On the Thursday, September 17, 2026, episode of “Beyond the Gates,” Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett) took an unscheduled nap, Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) caught Marcel’s (Darryl W. Handy) feelings, and Smitty (Mike Manning) was featured in a video he didn’t know he made.
No New Friends
Hayley (Marquita Goings) tried to avoid Leslie at Orphey Gene’s, but Leslie coaxed her to come to her table and meet Marcel. Hearing that Leslie wanted to be besties with Hayley, Marcel chuckled that there was no sense in fighting Leslie when she wanted something. Later, Leslie privately reminded Hayley that she could be an ally – and it also wouldn’t hurt for Hayley to have a police officer in her corner. Hayley waved Leslie off again and took her leave.
Leslie brought Marcel to her hotel room for some sexy time, but afterward he stopped short of admitting he had feelings for her, given the casual nature of their relationship. After Marcel’s slip, Leslie asked him why he was so into her. Marcel called Leslie the most thrilling woman he’d ever met and asked why she found it hard to believe that any man wouldn’t want more than a good time with her. Leslie vulnerably said that she’d had to chase every other man in her life, looking thoughtful after Marcel said he wasn’t every other man and kissed her goodbye.
Why You Wanna Trip On Me
Dani (Karla Mosley) visited Anita (Tamara Tunie) at the mansion, gifts from South Korea in hand. Anita was glad that Dani and Andre had enjoyed their second honeymoon – and celebrated their first anniversary – and wanted to be sure that Bill hadn’t been on Dani’s mind even for a second while she’d been away. When Dani admitted that Bill had texted her, Anita got on Dani’s case to the point that Dani blurted out she was tired of feeling guilty. Anita pressed the matter, but Dani had answers for everything.
Vernon (Clifton Davis) was at the country club preparing a lecture for Banneker University when Andre (Sean Freeman) strolled by. Inviting Andre to sit with him, Vernon asked about the Seoul trip and was amazed that Dani hadn’t cut hers short to come home and check up on Bill. Andre was honest that Bill had texted Dani while they were away, though he flinched when he claimed he had been Dani’s sole focus while overseas.
Go 2 Sleep
Bill and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) were tending to law firm business when Bill suddenly asked when Dani was returning from Asia. Naomi replied that Bill’s constant check-ins about Dani were more than curiosity, which was a problem. After Naomi left, Bill struggled to focus on his work, and Vernon interrupted him.
Vernon was annoyed that Bill had texted Dani while she was on her second honeymoon and warned him to stay in his lane, citing Bill’s earlier admission that he had made a mistake in divorcing Dani. Deducing that Vernon had learned about the texts from Andre, Bill labeled Andre insecure but promised Vernon that he wasn’t a threat to Dani’s marriage, despite their unexpected post-divorce closeness. “I know there’s no going back,” Bill averred to the patriarch.
Hayley brought Bill breakfast from Orphey Gene’s, then excused herself to call an international shipping company to get rates on sending some of her belongings to St. Bart’s. Alone, Bill tried to turn his attention back to his tasks, but he grew woozy and slumped back, unconscious, in his chair. He did come to eventually, though he was too weak to rise from his chair. “That’s it,” he said to himself, his voice shaking. He picked up his phone and told his caller, “I need to see you” — emphasizing that it couldn’t wait.
Are You That Somebody?
Smitty was summoned to the precinct by Jacob (Jibre Hordges). Martin (Brandon Claybon) wanted to accompany him for support, but Smitty thought it unwise to risk them being seen walking into a police station together right before the midterms. Instead, at Smitty’s request, Martin called Naomi, who met Smitty at the department, where she and Jacob set the ground rules that they were there as detective and lawyer, not husband and wife.
Under questioning, Smitty told Jacob that he hadn’t seen Max, his one-time informant from the blood plasma ring, since just before Max had been stabbed and sent to the hospital months earlier. Jacob produced security footage from Uptown which showed Max handing Smitty a pouch much more recently – two days before Lia had died. Naomi urged Smitty to say nothing more and alerted Jacob that the interview was over.
Returning to the brownstone, Naomi wanted to know if Smitty had been holding anything back. Smitty assured her and Martin that, to his knowledge, Max was in the Witness Protection program and insisted that the date on the video was wrong. Not to mention, Smitty added, Max hadn’t ever given him anything, much less a pouch. When neither Smitty nor Martin could provide an alibi for Smitty’s whereabouts at the time the video was supposedly made, Naomi warned the couple to direct any further inquiries on the subject to her.
Just Because You Read It In A Magazine Or See It On A TV Screen Don’t Make It Factual
Naomi returned to the station, and she and Jacob smiled that they were once again communicating as marrieds. When she let Jacob know that she had decided to officially take Smitty on as a client, Jacob remarked that they would be on opposite sides of the investigation and therefore were sure to hit a few bumps, but he was sure he and Naomi could handle it. Naomi chimed in that it would be simple for them not to take their work home.
Smitty confided in Martin that he had a bad feeling something ugly was coming. Firm in his statement that the meeting with Max shown on the video had never taken place, Smitty expressed his belief that The Impaler was setting him up.
Beyond The Gates: Clip Of The Day
Check out a clip from today’s “Beyond the Gates” below.
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