Beyond the Gates: Daily Episode Discussion

[drivethroo]

1 hour ago, AnimeMania said:

I wonder if Jacob has heard any rumors about Martin.

Well we know Jacob hasn't heard the rumors about Marcel or his dad being dirty cops.

The Anita/Naomi scene was cute. I think scenes like that build relationship between the actors, which will help their acting along the line.

Kat's going to end up either sleeping with Tomas to prove she's a big girl now (and get him away from Eva) or she's going to lose him to Eva.  Tomas actually should be recast right along with Ted because acting wise, he is the weakest link in that triangle.

Elon warns Marcel not to put Jacob in harm's way. Marcel resents Jacob because he's the police chief's son and he knows Jacob is a Boy Scout who wants to do the right thing. Neither Joey nor Marcel can afford Jacob to be sniffing around.

Joey is going to take Doug's money and take his wife too.  Doug will be leaping off the Woodrow Wilson bridge to his death, tying up Beltway traffic for hours all because he wanted to gamble at an underground dirty casino instead of the MGM National Harbor which is *right there.*

We learn Elon has another son who is a cop named "Luke" and I expect "Luke" to show up at some point.  Elon looks far too young to be "coming up" with Marcel. I guess that's why they had him in glasses today.

 

 

 

[Sake614]

I can’t with these weird scene breaks. They didn’t bother me much in the beginning but now they’re just taking me out of the story. And then todays show ended in the middle of Anita and Naomi dancing. 

Also, is it just me or are the interactions between the actors stilted in some cases? Tomas and Kat, Tomas and Eva. Even Anita and Elon. The only ones who seem natural are Joey and Malone. 
 

Speaking of Tomas, that boy is going to be in a heap of trouble if he keeps playing with fire. Kat may be naive in the ways of love/sex but she is not one to be trifled with. If Tomas pursues Eva, there will be hell to pay.

As we suspected, Malone is dirty. But is Elon also on the take? He clearly know about Malone’s side gig, but I can’t tell if he’s complicit.

looking forward to Naomi mopping the floor with Bill, if we actually get courtroom scenes.

[AnimeMania]

I am not that impressed with Elon Hawthorne's (Malachi Malik) Chief of Police uniform, he looks just like every other police officer.

I wonder how the residents decide when they should eat at Orphey Gene's vs the country club.

Nobody ever seems to go to work.

Edited Tuesday at 11:26 PM by AnimeMania

[Sake614]

27 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

Nobody ever seems to go to work.

They’re all filthy rich and don’t have to work 🤣

[AnimeMania]

5 minutes ago, Sake614 said:

They’re all filthy rich and don’t have to work 🤣

Then they should stop taking jobs from people who need them.

[drivethroo]

58 minutes ago, AnimeMania said:

Then they should stop taking jobs from people who need them.

The only characters on this show who need to be at work that we never see at work are: 

• Doug, who always says he's headed to the hospital when he's at the casino instead;
• Leslie/Dana/Sherry, who doesn't appear to have a job at all
• Martin, who should be up on Capitol Hill instead of hanging at the club or berating Smitty at home

Nobody in the Dupree family has a 9 to 5 type job except Naomi and we just saw her meet with potential clients last week. Everyone else is either retired, self employed or freelance. 

We have seen all of the 9 to 5 characters at work (Jacob, Eva, Ashley). Derek got hurt on the job.

Vanessa is also self employed; she can work whenever she wants to and doesn't have to check in with anyone. 

Quote

As we suspected, Malone is dirty. But is Elon also on the take? He clearly know about Malone’s side gig, but I can’t tell if he’s complicit.

I think Jacob will be in a "We Own the City" style storyline: Will Jacob be like Gordon Hawk and K-Stop or will Jacob be like the GTTF? Clearly Malone is dirty and Elon knows about it but why did Elon place his son with a dirty cop? 

 

Edited March 24 by drivethroo

[Badsamaritan]

I KNEW Joey wanted to get Beyond the Gates. And apparently, beyond Vanessa's gates as well. But they don't appear to be locked very tight anyway, so 👀🤭

The Tomas actor also does need a recast. He's certainly pretty to look at, but geez he is...not good. 😬

If they're going with this triangle, I predict Eva will somehow give away too much of this master plan, either in the afterglow of sex or Tomas will catch Eva and Leslie together. 

And I agree with others, the Ted actor had inappropriate chemistry with Eva for me. I remember someone even suggesting that maybe Ted hits on Eva and she has to tell him who she is. But I don't feel like that's where the writing is going, so when I say inappropriate, I mean there was too much sexual chemistry between them and that would make upcoming storylines have the wrong tone, if they do make him her dad. Just my take. 

I think the list of jobs that were outlined above so well by @drivethroo is pretty solid for storytelling purposes. We might even venture further out more often, like to Derek's firehouse or the beauty or barber shop. 

Ooh, if they show flashbacks to Anita's early career, I wonder who would make a good Young Anita? 

[Rodney]

Wow.  Anita was the only one of the Big Four to be on today.  No Vernon, Nicole, or Dani.

Anita and Naomi had some good scenes.  I believed Tamara and Arietta as grandmother and granddaughter.  Loved hearing about Anita's singer days, and her dance with her granddaughter.  But hearing Tamara try to use Millennial speech made me titter.

So Elon's wife, Jacob's mother, is named Darlene.  And she's a 911 dispatcher.  Interesting.

Oh, not good that Joey's trying to get close to Vanessa.  And oh, boy.  Her obsessive side guy showed up again.  And Doug has a right to be suspicious of Joey, but Randy's clearly trying to keep his suspicions down.

I didn't recognize Kat with her hairdo today!  But did she seriously use the term "camel toe?!"  Whoa!  I didn't think that that would be said on a daytime soap!

I still like Kat with Tomas and don't think that Alex Alegria is that bad.  It's clearly the guy's first gig.  He deserves a break.  And I do like that, at least for now, Eva's leaving Tomas and Kat alone.

Chelsea, just tell Dani that you want out of modeling.  It can't be any worse than her finding out about Bill and Hayley.

So Marcel really is on the take?  That's upsetting.  Unless he's being a double agent, and Elon is aware of that.

Good return from the four-day break.

[Giuseppe]

1 hour ago, Badsamaritan said:

I remember someone even suggesting that maybe Ted hits on Eva and she has to tell him who she is.

Lol that was me. And I'm glad to see that others also picked up on some inappropriate chemistry between him and Eva. I don't mind the upcoming recast because I agree with another posted who described the actor as stiff and pompous. Wasn't working for me, either, but I wish him success.

Someone upthread mentioned they wanted more drama from Anita, and I agree. I think they've well established her character now, but I'm kind of over the sainted royal matriarch-ness of it all. I'm ready to see her and Vernon get messy, lol. 

Also agreed about the weird sets for the casino and Bill/Hayley's house. Probably just budget issues, or they ran out of space on the soundstage, lol.

I'm in the minority in thinking Alex Alegria isn't so bad as Tomas.

[TiffanyNichelle]

3 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

The Tomas actor also does need a recast. He's certainly pretty to look at, but geez he is...not good.

I need him to learn how to emote and try a different emotion on his face. Everything is said with the heavy lidded eyes and there's nothing happening on his face. But I do think he has more potential than Derek the firefighter. 

I do think Tomas will end up sleeping with Eva while he's waiting for Kat to be ready, adding even more layers to the Kat & Eva rivalry.

I don't think Malone or Elon are dirty cops. I think Elon has sent Malone in undercover pretending to be a dirty cop to get something really big on Joey to bring him down.

I also don't think Joey is trying to get a house inside the Gates for his mother. Vanessa isn't just a real estate agent for the Gates.

[drivethroo]

3 minutes ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

I think Elon has sent Malone in undercover pretending to be a dirty cop to get something really big on Joey to bring him down.

I certainly hope this is the case because I would hope Elon wouldn't partner his son up with a dirty cop.

1 hour ago, Giuseppe said:

Also agreed about the weird sets for the casino and Bill/Hayley's house. Probably just budget issues, or they ran out of space on the soundstage, lol.

Joey's casino is supposed to be cheap & shady looking. Which makes Doug extra dumb because there's a legal casino in the same county where he lives.

Bill & Hayley's living room is equivalent to her wardrobe.

3 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

And apparently, beyond Vanessa's gates as well.

Vanessa wasn't feeling Joey until he said he wanted to buy a house.  That's what really made her gates unlock.

[ByaNose]

4 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

I KNEW Joey wanted to get Beyond the Gates. And apparently, beyond Vanessa's gates as well. But they don't appear to be locked very tight anyway, so 👀🤭

The Tomas actor also does need a recast. He's certainly pretty to look at, but geez he is...not good. 😬

If they're going with this triangle, I predict Eva will somehow give away too much of this master plan, either in the afterglow of sex or Tomas will catch Eva and Leslie together. 

And I agree with others, the Ted actor had inappropriate chemistry with Eva for me. I remember someone even suggesting that maybe Ted hits on Eva and she has to tell him who she is. But I don't feel like that's where the writing is going, so when I say inappropriate, I mean there was too much sexual chemistry between them and that would make upcoming storylines have the wrong tone, if they do make him her dad. Just my take. 

I think the list of jobs that were outlined above so well by @drivethroo is pretty solid for storytelling purposes. We might even venture further out more often, like to Derek's firehouse or the beauty or barber shop. 

Ooh, if they show flashbacks to Anita's early career, I wonder who would make a good Young Anita? 

Thank you about the Tomas take. I saw him today at the hospital and he could barely get his line out while trying to look cool and smoldering all at the same time. He failed.  Ambyr Michelle as Eva was doing all the heavy lifting. He definitely has a soap look but he can’t act in the least. 

[backhometome]

Has Doug even been show at the hospital once? Didn't think Doctors had all this free time (to gamble)

[AnimeMania]

S01.E20: Tuesday, March 25, 2025

[drivethroo]

10 hours ago, backhometome said:

Has Doug even been show at the hospital once? Didn't think Doctors had all this free time (to gamble)

He went to the hospital once and only made it to the nurses station before getting a call from Randy to come gamble.

Both Hamilton parents got a shocker from their daughters today.

I get the feeling that if it were up to Anita, she would let Martin get exposed to teach him a lesson but she doesn't want Smitty and the twins to get hurt.

Glad Smitty overheard Martin arguing about running for POTUS with his grandparents.

We also learned whatever Martin did, it was while he was in Congress, meaning whatever happened occurred in the last 10 years or less.  And he knows what he did.  My question is why doesn't SMITTY know what he did? How long have they been married?

Anita also warned other people know what Martin did and at least one of them was not to be trusted and I'm guessing that person is Bill. 

All this means Martin is extra stupid and deserves to be exposed because of his arrogance. Smitty and the kids don't deserve to get hurt though. I'm guessing Smitty is going to issue Martin a FU and go back to work.

Vernon knows Dani's been spiking her OJ.

Bill only got annoyed at Mike when Mike started going in on Hayley.  Otherwise, Bill was quiet IMO because why would you think it's ok to do that in the office? Tomas was like "My name is Bennett, I ain't in it."

[bayviewbubba]

So Dani is going to have an AA storyline eventually?  I want to see all the high jinx that come first.  She could be a very fun drunk.  Until she isn't.

[michelec]

Yeah, I need to see Martin fall. Hard. And I hope that includes Smitty taking the kids and leaving.

Edited Wednesday at 12:22 AM by michelec

[Sake614]

20 hours ago, drivethroo said:

Bill & Hayley's living room is equivalent to her wardrobe.

Dani’s decor isn’t any better. At least Bill and Hayley’s sofa isn’t fuchsia!

[Badsamaritan]

Martin is so very arrogant. His downfall will be deserved and delicious. Except for Smitty and the kids. Vernon and Anita never said they didn't believe in him, it's entirely about his secret coming out. Way to try to gaslight your grandparents there, MARTIN. 😒

Honestly, I'm not ready for an alcoholism story for Dani yet. I feel like we need more flashbacks of their married life together so I can connect to it. I wish she would take the opportunity, with Chelsea wanting to design her own stuff, to get back into modeling and build her own empire. 

Naomi vs Bill should be fun. I hope she goes for the jugular and then tells him 'I learned it by watching you!' 

Martin isn't even considering that Bill would blackmail him if he became president. He blackmailed the whole family just to get them to go to his wedding, he will definitely do it if Martin is president. He's not just arrogant, he's stupid too. 

 

[Rodney]

Shouldn't Chelsea be part of the third generation of whatever Anita's maiden name was, not a third-generation Dupree woman?  At least she finally admitted to Dani about her plans.  Not surprised that Dani didn't take it well, though.

Uh-oh.  Looks like Vernon's figured out that Dani is drinking.

Is Martin even thirty-five?  He can't run for President until he's that age, at the very youngest.

Those designers, Julia and Jonathan, actually liked what Dani did at the wedding?  Didn't see that coming!

Bill might've had no respect for Dani, but I appreciated him threatening to put Mike out a window over Hayley.  He has some basic respect for women, at least.

Martin got arrogance from Vernon?  I haven't seen an ounce of that from him.  Still, that was one of the most honest talks that he's had with Smitty.  He did admit that he wants his goals for both of them, not just himself.

If Vernon says that something's not a request, it sounds like you're expecting exactly when he wants you.

Naomi must be a really good lawyer for those ladies to want her representing them.  Bill's reaction to her serving him was awesome.  But it looked like it happened just as they were going to reconcile.

So Smitty knows now that Martin wants to be the President.  Because he overheard him talking to Anita and Vernon.  Yikes.

Good episode.

Edited 4 hours ago by Rodney

[mbluecpa]

10 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

Honestly, I'm not ready for an alcoholism story for Dani yet. I feel like we need more flashbacks of their married life together so I can connect to it. I wish she would take the opportunity, with Chelsea wanting to design her own stuff, to get back into modeling and build her own empire. 

👍

So far, the writers are doing a good job of making me wonder if Dani’s headed for the (inevitable?) alcoholism story or for being successful again on her own (the way she lit up about her new “brand”) - or maybe somehow partnering with Chelsea and Kat.  I like this exploration of the Dani character so far more than the Bill/Hayley/Dani conflict storyline, though it was the set up for where we are now.

Yesterday we got a lot of Anita as matriarch/family leader and I’m here for it.  Tamara Tunie looked fabulous, too.  And one of the glares she directed at Martin was scary!  We’ve had a couple of moments of Anita seeming to long for her performing days, so I wonder if something’s building there.

[AnimeMania]

5 hours ago, mbluecpa said:

We’ve had a couple of moments of Anita seeming to long for her performing days, so I wonder if something’s building there.

The charity event that Anita was planning needed entertainment, I was wondering if she might perform with the members of her singing group or solo in order to increase the media coverage or the donations.

Edited Wednesday at 04:28 PM by AnimeMania

[drivethroo]

9 hours ago, Rodney said:

Shouldn't Chelsea be part of the third generation of whatever Anita's maiden name was, not a third-generation Dupree woman? 

I was wondering the same thing too, especially since Anita was talking about how her parents were upset she decided to be a singer and go on tour. But there's no prestige in Anita's family name like there is with "Dupree."

9 hours ago, Rodney said:

Is Martin even thirty-five?  He can't go run for President until he's that age, at the very youngest.

This is why I think Martin is adopted because the only way for him to be around 35 would mean his parents are in their 60s at least and they are not.

9 hours ago, Rodney said:

Martin got arrogance from Vernon?  I haven't seen an ounce of that from him. 

IMO all politicians are arrogant to some degree...they have to be to think *they* should be the ones running things. Vernon may seem like some cuddly old man but he would've had to have some arrogance to think he could be a whole Senator of Maryland pre-2025 (in reality, Maryland just got their first Black Senator...in 2025).

Part of the narrative against the current Senator is white people were not going to vote for her because she is Black so it's best for her to step aside and let the white guy run against the other white guy. 

That was the mindset in 2024 ...just think of what Vernon had to go up against in the 80s/90s/00s/whenever it was when he was Senator...especially pre-Obama.

It was super hard for Vernon to get elected and he was probably super clean.  It was hard for Obama to get elected in 2008 and he was super clean but Martin you are a gay Black man with a shady blackmailable secret which was probably a serious crime and you think you're going to be POTUS? Really?

4 hours ago, mbluecpa said:

 And one of the glares she directed at Martin was scary!  

Anita had that "SCARY BLACK MOMMA" look.  If you know, you know. 👀

[Skarzero]

1 hour ago, drivethroo said:

This is why I think Martin is adopted because the only way for him to be around 35 would mean his parents are in their 60s at least and they are not.

I'm not sure what the writers were thinking with this here. I'm still impressed and happy with the show as a whole, but a few casting/writing choices I would've made differently if this is the story they wanted to tell.

Martin definitely should've been the youngest Dupree son instead of first born grandson. That would make him maybe millennial age, and definitely over 35 already. He definitely shouldn't have teenage aged adopted children. A toddler I could see or a kindergarten aged child. Kat should be Nicole & Ted's only child together or their eldest with a younger son who's still in school(like maybe freshman age in high school). That way Eva could still fit in the middle, either as Ted's affair baby or a stolen Ted/Nicole embryo, somehow. That's just off the top of my head. 

I feel bad for Chelsea but I appreciate the level of bravery it took for her to rip the band-aid off to Dani about quitting modeling. I for sure thought she was gonna dress it up and smooth talk her way out of it without triggering her mother. But I guess, between this and Naomi suing Bill, it's setting up a Bill/Chelsea vs. Naomi/Dani sort of conflict. Which I'm all for.

Edited Wednesday at 05:11 PM by Skarzero

[TiffanyNichelle]

I keep saying I need a flashback like the one of Dani & Bill but for Martin & Smitty to show me if they were ever really in love. Right now all I see is reasons that have me rooting for Smitty to take those kids and bounce. Martin seems to see Smitty & the kids as just showpieces to advance his career. Pull them out to make him look good to press and then put them back in their boxes when he's done. When Smitty was laying out all the different ways the kids have noticed that Martin seems to know nothing about their lives, Martin claimed he was busy with work but I don't buy it. The reason why he doesn't want Smitty to go back to work is because then Smitty wouldn't be there full time raising those kids for him.

I would also like their flashback to include a love scene. Everyone else is having sex or making out: Dani & Andre, Bill & Hayley had sex in limo on the way home, Derek & Ashley are always kissing, Chelsea has a throuple, even Vernon & Anita have canoodled more. Yet there's nothing going between Smitty and Martin and it's very telling, imo.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E21: Wednesday, March 26, 2025

[Rodney]

Wow.  Dani took Chelsea wanting to bail on modeling . . . surprisingly well.  I'm glad that she mentioned not wanting to be a hypocrite over her life's own trajectory.  Surprised to hear from Nicole that Dani actually left the family for quite some time when she started modeling.

But noooooooo.  Not Dani drinking again.  I hope that Nicole can soothe her.

I liked the Jacob/Hayley scenes.  Surprised that it's taken that long for them to interact.  I like that Jacob let Hayley know what's what -- that she and Bill betrayed Naomi, and that she has every right to be angry at them.  But I found it interesting that Hayley still loves and cares about Naomi.

Speaking of Hayley, I do love Marquita Goings's cute wink in her spot on the opening.

Speaking of Naomi, I'm proud of her for not backing down from Bill . . . even in spite of the really good points that he made.  And I'm confused as to why Jacob knew about the lawsuit, but didn't tell Hayley.

Tomas and Kat continue to be cute.  I love how Kat's enjoying the news of Bill getting sued.

So Martin didn't tell Smitty about running for President because he felt that he wouldn't support him.  But it turns out that Smitty is supportive, but is worried about the effect on Tyrell and Samantha.  At least Martin understood that.  Ooh, but him hiding from Evan, the guy who wanted to hire Smitty?  Yeah, that went so well.  Especially when he got exposed, anyway.  Ooh, I can't wait to see where this is going.

Good episode once again.

[drivethroo]

LOL the way I laughed when that guy blew up Martin's spot!

2 hours ago, Skarzero said:

That way Eva could still fit in the middle, either as Ted's affair baby or a stolen Ted/Nicole embryo, somehow.

I think Kat and Eva will end up being ghetto twins, either by Nicole and Leslie getting pregnant at the same time or Leslie stealing one of Ted/Nicole's embryos and having herself implanted.

48 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Surprised to hear from Nicole that Dani actually left the family for quite some time when she started modeling.

From what's been said, Anita and Dani had terrible fights about her modeling so Dani took off and left.  She probably only called them back up when she got pregnant. If she hadn't gotten pregnant and continued with her career, Dani probably would've left all of the Duprees in the dust and never looked back.

Bill and Hayley are both delusional Bill, for thinking this lawsuit will bring him and Naomi closer (Bill, you being married to Hayley actually doesn't help your case) and Hayley, for thinking she and Bill and Naomi can be one happy family again.

[tessaray]

5 hours ago, Skarzero said:

Martin definitely should've been the youngest Dupree son instead of first born grandson. That would make him maybe millennial age, and definitely over 35 already.

I have some thoughts about Martin's possible origins** but otoh, I don’t necessarily think Nicole and Ted would have to be 60s-ish to be Martin's parents. Some women do have kids in college and/or medical school. With well-to-do parents, she could have had a nanny. That said, this is the kind of pretzel logic I expect with a long-running soap, not one a month old. 

** Martin seemed very much like original Ted's son. Nicole's? 🤷‍♀️

[AnimeMania]

I was kind of hoping that Hayley was harassed by Mike, but never told anybody and would confirm the other women's stories. I thought Hayley might have known the other women well, since she is extremely friendly.

[drivethroo]

3 hours ago, tessaray said:

otoh, I don’t necessarily think Nicole and Ted would have to be 60s-ish to be Martin's parents. Some women do have kids in college and/or medical school. With well-to-do parents, she could have had a nanny.

Biologically, it is very possible Nicole and Ted could be in their mid 50s and be 35 year old Martin's parents. However it just doesn't fit their characters or timeline:

Ted & Nicole met at a medical conference, which implies they had to have been in their mid/late 20s/early 30s.

Duprees are very image conscious.  No way would they have had Nicole be a baby momma*, even if she was going to college. It would tarnish the Dupree image.

If Nicole did have a baby out of wedlock, IMO Vernon & Anita would've adopted Martin and raised him as the third Dupree sibling.  Dani wouldn't even have to know since she went virtually no contact with the family for 2 years*.

If Martin is not adopted by Ted & Nicole, I will speculate Martin is actually Ted**'s bio son but not Nicole's and she adopted him.  And that could lead to a "Who is Martin's real momma?" storyline.

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

I was kind of hoping that Hayley was harassed by Mike, but never told anybody and would confirm the other women's stories. I thought Hayley might have known the other women well, since she is extremely friendly.

I don't know if Hayley knew the blonde lady (forgot her name) or Stefania but she worked with the Asian lady. They were both receptionists and the Asian lady alleges after she refused a date with Mike, Hayley got the promotion to paralegal. At the very least, we know Bill was having sex with his employee and that could be considered sexual harassment too. Not a good look at all.

*Dani left home at 17 but came back around at 19 and I'm guessing this is when she married Bill.  I speculate she got pregnant with Naomi and was encouraged to marry Bill to keep up appearances.

**The original Ted actor is allegedly retweeting a Change.org petition to be returned to the show so he definitely didn't leave of his own accord.

 

[tessaray]

4 hours ago, drivethroo said:

Ted & Nicole met at a medical conference, which implies they had to have been in their mid/late 20s/early 30s.

I missed a day or two, so I missed that bit. Honestly, it never occurred to me that maybe Nicole had a baby on her own. I assumed they got together in college or med school. But yeah, agree that if Nicole isn't Martin's biological parent, Ted very well might be. 

[YaddaYadda]

Martin trying to hide behind his menu was hilarious. Too bad he didn't have sunglasses on. I'm glad Smitty knows what a duplicitous asshat he is married to, if he didn't know before. I don't even understand what Martin's problem is, tbh. Just quit tap dancing around the issue and tells us the real reason you don't want Smitty going back to work.

Bill is . . . something. He was clearly disgusted and uncomfortable by Mike and his disgusting jokes, goes as far as to ask him how he thinks a woman would think, but apparently the women suing are hysterical. Was he asleep during #metoo? This show heavily incorporates things from real life, so I'm assuming he heard of #metoo.

And Hayley benefited directly from the bad review one of the women got because she ended up with the paralegal job.

Also, please give Bill chairs that he fits. He looks like a giant who lives in a doll house. 

Dani has good friends. The flashback with Vanessa was a really good one. She has a solid entourage that is constantly in her rearview.

I'll join the chorus of people who wish the show would recast Tomas. Nothing against the actor, but the girl who plays Kat gives a lot in her scenes, she sparkles. His acting is just super bland. And I don't see any chemistry. 

[Badsamaritan]

I laughed several times during this episode, including when Naomi asked Jacob if he 'told that bitch to go to Hell' when he told her about running into Hayley lol. I like spicy Naomi. Standing ten toes down on business. 

Speaking of Hayley, and Bill too.... I see why they found each other, they're both delusional as fuck. I'm excited to see that Naomi and Hayley convo today. I hope Naomi hits her with some truths, and tells Hayley to leave her damn family alone. Mr. and Mrs. Hamilton could've moved anywhere else, had their wedding anywhere else but no, they wanna keep playing in people's faces. Run up, get done up, Hayley 🤷🏽‍♀️

I'm also looking forward to Nicole and Dani scenes. I was so happy to see Nicole came to check on Dani, and that she now sees how sad Dani is. I don't think we've really seen Dani grieve her loss, just mostly her anger, and my hope is that Nicole will recognize that and help her move through it. It will also be a good opportunity for the audience to see their bond as sisters. I really dig the familial scenes. 

[mbluecpa]

A good episode yesterday, and setting up for some good scenes coming up. 

I really liked the Bill/Naomi scenes, and think the performers really nailed them. Bill straddled the line between defensive and (I think) proud of his daughter while Naomi kept us wondering if she’d buckle or hold firm. 

I thought the Dani/Chelsea scenes were well-done too: Dani “grieving” in private while being supportive (well, kinda…”I wouldn’t say I’m OK” or similar line) to her daughter. 

Edited Thursday at 01:01 PM by mbluecpa

[Skarzero]

Oh wow Dani handled the news pretty well at first, then she went home to drink 😖 I'm still really happy for Chelsea though. 

19 hours ago, TiffanyNichelle said:

I would also like their flashback to include a love scene. Everyone else is having sex or making out

I agree but everyone else is straight, save for Chelsea, and tbh these days some people might find a racy story about a character sleeping with a couple of offscreen swingers less offensive than a monogamous gay couple lol. 

They want to do too much of the wrong things with Martin, imo. If they care about the opinions of homophobic viewers then they should've wrote Martin as unmarried, childless, and maybe even still in the closet seeing Smitty in secret. That would make his treatment of Smitty more understandable(not excuseable though). It would make for more compelling story, him being a controlling, paranoid, douche could be played as a reaction to the homophobia he faces as a black man in politics and from the community. Again not to excuse anything but it would make good for context if done well. 

Bill is a little too hopeful about getting back in his daughter's life via lawsuit lmao if not straight up delusional. But I still think he's one of the more nuanced characters and I like that. Naomi displays the same nuance well and I have a feeling this might be harder for her than she realizes, even with Hayley's annoying ass in the picture potentially driving her resolve to finish her dad in court.  

Speaking of which, Hayley is pushing it big time, Naomi is probably gonna read her for filth and she'll deserve it. She's expecting too much too soon from people, and she's gotta cut that crap out sooner or later. 

I understand the critique of the Tomas actor but at the same time, I see potential. So I'm gonna hang in there for a while longer. However it is worth mentioning that I am very biased because him & Kat are very cute together! 

[drivethroo]

3 hours ago, YaddaYadda said:

Nothing against the actor, but the girl who plays Kat gives a lot in her scenes, she sparkles.

Both Eva and Kat are carrying Tomas.

2 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

I really dig the familial scenes. 

It's the best part of the show.

2 hours ago, mbluecpa said:

Bill straddled the line between defensive and (I think) proud of his daughter

Bill was definitely pissed AND proud of Naomi.

3 hours ago, YaddaYadda said:

He was clearly disgusted and uncomfortable by Mike and his disgusting jokes, goes as far as to ask him how he thinks a woman would think, but apparently the women suing are hysterical.

Bill knows his bank account will be hysterical if he gave Mike the boot, since Mike is the one bringing the high dollar clients to the firm.

[TiffanyNichelle]

My favorite part about the Jacob & Hayley interaction was her grabbing his arm to stop him from leaving and he looked down at her hand like how dare you touch me. LOL! It was also at that moment I remembered that Hayley was probably also friends with Jacob. So to get Bill she lost her friendships with Naomi, Jacob, Ashley, and possibly Derek. This is why I can't wait for the Hayley/Naomi scenes today.

We've seen everyone else hash things out: Bill v Dani, Bill v Naomi, Dani v Hayley. But the one I've been waiting for is Hayley v Naomi. She trashed that friendship and thinks she can get it back that easily? She is delusional and I'm glad Jacob told her flat out that Naomi was done with her.

Bill is trash. Naomi is just looking for attention, the women are hysterical, and Mike brings in big business so he's all good?

[Sake614]

4 hours ago, YaddaYadda said:

Just quit tap dancing around the issue and tells us the real reason you don't want Smitty going back to work.

I mean, to me it’s pretty clear. He acknowledges that Smitty is the best investigative journalist around, and Martin has a huge secret that he’s keeping from all but a select few. If Smitty goes back to work, there’s a better than averages chance he will uncover said secret and blow up Martin’s life.  So for Martin, it’s better to keep the ‘little woman’ home in the kitchen.

[YaddaYadda]

2 hours ago, Sake614 said:

I mean, to me it’s pretty clear. He acknowledges that Smitty is the best investigative journalist around, and Martin has a huge secret that he’s keeping from all but a select few. If Smitty goes back to work, there’s a better than averages chance he will uncover said secret and blow up Martin’s life.  So for Martin, it’s better to keep the ‘little woman’ home in the kitchen.

I think it's the opposite. I think Smitty has a better chance at uncovering the truth while he's being forced to stay home being bored and witnessing Martin have his nightmares or whatever. He has nothing to occupy him. 

It feels like there's more to this than uncovering a truth that's been buried for who knows how many years.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E22: Thursday, March 27, 2025

[ShadowHunter]

The actor playing Tomas is not the best. I feel he is very stiff in certain scenes. He feels like a kid who is nervous to be on stage. He sparks with Eva a bit more but that is it. 

I am interested in Joey and Vanessa. It helps that Vanessa is a fun character so far and Jon Lindstrom can act.

So happy Martin got exposed in hiding the job offer from Smitty. In fact Smitty has learned alot in only one day.

[Rodney]

Nicole told it like it was with Dani.  She's definitely an addict when it comes to Bill.  Even Dani acknowledged that all of Nicole's points were accurate.  But she won't ever get over Bill, which makes both herself and Nicole upset.

Martin falling all over himself to explain himself to Smitty was pathetic.  He should've just told him what he did and why.  I don't blame Smitty for not giving him an inch.  Surprisingly, they came to a decent agreement by the end of their scenes.

What are Samantha and Tyrell hiding?

Hayley and Naomi's scenes were gold.  It was good to finally see them interact.  Naomi laid it out there that she'd once loved and trusted Hayley like a sister, only for Hayley to essentially take that love and trust and throw them both back in her face.  Hayley doesn't really seem to get that.  And she then tries to denigrate Naomi's choice to represent the three women.

Kat set a clever trap for Eva.  I'm interested in seeing if it works.  And she had her first interaction with Leslie, who was in a new disguise as a woman named Anna.  I'd have been suspicious of her interceding on Eva's behalf.

Interesting that Eva's stepfather, Alan, was bad to her.  But she seems to be striking a great rapport with Ted.

Seeing Ted makes me sad, considering that it sounds like Maurice Johnson didn't ask to leave.

So now Eva is imagining Leslie in Nicole's place?  Hoo boy.

You'd think that Marcel would've told Jacob that he was undercover in investigating Joey.  But Jacob was clearly mad at Elon for him suddenly going easier on him.

Ooh!  The Ted/Leslie tease at the end of the episode was a great cliffhanger for tomorrow!

Another good episode.

[drivethroo]

38 minutes ago, ShadowHunter said:

I am interested in Joey and Vanessa. It helps that Vanessa is a fun character so far and Jon Lindstrom can act.

Jon Lindstrom posted some photos of his secret commute to Atlanta back in December to film and hashtagged them #janessa ... hmm...

9 minutes ago, Rodney said:

What are Samantha and Tyrell hiding?

I think Tyrell is getting bullied

10 minutes ago, Rodney said:

So now Eva is imagining Leslie in Nicole's place?  Hoo boy.

Because ALIAS spun a sob story about how Evil Ted & Nicole deprived her and Eva of luxury and riches while they had to scratch and survive.

11 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Seeing Ted makes me sad, considering that it sounds like Maurice Johnson didn't ask to leave.

Seeing as though he was retweeting Change.org petitions to put him back on the show, it wasn't his choice to leave.

13 minutes ago, Rodney said:

Hayley doesn't really seem to get that. 

Hayley is in survival mode and people who live in survival mode will do and say anything to survive. And everyone else should just accept they did what they had to do and be not only ok with that, but ecstatic.

Hayley sees her way of life potentially being destroyed by Naomi so she's going to destroy Naomi first but also expect Naomi to forgive her and then they can play Care Bears or Strawberry Shortcake together again.

We've learned 2 pieces of information about Bill on this episode and yesterday's episode:

• Bill used young Dani's (and I would also assume Vernon's) network of high profile people to build his firm
• Bill won't fire Mike because Mike brings a lot of high profile, high paying clients to the firm

Bill is a user.  Why is he really with Hayley? Her backstory is she was this girl without a family who had nothing and the Hamiltons took her in and gave her a family. Why would Bill toss over Dani, who is still very well connected via her family, for Hayley, a scraggly orphan with nothing?

 

[YaddaYadda]

1 hour ago, drivethroo said:

Bill is a user.  Why is he really with Hayley? Her backstory is she was this girl without a family who had nothing and the Hamiltons took her in and gave her a family. Why would Bill toss over Dani, who is still very well connected via her family, for Hayley, a scraggly orphan with nothing?

I think the easiest answer is that Bill didn't need Dani anymore. So he dumped her. It's not like Hayley was his first affair either.

Bill seems to genuinely love Hayley, though. Or that's how it's coming across to me. So maybe he's about to find out what it is like to be used before being tossed aside for someone younger?

Did he even sign a prenup? Nothing's been mentioned about that.

[Badsamaritan]

"What are you having?" "Vodka and sadness" Dani plssss 😂😂

Whew, how Naomi refrained from reaching across the table and slapping the shit outta Hayley, I'll never know. 

Jacob is not having BTG Murdaugh and his bullshit lol. 

Now we know why Party City went out of business. Leslie bought ALL the damn wigs. I know they hated to see her coming. 😂

I was not disappointed in the Nicole and Dani scenes. More, please. 

Smitty is far too kind. Your husband is an asshole, honey, please move accordingly. 

[One Tough Cookie]

As the victim of severe sexual harassment {in a law firm}  I want to see Bill's balls hammered onto the wall for his casual condensing attitude and defense of Mike.

Not liking Dani at all.  And what the hell was she wearing on her feet/ socks, boots, I couldn't figure out,

Looking forward to the sexual harassment story.

[Dream Boy]

Ever since Andre told Nicole to check on Dani, I been waiting for my Nani scenes and they did not disappoint. I love these two sisters. Nicole was really trying to get through to her but Dani's just too gone at this point. You want to shake her and hug her at the same time.

Like most villains, Leslie is taking this too far and I have a feeling that it will backfire on her. 

Naomi showed incredible restraint because Hayley had far too much nerve in their scenes.

[Sake614]

1 hour ago, One Tough Cookie said:

 And what the hell was she (Dani) wearing on her feet/ socks, boots, I couldn't figure out,

 totally agree about the boots. I noticed them yesterday and thought WTF?  And as cute as Kat is and looks, if that skirt was any shorter, it would be a shirt!

[TiffanyNichelle]

5 hours ago, Badsamaritan said:

Now we know why Party City went out of business. Leslie bought ALL the damn wigs. I know they hated to see her coming.

When Leslie popped up in yet another wig I almost died laughing. I also loved that Ted recognized her right away. She needs to run into Mona and Ashley's mother in one of those wigs one day.

We got another peek at the real Hayley when she told Naomi that Bill's firm was going to squash the lawsuit, destroy Naomi's tiny firm and make them pay the legal bills. She seemed to relish it once she realized Naomi wasn't buying her innocent "I accidentally fell in love with your married father who cheats on your mother" story.