Beyond the Gates presents Nicole Dupree Richardson (Daphnee Duplaix) already losing it, and Dana ‘Leslie’ Thomas (Trisha Mann-Grant) will too once word spreads more about Ted Richardson (Keith D. Robinson)’s engagement to Shanice Johnson (Ernestine Johnson). Usually, Nicole and Leslie have nothing in common, but this time they really do. Both of them are going to be hard hit by Ted’s big news.
We’re going to talk about Nicole’s meltdown that we’re already seeing, plus what happens with Leslie and reactions from others in Ted’s friend and family circle. Some good, some bad.
Beyond the Gates: How Ted’s Daughters React
So, before we talk about their moms, Leslie and Nicole, let’s talk about how Ted’s daughters, Kat Richardson (Colby Muhammad) and Eva Thomas Richardson (Ambyr Michelle), will react. Although those two do not like each other, both of Ted’s daughters will be excited for Ted because they both like Shanice, and they have supported their relationship.
Of course, we know that Eva never thought Leslie stood a chance to win back Ted. And in fact, Leslie’s constant flirting and come-ons to Ted really bother Eva. She is always worried that Leslie’s antics might negatively impact her and Ted’s father-daughter relationship that Eva has fought so hard for. And of course, once Ted tells Eva that he and Shanice are engaged, Eva is already going to expect she’s going to have to deal with some insane mama drama from Leslie.
Leslie’s out on BTG
Meanwhile, this week, Kat is really smug about the engagement news because she knows it’ll hurt Leslie, and that leads to a scene from the promo at Uptown. Kat is telling Eva, “Now Leslie knows it’s game over for good.” Obviously, Kat’s excited to see a ring on Shanice’s finger, because that means Leslie is officially out of luck with Ted. And Eva calls Kat a cold-hearted B, and she tells Eva she’s proud to be a B if it is about protecting her family. So, despite Kat and Eva both approving of their dad Ted’s engagement, this news will not bring Kat and Eva any closer.
Beyond the Gates: Nicole Is Crushed
But also, Kat may be surprised to find out Leslie’s not the only ex of Ted’s to be really upset about the engagement, because Nicole is crushed about Ted putting a ring on it. So, now let’s talk about Nicole’s reaction. We saw Beyond the Gates paralleling Ted taking a big step forward with Shanice. At the same time, Nicole was taking a tiny step forward with Dr. Kial Rollins (Greg Vaughan). But while Ted was giving Shanice a ring, we saw Nicole giving Kial a house key to the door and her heart.
But it’s not been that long ago that Ted was trying to win back Nicole. She was just telling Dani Dupree (Karla Mosley) it was only a year ago Ted was trying to convince Nicole to call off the divorce. And now Ted’s set to marry another woman by the end of the year. So, Nicole thinks Ted is moving really fast. While Nicole is taking baby steps with Kial, we’ve got Ted taking a huge leap forward with Shanice.
Nicole Hides her Feelings on BTG
So, a while back, I don’t know if you remember this, Nicole was planning to tell Ted that sometimes when she’s in bed with Carlton Fitzgerald (Robert Christopher Riley), she’s fantasizing about Ted. At the time, Nicole’s subconscious was clearly kind of rethinking things between her and Ted. But before Nicole could make that naughty confession, Shanice walked in and interrupted, and Ted ran over to embrace his new girlfriend. So Nicole saw how close Ted and Shanice were, so she just dropped it. But now Nicole may regret not taking that chance and speaking up months ago.
So, when Ted and Shanice came back from New York, Ashley Morgan (Jen Jacob) freaked out when she saw Shanice flashing that big engagement ring. Almost immediately, Nicole was there and saw it. And then she made an excuse to run off alone to her office, where she called Dani and then broke down in tears. So, Nicole told Dani that yes, she wants Ted to be happy, but Nicole just can’t figure out why Ted’s news is hurting her like this. Nicole also told Dani that she is happy with Kial.
This week’s spoilers say Nicole does an about-face with Ted. So Nicole may tell Ted she thinks he’s moving on too fast. Nicole might compare it to Ted moving on with Leslie when they were married. We could see Nicole realizing, with Ted about to marry Shanice, that she may want another chance with her ex Ted, because Nicole never wanted her marriage to Ted to even end. It was his fling with Leslie that broke them.
Beyond the Gates: Leslie Is Going to Lose It
And now let’s talk about Eva’s crazy mom, because you know that Leslie is going to lose her whole entire mind when she finds out Ted put a ring on Shanice’s finger. Leslie already hates Shanice. She’s so jealous of her. Leslie always condescends to Shanice. She loves to call her “nursy.” And in Leslie’s addled brain, she really thought, long-term, Ted was going to realize he still loves Leslie, that he can’t live without her, and that he would come running back.
But Ted has not wanted Leslie in decades. But it didn’t help that Ted got drunk last year and banged Leslie, because it gave her false hope. And we’ve seen Eva telling Leslie over and over, “Just stop it. See the reality of the situation.” Eva told Leslie, “Don’t lose Marcel Malone (Darryl W. Handy) because you’re hoping for something with Ted that’s never going to happen.” But Leslie’s going to lose it because Shanice got what Ted never gave Leslie, a ring and a commitment.
So, I’m expecting Eva’s mom to get even crazier. Leslie may work overtime to find ways to make Shanice’s life miserable. She might try and ruin the wedding. And if Leslie’s really acting out, she may blow up at Marcel and ruin things with him. I’m sure Eva is going to try and talk Leslie down, but she’ll be devastated and, of course, will act out.
The Richardsons and Duprees React on BTG
All right, let’s talk about other reactions. We already have seen how Andre Richardson (Sean Freeman) reacted, and it looks like Martin Richardson (Brandon Claybon) was told off-screen and gave a thumbs-up. Ted’s son Martin is busy with his campaign. Plus, Bradley ‘Smitty’ Smith (Mike Manning)’s arrested this week, so that’s a problem. Martin gave Ted his blessing to ask Andre to be his best man. Then Ted told Andre his big news and asked him to stand up for him at his wedding. Andre was very proud to say yes to Ted. And we know Martin and Andre really like Shanice. We’ve seen that Ted really lucked out with his family, because they all like Shanice.
We’re also going to get reactions from the Duprees. I’m sure that Vernon Dupree (Clifton Davis) and Anita Dupree (Tamara Tunie) may worry about Nicole’s reaction to the engagement. Maybe Kat’s, too. But they also like Shanice and agree she’s 1,000% better than if Ted wound up with Leslie. But Anita may realize Nicole’s taking it hard. I’m guessing Kial is going to notice it, too. I’m sure he’ll congratulate Ted like a gentleman, though.
Anita Worries on BTG
And Anita may sit down Dani and Nicole and quiz them about their exes. Because with Bill Hamilton (Timon Kyle Durrett) newly single, Anita is already worried that Bill might pursue Dani and she would leave Andre for him. So, Anita might also worry that Nicole could self-sabotage things with Kial, judging by how hard Nicole is taking the news of Shanice and Ted’s engagement.
We’ll see if Nicole tells her, or maybe Dani spills to Anita about Nicole crying on her shoulder. We’ll see. Nicole may prefer Dani keeps that to herself, but she may not. Anita does not like that both Dani and Nicole were cheated on in their marriages. So, I suspect Anita may keep a close eye on both her girls after the Bill messiness. And now Ted is taking this big step forward with Shanice, and that has rocked Nicole’s world. Plus, Leslie may make life harder on the Duprees when she inevitably lashes out about Ted’s engagement.
