On the Tuesday, September 8 episode of”Beyond the Gates,” Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) set Ted (Keith D. Richardson) up to fail with the Johnson brothers, Anita (Tamara Tunie) laid down the law, and Jacob (Jibre Hordges) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) found themselves in the hot seat after Smitty (Mike Manning) sat on it first.
Mo Money Interlude
Sharon (Bonita Brisker) read an article about her and Tracy (Maria Howell) performing at D.C. Jazz Fest the previous night – which made sure to mention Anita’s absence. Anita was at least glad that she and Vernon got to take in the show, and she chuckled at Vernon running her through remedies to help her voice heal after chemo. The topic turned to Lia Whitmore’s death, and Anita observed that both Lia and Barbara had died by suicide, though The Articulettes were able to bring the conversation back around to what they remembered most fondly about their friend.
Vernon (Clifton Davis) met with Leslie at the country club, ignoring her diversions and compliments to cut to the chase: Anita didn’t want Leslie as a producer on the new record featuring Barbara’s restored voice. Leslie bitterly cited Anita and the others as the reason she’d never gotten to know her mother and lost Vernon when she called Anita an “uptight control freak.”
I Wish I Never Met You
Shanice (Ernestine Johnson) and Monica (Iona Morris) predicted the turnout for Ted’s meeting with Shanice’s brothers, Cedric and Lamont Johnson, at the country club. Indeed, Lamont and Cedric arrived at Fairmont Crest – Cedric seemed a little more willing to take a chance on his sister’s boyfriend, but Lamont sniffed that Ted was trying to flex by having them get together with him in the posh surroundings.
The men became annoyed when Ted arrived late to their meeting, even after the wait staff informed them that Ted had called to apologize for his tardiness and assured them he would be there momentarily. Just then, Leslie, who had been eyeing Lamont and Cedric during her meeting with Vernon, introduced herself…as the woman Ted had had an affair with.
Though Leslie blithely went on that she had borne Ted’s child while his wife was struggling with miscarriages, both Cedric and Lamont clocked Leslie as a jealous woman with an ax to grind, telling her that, if Ted were really as awful as Leslie was saying, Shanice wouldn’t have anything to do with him. Yet, when Ted finally entered, expressing his regret that he had gotten held up in surgery, his prospective brothers-in-law decided he was a deadbeat doctor who had paid his babymama to go away. Ted tried to defend himself, but the men upped and walked away. He later told Shanice that he would find a way to win them over.
Usual Suspects
Ashley (Jen Jacob) ran into Jacob at Orphey Gene’s, where the detective shared his hunch that something was off about Lia’s death. Worried that The Impaler might put a target on Grayson’s back again, Ashley blurted out that she loved him – Jacob was taken by surprise but was of the opinion that Derek would have wanted Ashley to move on and be happy. Once Ashley left, Naomi found her husband, pleased that they had talked things through the night before and acknowledging that she should have gone straight to Jacob with her concerns rather than talking to Elon.
Naomi was stunned when Jacob announced that he had to question Smitty, since he was the last person to see Lia alive. She rushed to the Richardson-Smith home, where Smitty and Martin were talking about Tyrell’s upcoming going away party. Martin saw that Smitty was blaming himself for Lia’s death, but before Martin could convince Smitty that there was no reason he should have seen the signs of Lia’s apparent dismay, Naomi showed up at the door to warn Smitty that he was about to be interrogated.
Sound Of Da Police
Jacob was right behind her and was flummoxed when Naomi abruptly declared that she was there in her official capacity as Smitty’s attorney – which confused even Smitty. Both Martin and Naomi ran interference during Jacob’s interview, though Smitty was willing to be forthright. Smitty, answering why he hadn’t told Jacob about visiting Lia a second time, said it was because Jacob credited Smitty’s article with busting up the Red Market’s San Francisco operation, which had inspired him to go to Lia again.
Naomi and Jacob butted heads in their official respective roles as lawyer and cop, but afterward Naomi stood up for Jacob to an aggrieved Martin, insisting that Jacob was right not to give Smitty special treatment just because they were extended family. Smitty sensed that Lia’s death was now being treated as a murder and that his work had made him a part of that case.
What’s Yo Credit Score
Vernon returned to the Dupree mansion, sighing that Leslie wouldn’t budge – she still wanted the producer credit. Sharon demanded that Anita swallow her pride so that the recording could go forward, but Anita laid out Leslie’s many sins, particularly the fact that she had tried to kill Laura twice. Tracy couldn’t deny that Leslie was a “nightmare,” but intuited that she had turned out that way because they had sent Barbara spiraling by letting Dante Green kick her out of the group.
Anita took off, determined to handle things her way. Later, at the country club, she found Leslie. Anita agreed to Leslie’s terms. In exchange, Leslie would have to agree to sit quietly in the booth while the record was being produced and not use her credit as leverage in the future. Leslie consented and tried to hug Anita, who recoiled. Anita’s only response was the harbinger that one inevitably reaped what one sowed…and the implication that Leslie was overdue for a harvest.
Beyond The Gates: Clip Of The Day
Check out a clip from today’s episode below.
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