26 minutes ago, janea4old said:

 

Well maybe the phonecall that Anita declined to answer was from an Articulette who received that phonecall from Naomi who called about June . . . and eventually realized that Naomi is Anita's granddaughter?

You guys are trying to connect June to any and everybody 😂

That was probably Tracy calling Anita trying to get the show going again and not fumble that check.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by ReddFoxx

2 minutes ago, ReddFoxx said:

That was probably Tracy calling Anita trying to get the show going again and not fumble that check.

Makes much more sense than being connected to the June story.

After a break, I'm glad that I happened to tune into BTG right as the Martin reveal scenes we're on.

The situation was not as bad as I thought. Martin killing and injuring racially motivated robbers in defence of his grandfather and then covering it up. 

I get why he'd be afraid of the justice system but he had a solid defence for the killing. Though the killing is not as convoluted and dramatic as I thought at least it's grounded in something relevant and topical -- racism.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by Planet Soap

7 hours ago, Antoyne said:

I loved today! Very good soap.

And the gay man isn’t just some token comedic character. He’s an actual lead with a whole family. I love it.

What the hell is Smitty going to do now that he knows where all the puzzle pieces fit now in his investigation. Very excited to have zero clue. And we know Jacob’s goody two shoes ass is gonna figure something out too.

Yeah this story is far from over. Now we wait to see who's gonna expose the story to the public and the fallout that will occur with that.

So this all happened 2 years ago. I wonder why they chose that timeframe?

If it was say 15 years ago, it would make more sense to me. Martin would be starting out as a politician and have more to lose and even back then , there was less awareness and sensitivity to hate crimes.

So Martin suffered an immediate memory loss.? Surely there would have been some signs that Smitty would pick up?

I think my original theory-that a young Martin was with a closeted older man- would have lent more weight to all parties wanting a cover up.

The show clearly wants being gay to be normalized as opposed to following the gay bashing or closeted tropes that other soaps have used. At this point those are kind of tired and Martin's secret being unrelated to being gay was a better idea.

With a bunch of characters now being complicit in a murder, the show has taken a really dark turn. We've entered Guza territory. I was hoping the show wouldn't take this turn, as I'm not sure it will know how to properly handle it. I wonder if Guza is still trying to write for night-time, if he doesn't realize that this is daytime drama, where amorality doesn't really work. The morally compromised can't get away with it; there need to be consequences. Otherwise it becomes a joke; just see GH and its mobsters.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by Jdee43

Martin's secret was sloppily written with holes all over it. The scenes showing what happened were nicely done, but there were no surprises.

 

Yes, why didn't Martin tell Smitty that night what happened? Almost everyone in FC knew. And why did they hide it when the police were involved and could have defended him in court? It was obvious it was self-defense, but now they've all committed murder or are accessories after the fact with Smitty and whoever finds out.

The flashback scenes were well staged but having Martin kill one guy and beat the other to a pulp seems abit much.

And involving Elon,Ted,Marcel, Joey and Randy? Best to have as few people as possible involved...

If Orpheys was closed for the press conference, why were Joey and Vanessa there?

Speaking of that gruesome twosome, I don't find them sexy or exciting - just sleazy . Doug deserves better than Vanessa.

I'm still finding some of the dialogue clunky eg Vernon had some line to Anita about time standing still when she's not there.

I did like Dani and Bill's interaction. Dani is better when not so OTT. And Bill nails it for me in every scene.

But that opening scene when Anita arrives and walks into an empty room calling for Vernon-huh? Did she think he was hiding behind the sofa? If a housekeeper had have greeted her and informed her Vern was out that would have played better than her talking to herself.

# staff for the Duprees.

The press conference should've been done in Martin's office or outdoors. 

The press conference at Orpheys made no sense.

👀

 

“There’s more…” 😌 #beyondthegates pic.twitter.com/JXfnhi3Rlj

— Brandon Claybon (@BrandonClaybon) July 17, 2025

 

 

I wasn't really satisfied with today's episode, and I'll just leave it at that. I sure hope tomorrow is dynamite when Nicole finally learns the truth. I just don't understand why they left Nicole in the dark when Vernon/Anita/Ted all knew. I just don't feel like Martin is their son since they aren't close and rarely have scenes together. Nicole could handle it. Same with Smitty. Just poor decisions all around IMO.

date: Thursday, July 17, 2025 | Teresa Zimmerman, Cheryl L. Davis | Michael V. Pomarico

• Mother Anita is pissed off at Father Vernon, and I do not blame her one iota. If this were kept from me, I’d be furious, too.
• Deadbeat continues to try and deflect; he should understand that he hasn’t a leg to stand on where Bradley’s trust is concerned.
• I love the friendship Vanessa has with Nicole and her continued support of her… but uh-oh, here’s the reveal of Deadbeat’s press conference.
• So, murder is not beneath Bill? And the mention of Joey Armstrong. For a so-called ‘gangster’, he is in the mouths of many, and it does seem to be common knowledge of his dealings. Interesting.
• Deadbeat continues to not be able to see his two-years worth of lies and deceit are not easily erased in this situation… and wants to deflect the anger spewing from Bradley, but he needs to take every single ounce of it. And now here come the teens. Whew.
  Anita’s vitriol for Sharon and Tracy is very apparent, but her concern and love for her family stand strong and overpower that.
• Deadbeat, you’re leaving some pieces of information out… there was not one guy; there were two… don’t cover it up now.
• Good on Vanessa for recommending Nicole not wait for an invitation to find out what’s going on… even though she does not know the entire, whole truth. But good on her for standing by her friend.
• Good on Bradley for standing his ground where Deadbeat is concerned. BUH-BYE!!
• Well, Nicole shows up, and Deadbeat’s gone.
• So, Kenny is dead dead? See Deadbeat, now your husband is fully involved in this… should’ve been honest two years ago; now? It’s too damn late.
• I appreciate the continued friendship between Bradley and Jacob. It’s nice seeing in-laws supporting each other in this way.
• I appreciate that Samantha and Tyrell have opposing views on what’s happening with their parents. It’s refreshing.
• Sanitised? Is that what we’re calling it? I am glad Vernon has taken some ownership, though.
• Here comes Momma Nicole… and she’s going to get slapped hard with the truth (hopefully).

Notes:

• They need to be careful with their exterior shots; the interior of the Dupree home shows a dark wood interior, which we do not have with the set.
• The continued use of switching scenes, from one conversation to another, to tell the same story is a brilliant use of script and time.
• I appreciate that the theme of ‘murder’ is not off-topic or skimmed over like it is on other soaps. We’re calling it what it is: MURDER!
• I applaud Michele Val Jean, Sheila Ducksworth and their teams for their honest conversation concerning race in Martin’s storyline. It’s rooted in realism, which is what it should be. It’s topical, which is what American soaps are missing: topical storylines.

Was there a preview for next week? I didn't get one at the end of today's episode.