Beyond the Gates: Leslie Has a Master Plan… But Will It Explode in Her Face?
Beyond the Gates: Leslie Has a Master Plan… But Will It Explode in Her Face?
As the fallout from Leslie’s stunt at Ted and Nicole’s anniversary party continued to spread on Beyond the Gates this week, Nicole finally got to have her say. And we can’t imagine what’s going to come out of Leslie’s mouth next! Let’s run it down.
Cold as Ice, Queen
I finally got to see my favorite ice queen react. I was craving this last week (ICYMI, here’s that column), and Nicole did not disappoint. While I love Dani’s penchant for drama, like pulling a gun at Bill’s wedding, I’m so glad the two sisters didn’t react the same way to betrayal. That shows the writers’ commitment to characterization over plot (for now), and I appreciate it.
Nicole cut Ted without raising her voice. She interrogated him like a very pretty Terminator. Ten out of 10, no notes. Ted, however, was lacking in the passion. He said a lot of passionate stuff, but he showed no emotion. No tears. He should have been on his knees. I wanted to see teary-eyed declarations of love. Promises of undying devotion backed up by sleeping outside her door. Womp womp for me.
Would a Little Support Kill ’Em?
Meanwhile, over at Chez Dupree, the family was worrying about Nicole, but no one was with her. Then Chelsea let Leslie into the manse. I get that this is a soap, but I don’t buy that Chelsea would do that. Nor do I believe that an unhinged woman like Leslie would ring the doorbell. It would have been fun to see Leslie break in. But I digress. After exchanging a few barbs with Leslie — no new information revealed, by the way — the family gathered around the piano. That’s right, the piano. Anita sang “Amazing Grace.”
At first, I wondered if I was having some kind of brain misfire. Nicole is having one of the worst nights of her life, and the family is singing. Holy family dysfunction, Batman! If that had been Dani, the family would have been strategizing and taking shifts to watch over her. Maybe that’s why Dani acts the way she does: to get attention. Poor Nicole does everything right, and nobody comes to her aid, except for her own daughter, Kat, aka Ice Queen Jr.
So, Uh, What’s the Plan, Leslie?
I will confess to being confused as to what in the hell Leslie plans to do now. She still wants Ted. We can tell that by the daydreams she has. But then she turns on Eva, the only leverage she has to get to Ted. Huh?
She pleads Eva’s case to the Duprees, asking them to treat her as nicely as they treat Kat. It didn’t make sense because Eva is Ted’s daughter, not Nicole’s. The Duprees have nothing to do with Eva. What? And how does she plan to show the Duprees that Eva is worthy of their love? She kicks Eva out of her home. Makes no sense.
In the Friday cliffhanger, Leslie finally trespassed into Nicole’s home. Can’t wait to see what the ice queen does next week. The cliffhanger also reminded me how alone and unprotected Nicole is. Dani’s out confronting Ted when she should have been by Nicole’s side. Anita and Vernon couldn’t be bothered to go over to Nicole’s home. She had to go to their house to get their support.
Anyway, I need to know what the next stage of Leslie’s plan is. How is she going to win Ted by antagonizing and disowning Eva? Does she want money from the Duprees? How does she think she’s going to get that, after she ruined Nicole’s life? Will she find new uses for her many wigs? Or will it have something to do with the apparent secret she’s about to reveal to Nicole whether she wants to hear it or not?
In Closing…
On my kill list: Ashley, Derek, Tomas and Hayley. Martin, if we need to cut a Dupree. I don’t care how it’s done — a major natural disaster, a serial killer, a pileup on the highway, poisoning of the water supply, etc. Also, Kat’s interest in Tomas. He has no loyalty to her. Free Ice Queen Jr.!
On my wish list: A new family on the scene that has slightly less prominence than the Duprees but can give them a run for their money. The vacancies left by the kill list above can make room for this new family! Also, Jacob investigating Leslie and Eva as possible suspects in hurting Nicole’s assistant.
On my poop list: Naomi being stuck in this story with this unhoused woman. Her court battle with Bill had more juice. This is not a good substitute. Also, Hayley existing (see: kill list). She’s ruining Bill scenes. She’s not on Dani’s level and can’t go toe-to-toe with her.
