On the Monday, October 19, 2026 episode of ‘Beyond the Gates’, Ashley (Jen Jacob) finally made first contact, Anita (Tamara Tunie) kept digging and digging, and Shanice (Ernestine Johnson) went United Nations in the DMV.
Talk About Talk About Talk About Movin’
Kat (Colby Nixon) visited Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix), knowing from her beloved crime podcasts that innocent people like Smitty got convicted all the time. Nicole did her best to reassure Kat, who remembered that it had been a year since Nicole had served Ted with divorce papers. Kat wondered if Nicole found the news of Ted’s engagement to Shanice a gut punch; Nicole didn’t but thought Kat might be projecting.
Though Kat couldn’t deny she had held on to a shred of hope because of the spark that still seemed to exist between her parents, she also conceded that Ted and Shanice were a good fit. Nicole was surprised to hear that Kat had blabbed to Leslie about the upcoming wedding; Kat felt it had been her duty to burst Leslie’s bubble about any fantasies she still had about Ted. Yet Kat had to admit that Leslie seemed genuine about her feelings for Marcel, and she wished the two would ride off into the sunset together…and take Eva with them.
I Can See All Obstacles In My Way
Ted (Keith D. Robinson) ran into his ex-in-laws at the country club, expressing his surprise that no one had told him about Smitty’s arrest. Vernon (Clifton Davis) and Anita assured Ted that his being Kat and Martin’s father meant he’d always be a part of the family; Ted was glad to hear that since he was getting married again. This was the first the Duprees were hearing about the wedding, and they were concerned how Leslie was taking it. Ted said that “Dana” had actually brought Shanice flowers and seemed okay.
Anita had to allow that Leslie and Marcel were a strange but suitable match, though she and Vernon hoped that Marcel hadn’t told Leslie anything about Hayley’s blackmail or Martin’s unintentional act of murder. Ted was certain that Leslie would have used that information against them already if she’d been privy to it, and he vowed to the Duprees that he had no intention of bringing Shanice into the loop. Anita and Vernon were both relieved to hear that.
Wish U Were Here
At Garland Memorial, Grayson (Jordi Vilasuso) brought Ashley a thank-you card from his mother in response to Ashley bringing her a special pen that made writing for Parkinson’s patients easier. Ashley was glad to finally have met the woman, and when Shanice saw Ashley and Grayson kissing, she allowed it. Ashley gushed that Ted and Shanice’s engagement had everyone thinking of romance, and after Ashley left to change out of her scrubs, Shanice told Grayson that it was great to see Ashley happy.
Grayson acknowledged that Ashley was probably still not through mourning Derek. Shanice concurred that none of them were, but she laughed at the idea of installing Derek as a bouncer at her wedding and watching him carry Leslie out fireman style. Grayson asked if Shanice’s brothers had come around to Ted; Shanice sighed that they hadn’t but that Monica would tip the scales, since she could vouch for Ted personally. All that was left, Shanice decided, was to ensure that Kat and Eva didn’t have a food fight during the reception.
Seattle Shuffle
Izaiah (Lami) found Eva (Ambyr Michelle) wearing one of his T-shirts; she said she had taken it on her work trip to Seattle so she could have something with her that smelled like him. Eva was still dubious about Leslie’s non-reaction to the news of Ted’s engagement and berated Kat for announcing it; Eva theorized that Kat might have purposely tried to get a rise out of Leslie so that Leslie would keep Ted from remarrying.
Eva gave Izaiah a T-shirt she had bought for him from an airport gift shop in Seattle, wanting him to have something that reminded him of the Pacific Northwest where he had lived. Izaiah appreciated the gesture, since he had grown past his juvenile delinquent phase there. Eva commented that Joey had believed in him, then left to meet Shanice. Izaiah ran into Ted later and learned that Shanice was also planning to bring Kat into her conversation with Eva. Ted wasn’t worried, but Izaiah said Ted should be there in case “things [went] left.”
Leave Well Enough Alone
Anita had Vernon drop her off at Nicole’s so she could see how her daughter was holding up in regard to Ted’s engagement. Nicole admitted that she’d had the wind knocked out of her for a moment when she’d found out about it, but added that she was doing better than she expected, especially since she had Kial in her life. Anita pressed and reminded Nicole that Shanice was now getting the future Nicole had thought was hers, seemingly on a mission to get Nicole to admit that she was more hurt than she was letting on.
“It hurts like hell, doesn’t it,” Anita said after Nicole swore she would be all right if Ted and Shanice decided to move into Fairmont Crest. Nicole felt that it wasn’t productive to keep digging deeper the way Anita wanted her to – she’d realized she’d been mourning the death of a dream and had had a good cry over it, which she felt was enough. Anita disagreed, not wanting any desire Nicole might still have to get back together with Ted to come up once he and Shanice were married.
Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming
As soon as Kat and Eva saw each other at Orphey Gene’s, the claws came out – but they quickly realized they had been set up by Shanice. Eva told their future stepmother that she and Kat were going to feel the way they felt about each other, and Kat concurred. Shanice still hoped that both of Ted’s daughters would take part in the wedding somehow for his sake; Kat snarked that Eva couldn’t be trusted, and Eva clapped back that Kat couldn’t stop taking shots at her.
Shanice implored Eva and Kat to put their differences aside just for the wedding. Later, Ted arrived to find Shanice in tears, but she clarified they were happy ones. Kat and Eva told Ted that they only thing they had in common – besides a shared liver – was their love for him, and their gratitude that Shanice had made him happy. Therefore, they were putting a truce in place so that Ted could have the wedding that he deserved. Shanice and Ted were overjoyed, and Eva and Kat seemed strangely satisfied with their decision.
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