Chris B

I feel like AMC would be the easiest of their soaps to revive but a reboot seems cursed at this point. I wish we had more insight on what was pitched for the primetime reboot as well as these movies. That would give us a better idea of why it keeps getting shot down.

Ashley and Derek have been so isolated that I need the show to develop something, anything to justify their presence. It's not that I think Joey being her father will be the greatest story ever told but at least it would be something and connect her to more characters. I just need the show to move forward with them. Out of all the characters, these are the only two with no storyline/development. We have recurring characters who are better used with less screentime. If the show is going to keep them on contract they need to do something with them.

Jon is stuck in a story that isn't popular but with Cady I feel like the issue is that she was clearly thrown in with no real purpose. I still don't understand why she pops up. I recall early on it being said she owned a spa but we've never seen it. That could've been an interesting location for people to meet. She also could've worked better as Smitty's mom, but instead we get this random agent of Dani's who pops up twice a month? A total waste. I mostly agree. I do feel like Jan could be elevated with a name soap actress, someone like Judi Evans or Kassie DePaiva comes to mind, but they're limited to who is in Atlanta. Keeping that in mind I think the current actress is fine.

When I see how bad the Ashley/Derek scenes are, I know there must be a larger purpose and Joey being her father is the thing that makes the most sense. My take on it is that Ashley knows Joey is her father but doesn't know Joey. Maybe he was there when she was a child or just not around at all but I believe Jan when she says she didn't lie to her daughter about who her father was. Maybe she left him when she discovered his dangerous lifestyle. I do think they could really jump start the character of Ashley if they hurry and do this. Jan is a great character and her scenes with Ashley have been helpful. This would further integrate Ashley into the canvas and give her something dramatic to do. With her working at the hospital along with Doug, it could lead to complications if she learns Doug is involved with her father. I just need is sooner rather than later because Derek is tanking her character. I need a distraction.

I still can't get over how awkward the Derek actor is. He looks so uncomfortable no matter what. Even when he took his shirt off and walked away it was goofy. This is one element I need them to hurry and explain because we know these characters aren't going anywhere. I just need to know why and with a quickness.

Today's episode was excellent. Clearly it was confrontation day and they didn't disappoint. I'm glad they didn't forget Mona in all of this and gave us an opportunity to see how she's dealing with this. A major highlight for me were the Kat and Martin scenes. Their chemistry is off the charts and I don't understand why we haven't gotten more of this. I love how they take turns calming each other down. They feel really well matched and believable as siblings. Speaking of siblings, they anvils were dropping strong that Kat and Eva are twins but I do wish someone would mention that they are essentially hood twins which might throw people off the scent. I'm one of the people who enjoyed Joey and the gambling storyline so it was nice to see him again. It was nice to see different characters like Mona and Eva in that element instead of the usual players. When Doug arrived I don't know what hit me but I just see a funeral in his future. He seems so hopeless and has the worst luck. I just can't see him surviving the year at this rate.

I feel like the reason they went with these two stories is because these are common stories told on soaps that allowed them to really tie the entire canvas in and help develop their relationships. I do understand the implications of having two cheating stories and these being Black characters but MVJ has always been clear that she wanted to show us the same way characters are featured on any soap. I don't think any story should be off limits just because the majority of the characters are Black. We have several positive representations of Black men so it's not like everybody is a cheater or a bad spouse. I also think the two stories and relationships are different enough that the stories don't feel similar in any way.

I'm excited for us to get back to a full weeks worth of episodes and also us beginning to move into the episodes filmed once the show premiered. We're already starting to see changes in the lighting and the way certain characters are styled. Of course we know this week we have our first recast as well. After the big Eva reveal, I hope the show continues to move into a positive direction and that we see them starting to fix some of the things we've all had issues with.

I 100% agree that Bill and Haley's set would work better as a bedroom. I also think it might have made more sense to give them a penthouse instead of a mansion. Realistically they aren't going to have the room for multiple mansions, even with the larger studios. A more open concept penthouse would've been fine. I also wish more people lived together. The age confusion kinda messes that up but I would at least have Chelsea living with Dani. If Martin were Anita and Vernon's child (as he should be), I'd have these families living together as well. By doing that, the space used for Martin and Smitty's house could be used to build a dining room for the Dupree home and I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to throw a couple bedrooms in as needed.

I have no use for Derek but I was happy to see them exploring Naomi and Ashley's friendship again. More of that, please! I was stunned when Ashley asked Naomi about the Ted drama. We actually got a lot of interesting combos today. Tomas/Eva, Kat/Smitty, a rare Martin/Ted sighting and Vanessa/Nicole, among others. This was a good breather from all of the drama of the past few days. Because of pre-emptions I expected a random ending and not a proper cliffhanger but I literally jumped when I saw Leslie walk into Nicole's house! That was the perfect way to end things and along with the prevent, I'm excited to finally get back to a full 5 episodes next week!

I feel like Leslie has only begun to reveal her secrets. If she's so willing to throw Eva away, she must have another trump card. She doesn't seem like someone who is going to give up or go away easy.

Nobody is acting like it's the end of the world. This is a thread about Beyond the Gates, people were excited to watch it and are expressing their disappointment that couldn't happen. If anybody needs to chill, it's you.

It's airing in Canada so I'm going to keep my fingers crossed they just put it on Paramount Plus.

In the US they *constantly* break into the soaps for pretty much any news story which is why fans are annoyed. So yeah, it may not be an everyday occurrence but it's a common enough occurrence that people are annoyed. BTG has been on for less than 3 months and has already been broken into many times.

My thing is, I'm okay with you breaking in to announce it but does it really require wall-to-wall coverage? Couldn't you break in for 5 minutes, announce it, then just run a chyron announcing it at the bottom of the screen? The wall to wall coverage for things like this has always confused me because there usually isn't any info to present so it never amounts to much.

This is my guess and my hope. I will take anything I can get but doing a multi-year renewal shows they have faith in the show and I think would be nice to let viewers know it's safe to tune in. I also think the cast and crew would benefit from not having that pressure over their heads.

She is truly in such a delusional state that it's hard to know what's true but I'm sure there are some easter eggs in there. I am very curious to see how they utilize Leslie now that everybody knows who she is. If they do go with a connection to Anita in someway that would definitely be interesting. Anita was the first and only person so far that Leslie seemed intimidated by.

I had hoped they'd pair her with Michael Knight. They had a nice chemistry and he's been one of the better random castings on GH. When it comes to Gio, I found the scenes with Dante to be overdone. It's obvious they're trying to set up conflict for the reveal but I don't think that was needed. It actually made me less excited for the reveal and killed any interest I had in Dante and Gio forming a bond.

I just can't wait until next week when we can go back to a full weeks worth of episodes. 3 episodes and a mid-week gap has been so difficult to deal with, especially in light of how good the show is.

I posted this in the behind the scenes thread but I know this thread is busier so wanted to mention it here as well. During their instagram live yesterday, Daphnee Duplaix and Trisha Mann-Grant mentioned that they will find out this month if the show is renewed for another season. Just a heads up so we can keep an eye out for an announcement and keep our fingers crossed for a multi-year renewal!

I've never found him as bad as some. I think he's always shined in scenes with Vernon, who should be his father. I also think he has great chemistry with Kat and Dani which I hope they tap into more over time. Dani/Martin feel like such a fun and believable Auntie/Nephew relationship.

Daphnee and Trisha did a live stream on Instagram and they addressed the Ted recast! Trisha and Daphnee both said there was no issue with them when it came to working with Maurice. The cast received an email around the premiere date saying that the role had been recast. No reason was given for the recast and they had no say in it. At the Black Excellence premiere party Daphnee went up to him and they had a pleasant conversation but she didn't want to be nosey and ask unless he wanted to say something. She doesn't know if he was fired or if he chose to leave. She ended up texting him and asking if he wanted to join the live stream and explain what happened. He didn't end up joining but I liked that they didn't shy away from the question.

Daphnee and Trisha did a live stream on Instagram and confirmed they find out if the show gets picked up in May. This pretty much confirms they're on the primetime schedule like the Bell soaps. Fingers crossed we get a multi-year renewal announcement soon! https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJSsYb7PDv8/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

I 100% agree but I think this is due to how the show is structured. It's a one family show which means there are no people in her age range that could be used as friends or contemporaries of her. The show definitely needs a second main family. I am glad someone finally said this. Especially now that the cast is gelling in their roles, he stands out like a sore thumb. No energy, no chemistry with anybody. He is just there. I thought that was odd as well! The previous scene would've worked better as a tag for the credits.

I felt for Ted early on but as the story unfolded it has changed my opinion on him. To know he was cheating while his wife was struggling to give him a baby is a lot to deal with. Plus, this happened ages ago and still he's paying Leslie off and threatening her to leave town. What really caused me to lose him in this episode was how even though he was busted, he still refused to take responsibility and come clean and the way he talked to Martin and Eva was terrible. To tell Smitty he better get Martin away from him when that is his SON who he used to cover up his affair? That is true dog behavior. Ted seems upset he got caught but I'm not seeing the remorse I would need to want Nicole to forgive him. I'm curious how I'll feel after Ted gets to talk to Nicole but I need him to fix it with the rest of the family as well.