey was something that Jacob couldn't stomach. Jacob also bristled at the idea of having to act normal at work while keeping an eye on Marcel. The plot thickens!

Together again

Martin had his first on-air nightmare in this soap's premiere episodes, and the intermittent follow-ups showed hazy details that were more like puzzle pieces than any clear hints. That changed this week! We started off with recapping “Kenneth” (quotes because I don't believe for a second that's his real name) whispering “Let's see what color's your money” in Martin's ear, though the busboy uttered explicit denials when confronted about it.

Vernon recognized the phrase that pays as the same one Martin had heard “two years ago” – there's that again. So we know this all-important night happened in 2023. Papa Dupree also told us that the phrasemaker had received a substantial settlement and fled the country...plus Vernon had been having the guy monitored. Martin still thought the busboy was sus and got him to repeat the line, which sent Martin right into another flashback.

And “Kenneth” kept the twenty bucks Martin had given him as a prop! Cheeky bastard. Martin finally went home (where Samantha asked Smitty what gay sex was like and Smitty did a spit take – hilarious!) and confessed to his husband that the nightmares were persisting, but hey, no need to do anything about 'em. Smitty finally told hubby to knock off “that strongman BS!”

In fact, Smitty swore, if Martin didn't follow through on his eventual promise of going to therapy to find out what was triggering his night terrors, Smitty would drag Martin to a shrink's office himself! Ow! I like this new tougher Smitty! Still hope Smitty divorces Martin's ass, because Marty treats him like crap. Anyway. The spat unearthed another clue: when Smitty mentioned interviewing Marcel, the detective popped up in a Martin flashback!

So Marcel's in on this, too: Martin can hear Marcel saying “Get him the hell out of here.” Dunno who he said that to, but the intrigue continues. The next day, Martin met with Vernon again, and the former senator decided to simply have a chat with “Kenneth” himself. And as the men discoursed, Martin blanked out – and this time it was Elon that Martin saw. The ranks are swelling!

As for “Kenneth”, he played innocent but had to course correct himself when he said he didn't recognize Vernon or Martin because “so many of your people [look] alike.” OH NO YOU DI'INT! Yeah. He did. “Kenneth” made a less obvious swipe by saying that he didn't often have occasion to traffic with “Black royalty,” but we've got some definite racism going on here. Which a Black-led show should absolutely address.

Here's where it gets interesting. Vernon said he recognized “Kenneth”'s voice, but not his face. And then later, when Martin finally got down to brass tacks with the man, “Kenneth” himself declared that he looked a lot different from when Martin had last encountered him. Plus, added something about the “care” Martin's family had provided for him.

My first thought was, “'KENNETH' HAD PLASTIC SURGERY!” We saw a tire iron in the flashbacks; maybe hothead Martin beat the man so bad that he had to have his face rearranged. But then, “Kenneth” called himself “an avenging angel” and alluded to a brother who was no longer there to speak for himself. Oh, I'm stumped. The “what color's your money” guy in the vision looked different than “Kenneth,” which was how I arrived at plastic surgery. But who's this brother?

So, by the time the week was done, we learned that this horrible night of Martin's that happened two years ago involved “Kenneth,” Elon, and Marcel, and that Martin had been changing a tire when everything started. Though Vernon contradicted “Kenneth” by reminding Martin that “Kenneth” had instigated everything. Speaking of Vernon, he might mostly be the quiet patriarch dispensing loving advice, but we've now seen a warrior rising up in him, and he didn't come to play.

Vernon seethed at an incompetent employee who had let “Kenneth” slip through his fingers and barked into the phone so vociferously when Anita called that she knew something was up! Mr. Dupree played it off for Mrs. Dupree, falling back into his grandpa mode, but with Anita safely in Chicago rehearsing, Vernon growled “Don't disappoint me” to one lackey and gave the steely announcement “He's back” to another. Vernon wasn't going to let “Kenneth” blackmail his grandson!

GATES is so good right now. And you know, there was always the chance the show would flame out after its attention-getting premiere, but the characters are consistently written, the plots are largely character-driven and not plot-driven, there's still a decent rotation of stories, and the interweaving is thick and complex and it's like each episode is better than the last. If you ain't watching Beyond the Gates, you are missing out on some damn good soap!

This brings us to the end of another Two Scoops, D.C. Edition. I really want to know how you guys are feeling about this show, so don't be shy – share all your impressions in the comments below. And, 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.)