On the Monday, August 31 episode of “Beyond the Gates,” news of Lia Whitmore’s death made the rounds as Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett) put Hayley (Marquita Goings) to the test, and Heather (Ashley Jones) got played by Andre (Sean Freeman).
Expression
Bill remained cryptic with Hayley, asking about her dental appointment and whether she’d scheduled one for him while she was there. Seeing Bill’s disappointment that she wasn’t on top of his dental hygiene, since it related to heart health, Hayley danced around, trying to placate him, while he continued to play cat-and-mouse with her. Acting satisfied, Bill gave Hayley the rest of the day off, then stared, concerned, at his photo of them.
Caroline (Ellie Wang) entered and saw Bill’s dismay; when he began questioning her about Hayley, she admitted that her friendship with Hayley had fallen by the wayside in recent days. Caroline was shocked when she learned that Bill had begun giving credence to his daughters’ theory that Hayley was cheating on him with “Sammy.” Though she had no knowledge of Hayley and “Sammy” spending any time together, Caroline promised to give Bill an update on that score if she had cause to.
Bill returned home, being chilly to Hayley and refusing her attempt to have sex. “What do you take me for?” Hayley was stunned by Bill’s sudden barrage of questions about whether she was fulfilled and whether she had a problem with him being substantially older than she was. When Bill all but accused her of not being capable of telling the truth, Hayley again gave him a song-and-dance about how much she loved him and how devoted she was to him. Bill accepted this — on the surface, as when he pulled her into an embrace, he didn’t look convinced. Hayley, for her part, seemed worried.
Madvillainy
Interrogated by police chief Elon (Malachi Malik), Joey (Jon Lindstrom) shrugged that he had no idea why Lia would suddenly have been found dead in her jail cell. Joey took offense when Elon suggested that he might have the inside track because he moved in similar circles to The Impaler, scoffing that the town’s kingpins didn’t get together for meetings like they were in the Legion of Doom. Elon was also intrigued that Joey had never mentioned having a sister, but Joey retorted that Elon wasn’t privy to family information because they weren’t friends; they only had a working relationship.
After Elon left, Joey thought back to telling Heather that he didn’t want her “trail of dead bodies” to bring the police to his door; Heather had replied by crowing that people assuming The Impaler was a man made her doings easier. Then, Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) arrived with her interior decorator to begin redesigning the back room, but Joey was in no mood for surprise visitors and barely allowed them even a quick assessment of the space.
Later, alone with Joey, Vanessa could see something serious was on his mind, but he spat that he didn’t want to talk – and that Vanessa needed to start thinking “strategically,” since it wasn’t safe to just let random strangers onto his property. Vanessa became angry and was about to leave when Joey apologized, prompting her to say that he didn’t need to deal with his stress alone. Joey called Vanessa the highlight of his days, and they hugged, each still appearing troubled.
You’re Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)
Grayson (Jordi Vilasuso) rushed into Garland Memorial and told Ashley (Jen Jacob) that Lia was dead. As they talked, Heather arrived – having purposely sliced her hand with a knife – and listened in on the conversation. Heather eyed Grayson as he left, and when Ashley met Heather and saw she was wounded, she arranged for Heather to get stitches. Afterward, Ashley joked that Heather shouldn’t play with knives.
Jacob (Jibre Hordges) wasn’t surprised when Grayson suddenly arrived at the precinct, fearing for his life because The Impaler seemed to be “tying up loose ends.” Grayson knew in his gut that Lia’s death hadn’t been because of an accidental overdose or from killing herself; Jacob was only willing to commit to established facts, not theories – and so far, Lia’s demise was only in the early stages of investigation. Elon returned to the station as Jacob told Grayson that not enough people knew about him cooperating with the authorities for him to be in any danger.
Once Grayson left, Elon felt that The Impaler case had probably come to its natural conclusion. Jacob disagreed, still determined to make the leader of the Red Market pay for Derek’s death – and adding that, if they could find proof that Lia had been murdered, it would be enough to identify The Impaler and bring him down once and for all.
Grayson returned to the hospital, somewhat relaxed by Jacob’s lack of concern about him potentially having a target on his back. Still, Grayson suggested that he and Ashley keep their distance for her safety, but she insisted on staying by the side of the man she loved. This was the first time Ashley had professed her love for Grayson, and he reciprocated the sentiment.
Revelation Song
Dani visited Nicole, perturbed by Chelsea and Kat’s design house being in jeopardy because of their association with Takahashi, the Tokyo-based company that supposedly used sweatshops and child labor. When Dani mentioned that she and Andre were going to Asia anyway because of his photography gig in Seoul, Nicole wondered how Dani would react if Bill had another medical crisis while she was away. As Dani defended herself, Nicole received a call from Vernon letting her know that Lia was reported dead.
Her hand bandaged, Heather was surprised to see Carlton (Robert Christopher Riley) at the hospital – and to learn that he was a plastic surgeon. After Heather read his name on his ID badge, Carlton flirted heavily with her and asked for her name – though she would only give him her first. Nicole and Dani emerged and witnessed the sparks between Carlton and Heather; Nicole was shocked not only to learn that Dani was fast becoming besties with Heather, but that Heather was Joey’s sister.
Soon alone with Carlton, Nicole let him know that their former chief of staff had died. The news rattled Carlton, but he was truly startled when Nicole revealed that his new playmate and Joey were siblings.
Runnin’ Game
Andre was in the middle of packing for his and Dani’s trip to Seoul when Ted (Keith D. Robinson) stopped by – to convey the news of Lia’s death, and also to find out why Andre had been so spooked as of late. Ted deduced that it had to do with a woman since Andre had made so many inquiries about how he had handled his affair with Leslie. Andre didn’t deny that a lover from his past had surfaced…and that there was no telling what the unpredictable woman would do if she got “pissed off.” Ted appreciated Andre’s urgency in taking Dani out of town, but maintained that the problem wouldn’t be gone when he returned.
Ted reminded Andre that he had plenty of experience dealing with “unhinged exes” (read: Leslie) and proposed that, instead of running away, Andre tackle the situation head-on. Perhaps there was a way that Andre could outsmart his mystery woman. Taking that to heart, Andre showed up at Heather’s hotel room, where she swooned that she’d known he’d be back. Andre saw her injured hand and asked about it, saying that just because their relationship was in the past didn’t mean he’d ever stop caring about her.
Heather loved this, and Andre’s admission that seeing her again had brought up many memories. He held her hands, but he refuted that there was more to him coming by to report that he was going overseas with Dani; Andre could have just sent her a text, Heather said. Heather resumed caressing Andre, then abruptly kissed him, and Andre leaned into it, kissing her back, though after a moment he scurried away, saying he shouldn’t have done it. In her room, Heather giggled in joyful disbelief; outside, Andre wore a determined but doubtful expression.
Beyond The Gates: Clip Of The Day
Check out a clip from today’s episode below.
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