Alan

Did Ted perform an operation on Leslie that was botched?

Today's "Beyond the Gates will continue" announcement was fabulous. I think it was the Leslie actress.

That was Hayley.

The actresses playing Nicole's staff are so good! I love that we are getting introduced to the recurring cast so early.

Ashley is much more natural in these scenes with the women than with Derek.

I love the close ups of Nicole and Ted in their house. So often US soaps will not move the cameras beyond the fourth wall.

Martin says that some people deserve a punch to the face, but at the country club he was the family member who seemed the most embarrassed by Dani's outburst. He is a two-faced politician. I loved that part lol These sets are HUGE 😮

I love that the family is grappling with the consequences of Dani's violence. It adds a realistic touch. Other soaps wouldn't even bother. They would just show a slap/punch and move on.

This is so true, she echoes the complex romantic heroine/upstanding professional woman in the vein of a Marlena Evans, Viki Lord, or Holly Lindsay.

In addition to the Nancy Hughes reference I found another Easter egg! There is a often-shown clip of Nurse Audrey March coming out of an elevator on GH. I couldn't find the full clip but it was shown at the 2004 Emmys during the lifetime achievement introductions. The fact that MVJ wrote this for Ashley indicates the importance that she places on this character. Even the names Audrey and Ashley are similar. I will try to give more grace to the character and actress on that basis alone.

I forgot Kat, who had this chunk of exposition as her first line: "We'll be changing it soon enough. In the meantime embrace what you do! People will be interested in our brand because you're Chelsea Hamilton, fashion icon and social media influencer. We'll be tapping into that a lot, so don't knock it."

First lines of named characters! Calvin: "Good Morning Mrs. Dupree" Anita: "Good morning, Calvin." Nicole: "Good morning." Jerome: "You know this time of year: busy, busy, busy." Dani: "Morning, Vanessa." Vanessa: "Well so much for, 'Stop by for a cup of coffee.'" Chelsea: "Hey mom, what's up?" Ashley: "Derek! you didn't have to do this!" Derek: "Sure I did. My lady is turning the page on a brand new-chapter. You need to meet it well-fortified." Hayley: "I like all invited guests to be accommodated." Caroline Lee: "Law Offices of Bill Hamilton, Esquire. How may I help you? I'll let him know, thank you." Bill "What is with this schedule? You do realize I'm getting married at the end of the week?" Martin: "Good to be seen!" Vernon: "Martin!" Bessie: "I am so sorry to interrupt..." Jacob: "So what's your day like bae?" Naomi: "Um, settlement conference this afternoon. But first order of business is checking in on mom." Wayne: "Man, thanks for seeing me on such short notice. I know you're busy." Andre: "Congratulations. Aunt Nicole told me you were starting today."

Beyond the Gates is #1 on Paramount Plus's "Top Searches" page. It's beating 1923, Yellowjackets, School Spirits, and Sonic the Hedgehog, lol.

Something I love about the Dani/Nicole interactions is how Dani keeps trying to provoke Nicole, but Nicole the shrink knows exactly what Dani is trying to do and doesn't take the bait. It's a sibling dynamic that is very true to life.

I also get the feeling that Derek is here for a good time not a long time. Firefighter is a particularly ominous occupation on a soap. I can imagine the loss of Derek, maybe with Ashley trying to save him, being a formative experience for her character. Something that will give her more depth, because so far I'm not getting anything.

You aren't being a Debbie Downer, I appreciate the clarification. But the parent company P&G stills owns the IP of PGP and its soaps, right?

Oh, I didn't realize the eclipse was part of the actual P&G logo, lol. To be honest I was waiting for this...

Yes, I was happy that her cameo was an actual cameo and that she didn't really interact with the characters. Nothing against KH, it just would have been distracting.

A globe for ATWT/AW and a light for GL?

Yes! Tunie is playing Anita to the hilt! Sometimes actors who soap hop seem to play the same character on every show, that is definitely not the case here. Anita could not be more different from Jessica. I can also see how Tunie is drawing inspiration from classic divas like Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll.

I just finished the first episode of our show! 👏🏽 Nicole driving up to the country club listening to the Emotions set the tone for the opening act and had me smiling ear to ear. It was brilliant because it helped prepare the viewer for Anita's first appearance and put you in mind of the kind of music she might have performed with her girl group. As far as exposition, their conversation was the most natural and effective of the episode. Some of the heavy exposition later on made me chuckle but it needs to be done. Dani is definitely the star of this episode and it seems like she is going to be driving the story for at least the next several months. KM put in a very strong performance and I can see how this character may end up polarizing the audience. Hayley seems to be very wounded by her past and may end up being very root-able. Vanessa McBride definitely gives me Lucy Coe vibes and I found her likeable enough. CD is very charming as Vernon and has great chemistry with TT. TKD was also terrific as smarmy Bill. It's clear that he is involved in illegal activities. The line Chelsea delivers to Kat about wanting to compete with the Kardashians struck me as silly in the promos but now I see the story in the larger context of the soap. The real point of the purse story is that Chelsea is going against her mother's wishes by moving away from modelling. I can also see Bill supporting Chelsea by investing in the purses or bringing her clients or business contacts - deepening the rift in the family. As for Ashley and Derek - it's difficult to see where they fit into the larger story when they are not related to the Duprees and do not live in Fairmont Crest. I think Jacob and Naomi will have a baby storyline within the next year. The final scene, after Dani's slap, was brilliant as Hayley realizes that all of the Duprees are lined up against her. I loved seeing all of the individual character reactions - Anita the fierce mother tigress, Martin embarrassed and wanting to get out of there as quickly as possible. Production notes: The pacing was excellent. The only scene that felt slow was when the fan introduced herself to Vernon and Martin. I noticed that BTG has eschewed the traditional tag before the commercial break. It will be a funny contrast to B&B where the tag reigns supreme. I liked both the incidental and diegetic music, especially the diegetic music in Orphey's Place. I love that we are getting establishing shots of homes and businesses. We have already seen so many bits and pieces of this episode through the promos and teasers it was a relief to finally see how it all fits together. I can't wait for tomorrow!

It's going to feel strange that after waiting for what feels like forever the episodes are going to start dropping day by day. As for favorite characters, my favorite of the core four might be Nicole. I think I will also like Anita, Ted, Vanessa, and Eva because the actress is from my alma mater.

Texas! Hopefully we will see the BTG cast again next year in the categories of Best Actor/Actress in a Daytime Drama.

26 years since the last new daytime soap. 37 years since the last new daytime soap debuted on CBS. 45 years since the last new daytime soap produced by PGP.