Aback

Thank you. so, the original set did look like a mausoleum. But I don’t see how the new set qualifies as ‘modern’? With that fugly painting over the fireplace. Anyway… Wait, the Jabot offices are supposed to be upstairs?!

Can somebody post a screenshot please?

I had completely forgotten about that sig!! lmao I'll go and delete it, it's so old. Thanks for the welcome And yeah the detective was JJ.

Ooops yes! Name was JJ (which I found odd since there's an EJ on the show too). The Maggie/Sarah thing- I meant it as a compliment. It's realistic to me. Oh I see. Makes sense. Thanks! I like it better than 40-year-old people playing grandparents.

OMG I'm dreading to see what the new Abbot mansion looks like...

IA on everything. Random takes from a new viewer: Johnny and Chad's brother detective look too much alike. I love Chad's brother detective's puppy eyes. I hate Gabi's *latina caliente* character. What's the consensus on Kat? The actress seems awful to me. And what's the consensus on SH's Kristen? She's so one note. Wow this show has a policy on letting their men go grey. Every man is greying - which is cool but at the same time a bit confusing for new viewers. I was shocked that Maggie was Sarah's mother. Considering soaps' twisted ages, Maggie could've been Sarah's great-grandmother!

So I watched Wednesday's episode and... I enjoyed it a lot! The production values were not bad at all IMHO. And the actors- I was shocked they were able to pull off that quality with their crazy taping schedule. My hat's off to them. Looking forward to watching more from the new regime.

I am not sure. I think it also depends on actors' guarantees/sets etc. Maybe the apartment set won't be available for the following episodes, or Kat's actress wasn't supposed to be onscreen etc. I agree. It doesn't make any sense. The concept of the story was extremely simple but they managed to make it convoluted and filled with plot-holes, starting from the whole 'I'm Leslie but I'm Dana, your mother but your surrogate mother' mess.

Yeah, no, I actually like that Vernon and Anita aren’t Tom and Alice. I can appreciate that from a writing perspective. But I still can’t root for them—they come off as obnoxious to me, and Vernon just seems like a total doormat. That said, I love to hate them. As for product placement, I know it’s been experimented with before, but what I’m saying is—I’ve never seen a soap consistently use it outside of a crisis period, I guess? BTG feels relatively stable, yet it’s integrating product placement, which I think is a good thing! TPTB probably used to think product placement would cheapen the show or drive viewers away, which is why they’d only pull that card in desperate times. But that’s clearly not the case.

That era of B&B when the Jack storyline played out was dark and dreary. That said, on paper, I loved the idea of Taylor carrying Brooke’s child. It was a pretty clever twist on the classic “Who’s the daddy?” trope. It’s a real shame they’ve completely erased it from the show’s history. Jack should come back as a major villain — stalking Brooke, gaslighting Taylor into madness. It practically writes itself. But in true B&B fashion, Brad will probably just pretend it never happened. As for Nick… he looked leathered and very much resistible even years ago. I’m not exactly excited to see him in 2025—unless it’s just a short arc, which I’m guessing it will be.

First of all: I’m really enjoying the show. Sure, some storylines and a few actors are a bit of a dud, but overall the show feels wholesome. I really appreciate how they’re trying to create divisive characters and storylines where viewers are actually encouraged to take sides. You get multiple perspectives, and that’s exactly what soaps should be about. Also, it’s clear they’ve stepped things up with the background music—there’s more integration now, and it adds to the scenes in a good way. I love that they’re incorporating P&G’s products into the show. Like… was it really this hard to do before? I can’t remember Guiding Light or Another World doing it, but it’s such a no-brainer. And there are definitely smarter, more natural ways to do product placement. It’s kind of hilarious how the products always end up in the hands of the “good guys” (ie. Nicole and Ashley). I guess we’ll never see Silk Press Sheila Swiffering her floors! In my opinion, soaps should also be about squeezing the drama out of every single beat. But with Beyond the Gates, some of the storylines are being rushed through so mindlessly. Case in point: Leslie. Where did she even get the potassium? How is she affording all those costumes? What does she do for a living? It’s starting to feel cartoonish. And Ted barging into Leslie’s apartment? Totally a missed opportunity for drama. Imagine someone lurking while Dana is shopping for groceries. Nobody in the audience would’ve suspected it was Ted. (Yeah, I get it—budget and time constraints—but still, you get my point.) Also: Leslie's apartment is filled with pictures of Eva or Baby Eva. Yeah, Leslie hid one, but they could’ve milked that scene—imagine the tension of her panicking that Ted might turn around at any second and see them. The pacing continues to be a problem. As others have noticed, one minute Nicole’s thinking about hiring two assistants, the next she’s unsure what to do with Eva and considers making her the Country Club’s hairdresser. Same with Samantha. One minute she can’t even walk in heels, and the next she’s America’s next top model? And speaking of Samantha—I’m one of those who can’t unsee her real age. The actress is lovely and strong but she is not 15. Also, what was the point of that “divide and conquer” strategy? It made zero sense. I wasn’t even sure if they were hinting at some weird heteronormative thing when “Pop” said, “Of course Tyrell would want to talk GUY stuff with me!” Huh? Spoken by Martin, who was practically queening out over Samantha the night before. Last but not least: - I’m pretending Ashley, Andre, and Derek don’t exist. Same goes for the whole casino mess. - Speaking of the casino, how many more scenes do we have to sit through of Joey frowning about Doug’s gambling? And we still don't know why he cares so much. This has GUZA written all over it. - The actor playing Ted is a caricature. He’s endearing, but he’s definitely not leading man material—pure character actor vibes. - And the Duprees (Vernon and Anita)? Total villains. I cannot stand their mob boss energy.

One interesting way to recap past story points is to have characters 'gossip' and be 'judgemental'. That's something they did with Mona, Leslie and the blonde woman and it worked really well and added value to the recapping. Very well said! My thoughts exactly.

That's a good point supporting the binge design argument. I'll also add that the other soaps have been relying so heavily on recapping because they are creatively stale - hence the need for some filler. Obviously I am a fan of background scores supporting the drama, not them being some lazy gimmick to do the heavy lifting. That was my point. I love the scores from old school Y&R, B&B, even some GL. Now on BTG the music is missing or is somewhat generic IMHO. That's an interesting POV, thanks. LMAO yes... Same here! ❤️

I kind of see that as contempt for the genre - especially since primetime shows are not subject to this kind of judgement. Music is an art form as much as writing, acting, directing. But we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

I’m glad you all came around about the theme. I’ve liked it from the get-go and said it deserves a TikTok dance routine. Hoping the Gen Z castmates get on it. Another thing I hope we can all agree on is how much the current Ted actor sucks. He’s a caricature. I can see why TPTB might have liked him initially, but his line delivery, facial expressions, and posture are laughable. Here are some random thoughts on the general discussion from the last couple of weeks: • Two cheating husbands? It’s repetitive, uninspired—I don’t like it. BUT it absolutely does NOT send the message that Black husbands are cheaters. Let me remind you: we have Vernon, we have Jacob—both adore their spouses—and heck, even Martin, who might be a two-faced politician, hasn’t come across as a cheater. You have to look at the bigger picture when judging the men on this show. • I have to laugh at people praising the pacing like it’s the result of some complex study on modern content consumption. No. The show isn’t designed for binging. This is just normal pacing in 2025, when you’re juggling multiple sets. Look at international soaps. It’s the other US soaps that are stuck in the 1950s with their endless talkathons. • BTW, the pacing can be wildly inconsistent. You’ll have things happening over breakfast that somehow drag into nighttime. Two examples: Hayley getting ignored at the club during breakfast and still complaining to Billy about it that night. And: Martin being invited to breakfast by his grandparents, Smitty overhearing them talk about Martin running for President, and later calling that moment “earlier tonight.” Yikes. • I’m shocked by how snobbish this show—and some of its viewers—are about background music. It enhances the story, adds value for sight-impaired viewers, and signals when to pay attention for those of us who watch while doing other things (cleaning, ironing, working, etc.). Look at primetime! The biggest show right now—White Lotus—is notorious for its glorious soundtrack. • I roll my eyes every time I see the hospital set and the convoluted excuses they use to bring characters together there. In real life, nobody wants to go near a hospital, and they’re so big you never run into anyone. • I’m not big on credits, but I think my favorite director on the show is Steven Williford. Random takes on characters and storylines: • Stefania is a keeper. She’s gorgeous and a genuinely good actress. • Wasn’t Mike Bill’s best man at the wedding?! I was surprised when Tomas had to bend over backwards to explain who Mike was to Kat, instead of just saying “he was Bill’s best man.” • I see they’ve been infected with the Bell Shows Virus when it comes to Chelsea’s purse™ designs. Every time a character starts a new project, it’s always “splendid,” “bound for success,” “revolutionary.” I wish just one person would say, “Man, these purses are ugly.” • Who the f—k is Lorinda?! Or whatever her name was. She just popped up out of nowhere with Billy hugging her, talking about how she’s lying to her husband. I was like—did I miss an episode?! Weird. P.S. Browsing this board from a phone is AWFUL.

Honestly Maurice comes across as a lovely person but his acting was worse than Martin’s. Ted reminded me of Leon Black from Curb your enthusiasm. Underdeveloped character, miscast actor. His delivery was hilarious.

Yeah one would think Vernon is his father given the amount of scenes they’ve shared. Martin’s parents must be unaware of his killer secret as well. I’m worried that this is a ‘Thorne, Kristen & Felicia’ situation - where you got too many related characters and too many relationships the writers have not thought about - but it’s still early days, so yeah. Another random take I wanted to add: I love the rooftop (that must be a green screen right? Or is it cardboard?) - I wasn’t really fond of some of the angles they chose for the cousins scene.

Random takes: I say no to daily threads. Karla Mosley is shining. The Dupree dance moment was ADORABLE. That's what soaps are about. Vanessa is Dani's best friend, period. The hospital set is so unoriginal. I hate soaps depicting hospitals as town squares where everybody can drop by. People hate going to the hospital. Same goes for the police station. And don't get me started on the casino mob. This is all too GH for me. I'm not worried about the fast pace, I'm worried about missing story beats. For example, Martin has yet to share any meaningful scenes with his father or his sister. I don't like that.

I will never understand people being unable to accept constructive criticism. I’ve filled the show with compliments. However some things haven’t worked for me. And that goes for the post launch PR campaign as well. That is not negativity. Thanks Jane. This is much better.

- calling it 'a HIT'; - 'Splashes'; - somewhere I even read a victorious sentence on how BTG's share of 9 beat Passions' share of 7 (from 1999 and the lowest rated show) - 5 million people watched at least 6 minutes lol... how does that matter? All I'm saying is that its performance was decent/good, I'm not seeing a HIT at the moment and that's okay.

LMAO I want the show to succeed and revive the genre. But this ratings report looks so forced to spin the data in a positive direction. Do they want us to root for the Duprees or are they supposed to be the villains? Because the 'shame walk' they did on episode 1 made Hayley look sympathetic. And their attitude around Dani's gun misshap was reminiscent of mafia ways! I kinda like them. And I don't mind Martin. But them not sharing any affection whatsoever is undeniably sus. It was B&B-level of ridiculous. The reporters would've eaten Vernon alive. There would've been no time for V's innuendos and spin. Sorry but Kat going bananas over Eva from the get-go was FORCED. And what is Eva even looking for? Most of sensitive information lies in digital communications these days (ie e-mails), certainly not a locked filing cabinet. I was NOT looking forward to the gambling and mob stories. This is going to be silly. It's honestly jarring and it will become a problem long-term. Look at Y&R's Nick & Sharon. They SORASed Noah in 2006 - when he was barely 10 years old IRL and his parents portrayers were in their early 30s. FF to 2025, and Morrow & Case still look great in their 50s and 40-year-old Noah is nowhere to be found, despite the multiple recasts. DEAD.

Thank you for your support, I love your contribution to this board 🥰 To flesh out my proposal: they should edit the 5 weekly episodes into a 1 hour episode (60 minutes) per week. The amount of episodes that soaps deliver is staggering - if you package those more efficiently it’s much easier for new fans to binge the episodes and dive into the story.

Finally caught up with the shows and the threads! What I love: The intro. It’s not basic in my view - it’s not that modern either because it doesn’t follow the trend of modern shows like White Lotus, Game of Thrones or even Desperate Housewives, where the show takes you through an animated journey for the whole opening credits - but it’s fine. I love the theme. Karla Mosley. I’ve never been a fan. The minute the news was out that she was cast, I was like “Noooo”. But she’s won me over. I disagree with people nitpicking her acting. She’s doing what’s demanded by the character. Dani is supposed to be larger than life. Nicole. I love that she’s so grounded, she’s actually intriguing and nowhere near the “holier than thou” attitude similar characters have on other shows. Leslie. Omg she’s giving me life. The actress has charisma and we’ve been craving a vixen for years. I wonder if she’ll do “soliloquies” like Bill Bell’s villains used to do all the time. Anita and Vernon. Enough said. What I don’t like Why. So. Many. Kids 😭😭😭 Was it really necessary to saddle these women with full grown kids?! Me thinks NOT. What distinguishes Kat from Chelsea or whatever? I’ve lost track. They don’t have a definite personality. They don’t have any original, inspired character flaw. They’re interchangeable. It reminds me of Bill Bell filling the Forresters with around 3 extra kids that TPTB haven’t known what to do with for 40 years. Plus these girls will be pregnant before Year 1 ends. I’m not dying to see 70 year old Anita as a great grandmother (which she already is via Martin, but Martins kids are adopted) or 40 year old looking Dani as a grandmother. The exposition. Sorry, most of it was really unnecessary. You don’t see new shows like White Lotus filling us with exposition even though every season there’s new character. Ted used to have a twin brother? We don’t need to find out in one clunky sentence. Let us connect the dots. And then maybe yes explain it to us like we’re 5. I’m sorry, I know I’ve repeated this over and over, but if they aren’t packing the weekly episodes into 1 “prime time like” weekly episode, for people to binge, they’re missing their opportunity to reinvent the genre. I wish there were more comedy, a la Desperate Housewives. I suppose Vanessa will provide comic relief - I like her a lot - but I’m wondering if Cadys character won’t make her redundant. More to come…

I don't find this to be generic at all. It's got character and some vision behind it. It rocks.

Hey Jane, the translation is fine