Beyond the Gates Review: Premiere Week Sets Up [Spoiler] for a Major Fall — Plus, the Character Who’s Working Our Very Last Nerve
Credit: Quantrell Colbert/CBS (3)
The first week of Beyond the Gates went out with a bang! Our first Black soap opera in 30 years left no crumbs on the table. And what a fancy table it is at Fairmont Crest, a high-end gated community outside of Washington, D.C. Sex, lies, elbows thrown, a wedding, an accident and shots fired — this soap is soapin’. Let’s get into it!
A Wedding… or a Funeral?
The Dupree family rules everything around it, and the first day of the show was spent giving us the rundown on everyone and their backstories. It would have been super slow if it hadn’t been for Dupree wild child Dani. Her ex-husband, Bill, is getting married to her elder daughter’s former bestie, Hayley, and Dani’s not having it. (Dani’s also not having just one outfit per episode. A former model, she hasn’t met a costume change she doesn’t like.)
I was automatically on Dani’s side. She had taken Hayley in and made her a part of the family, and the Duprees helped Bill become the high-powered, wealthy defense attorney he’s become because of his former missus. Hayley being delulu also helped cement my position. Yeah, Bill is robbing the cradle, but Hayley’s not so young that she doesn’t understand why the Duprees don’t want to be around her homewrecking self.
To make matters worse, Hayley and Bill bought a home in Fairmont Crest. When she tried to do her angel routine — you know, the “Let’s be friends” bit — Dani cracked her on the jaw. I cheered as the Dupree family, who were on hand for the fireworks, looked Hayley right in the eyes as they walked out behind Dani. I loved the family solidarity, even if we had to hear a couple of exchanges about non-violence to pay for that delicious punch.
Hayley’s “woe is me” routine really grates on me, in case you couldn’t tell. Of course, she cried on Bill’s shoulder about what had gone down. And he got to play the big man, blackmailing the Duprees into attending the wedding. I think part of Hayley’s appeal to Bill is that he’s giving her everything. Dani gave him everything… or at least her family’s connections did. Bill’s ego wouldn’t let him be reminded of that all the time.
There were times when Dani expressed her enduring love for Bill, and all I could say was, “Girl, stand up!”
Which she did. At the wedding. With a gun.
Why was she there? The senior Dupreees — patriarch Vernon and matriarch Anita — forced Dani to join the rest of the family to protect their grandson, Congressman Martin Richardson, who’s got a secret lurking in the past which we’re not yet aware of. But Vernon and Anita choosing Martin over Dani could have deadly consequences for the bride and groom.
In Other Developments…
• Dani’s sister, Dr. Nicole Richardson, is the ice to her sibling’s fire. A Jack and Jill poster child, Nicole has a perfect life with a perfect family, including a perfect plastic surgeon husband. From the start, I knew that flawless veneer would crack, and I was right: Nicole’s husband fathered a child with another woman. And now, that child — with an assist from Leslie, whose motives remain unclear — is maneuvering her way into Daddy’s life! It’s going to be so satisfying to see Nicole’s jaw drop when she finds out, considering how judgy she’s been about Dani’s inability to get over Bill. Wait, I have been, too. Hmm… anyway.
• I’m enjoying the multi-generational storytelling, but I’m definitely interested in seeing the younger set spin off into their own stories. Young people don’t care about the olds!
• The production values? Top-notch. The hair and the clothes? Terrific. Acting? Awesome. The family dynamics? Grounded. The “Talented Tenth” patches of dialogue? A little stiff.
• Afternoon delight is back in a big way! And love in many forms — friendly, familial and romantic! Give me more.
