Quote Of The Moment…

 "If every bad decision came with instant consequences, the world would have collapsed by lunchtime."
-Pamela to Dani

Quote Of The Moment…

 "Truth rarely sits on the surface."
-Martin Richardson

Quote Of The Moment…

 "Allergies have seasons, love doesn't."
-Anita to Nicole

Quote Of The Moment…

 "There's a lot of wiggle room between being a saint and a sinner."
-Joey to Donnell

Quote Of The Moment…

 "Intention doesn't erase impact."
-Darlene To Izaiah

Quote Of The Moment…

 "I don't dabble, I dominate."

-Anita to Anastasia

Quote Of The Moment…

 "Any sociopath with a trust fund can by themselves a humanitarian reputation."
-Vanessa to Lolly

Thoughts…

Okay, so I know I haven't posted a lot of BTG content. As much as I love the show, storylines don't exactly move at a clip. In most instances, what I just said would be considered a good thing. There's absolutely nothing wrong with a slow burn. Problem is when the entire show has that philosophy, and where still waiting for payoffs from storylines started in the debut week.

Let me be perfectly clear, while pacing is definitely an issue, performances, (generally speaking), are not. It's obvious that everyone involved is doing their absolute best to keep viewers coming back. All kudos to the people running the ship behind the curtain as well. Fantastic job. Funny, this wasn't where my original post was going. Let me get back on track.

Along the same lines of waiting unnecessarily long for payoffs that don't seem to be coming, there has to be a concerted effort to create more of a character balance. Those who have read this blog know that I absolutely hate when one particular character eats a show. In this case, Dana Leslie Thomas.

I absolutely adore Trisha Mann-Grant, but Leslie desperately needs a trip to the back burner. She has her nose in every story, and is yet to suffer repercussions or consequences for anything she's done. How much longer can the Laura/Leslie/attempted murder situation dangle without resolution? Ridiculous! Don't have the inclination at the moment, but I could go on about the need for Leslie to get what's coming to her for six or seven more paragraphs without even trying. Something has to be done. My advice? Sooner rather than later, before the audience starts exiting stage left.

All right, that last sentence was a little dramatic. Forgive me. Let me end by talking about aspects of the show I'm enjoying. The Anita/cancer storyline, and Tamara Tunie's performance are top shelf. So much so that it's difficult to watch at times. Dani and Andre, while in need of a bit more depth, are still adorable, and worth rooting for. It seems to be taking forever, but I can't wait to see how Hayley's plot plays out. Marquita Goings is doing a bangup job.

That's all for now folks. Will try to post more consistently.
 

Quote Of The Moment…

 "Just because you dodged one bullet, it doesn't mean the universe emptied the gun."
-Pamela to Dani

Happy Anniversary!

BTG debuted one year ago today. Still can't believe there's a new daytime drama on the block. It's surreal. Fascinating stories, intricate, tight writing, and stand out performances have guaranteed the freshman year of this soap was successful. As a matter of fact, ratings have continued to climb on a consistent basis. I can't imagine CBS being anything but thrilled with their decision to get on board this wonderful train. May I be making happy anniversary posts fifty years from now, and enjoying the show just as much.

Quote Of The Moment…

 "I can't fight your fight, but I'm in your corner."
-Vernon to Anita

Official!

It's official. I hate Dani! Her running off to see Bill every two seconds, using excuses that don't carry any weight, and kissing him whenever the desire overtakes her is putrid. She's doing the exact same thing to Andre that Bill did to her. It's disgusting. So glad Pamela doesn't buy any of her crap. My poor Andre is going to be absolutely devastated when the truth eventually comes out. Hope he goes apeshit on both of them, and leaves nothing but ashes. Better yet, he should bed Haley just to add an exclamation point to this whole sad situation. I think that would be delicious revenge. With Dani in his rearview, maybe we can finally get a glimpse of the mystical playboy Andre we've been hearing about since the beginning of the show. I say bring it on.
 

More Balance!

Been quite a while since I posted anything BTG. Couple reasons. First, stories don't develop quick enough for me to post regular content, unless I want to do daily recaps, which I have no interest in. Performances and writing are always on point, but pacing is awful. Which leads into the second issue. Absolutely every storyline circles back to the Dupree family somehow. Listen, I get it. They are the focus of the show, but something has to give. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why a second prominent family hasn't been introduced. The big bad Dupree family need fresh, compelling opposition. Everyone in town kisses their ass, even while claiming distaste behind their back. Lack of balance and focus is getting really old.

Going down a similar path, let's quickly discuss the breast cancer story. Absolutely love how it's playing out thus far, and like I said in the previous paragraph, performances are top notch, with a few exceptions. I bet you can guess my biggest problem. 99% of the show is revolving around the diagnosis and fallout. It's actually getting depressing to watch, and I'm afraid I might not be the only one feeling this way. For those who know their soap history, socially relevant storylines are essential, but when there's no break for levity, audiences can start tuning out. Beyond The Gates is just beginning to find its footing, and cannot afford to drive people away.

Here's hoping the creatives have plans in place to address these issues in the new year.
 

Quote Of The Moment…

 "You walk around dropping matches, and then act surprised when fires start."
-Ted to Leslie

… Same As The First!

Andre and Dani have the most boring honeymoon ever. I get wanting to get your sex on, but they haven't left that room. Must be all kinds of smelly and sticky up in there. I know budgets aren't what they used to be, but get creative with the sets so we can enjoy other aspects of the honeymoon with them. Just hearing about the experiences doesn't do much for me. Complaining aside, them finally telling one another I love you was incredibly sweet. Their relationship continues to evolve, and I love watching. Major applause for Dani shutting Bill down when he tried interrupting the honeymooners with the ridiculous Winterfest excuse. Stay strong.

The neverending Eva/Kat repetition is really starting to wear on me. The actresses deliver every time out, but even they must be sick of saying the same shit in different ways. Adding Martin as an extra layer isn't intriguing me in the least. A significant development needs to happen soon, or I'm going to be falling asleep whenever these two share scenes.

This one is going to be really quick. Someone needs to put Leslie in her place. That it looks to be Shanice is all good with me. Sorry. One more thing in the Leslie universe. Could Ted be any more dumb? I cannot believe he seems to be falling for this kinder/gentler act Leslie is trying to pull. Hope he sees through her, and is just waiting for the perfect time to shut her down. Have a strange feeling miss multiple personalities might finally be getting what's do her at Winterfest. We shall see…
 

Overreact Much?

I absolutely cannot stand Martin. Standing there dressing down Kat like he's never made a mistake. Am I the only one who realizes that Kat and Chelsea had no idea Samantha was listening. Not only that, when they realized, they made sure to tell her that it was a conversation between adults, and to not put anything she overheard into practice. I think Kat did the right thing by Samantha.

Where she fucked up? Flipping out on Ted and Eva when she heard Eva call him dad. I can absolutely understand being upset, but she always has to take it to unnecessary levels. Telling Ted that she is not his daughter anymore is beyond childish and ridiculous. She won't be able to stay away, if for no other reason than jealousy. She's not going to be able to stand seeing Ted and Eva grow closer, not to mention the possibility of Leslie being thrown in the mix. Kat is about to lose her damn mind.
 

Life Jacket!

Know this is my second BTG post of the day, but I simply cannot believe the nerve of this woman. Sorry. Getting ahead of myself. Rewind. Ashley walks (yes, I chose that word on purpose) out on Derek, and is all confused and hurt. Totally understandable. Makes perfect sense. I'll tell you something that doesn't. Calling Andre, having him come to your apartment, and then admitting you made a mistake by choosing door number one, and confessing feelings. How insensitive, self-centered, and heartless. Andre, being the gentleman that he is, lets Ashley know that he will always be there for her as a friend, but is dedicated to Dani, and his marriage. Not ashamed to say I breathed a sigh of relief. Major points for maturity and faithfulness.

Here's another side to all this mess. Naomi found out that Jacob has known about Derek for months. Don't think it's too big of a jump to say that his keeping her in the dark is just another nail in their relationship. Let me be clear, I'm siding with Jacob on one point. It wasn't his story to tell. Don't think that's going to matter to Naomi, even if she does see the logic. Me thinks the cracks in the ice are getting thinner and thinner.

Truth…

Loving Dani and Andre more every day. Their relationship is so real life, and what I would want mine to be, were I to desire one. Whenever an issue pops up, it's discussed rationally, thoroughly, and to a satisfying conclusion for both parties. Speaking of, very glad Andre finally agreed to do the Forester photoshoot. Think this is going to be exactly what Dani needs to show she's still THE supermodel. Let's be honest, there are probably going to be quite a few negatives that come along with this decision as well. Though I'm not sure exactly what a is, there's definitely a reason Andre was so vehemently against being photographed. Wonder if it has to do with the woman he was saying he used to have feelings for? Here's another thing to think about. What if Andre is the one to get all the attention from the campaign, and Dani can't handle it? Could prove very interesting.

Ashley knows the truth. She saw Derek standing, quickly put the pieces together, and left his sorry ass. Good riddance, I say. The funny part in all of this stupidity? Derek actually thought his ridiculous justifications were enough to keep Ashley from running. Was so nice to hear her say that the biggest reason that Derek kept everything secret was to keep her away from Andre. I genuinely used to think that Derek loved Ashley. Don't anymore. If you love someone, you don't treat them like a possession. Just hope Ashley doesn't go sniffing around Andre. She couldn't hold a candle to Dani anyway. Where does this leave Derek? I have the perfect idea. He's so upset over everything that he accepts the opportunity to become a firefighter in another town, and is never mentioned again. Perfect solution to me.
 

Quote Of The Moment…

 "I tried to warn you, past is prologue."
-Dani to Haley

Softening?

Nathan is a disgusting creep. Openly talking about how he's pretending to like Samantha just to take her virginity is grotesque. Hope someone puts him in his place in short order. Speaking of Samantha, she needs to stop throwing everyone under the bus whenever she's trying to make a point. There is no way Martin should be mad at Kat for having an adult conversation. She didn't even know Samantha was listening. Not her fault. Martin needs to cool down with the quickness. Flying off the handle without the full story has never worked out for him before. Should be smart enough to change.

Here's something I thought I'd never say. Really like the scenes at Uptown between Leslie and Ted. The thaw between them seems to be coming out of nowhere, but I'm not mad at it. Just hope it's a sincere effort on Ted's part, and he's not going to be nice to Leslie just because he thinks things are completely over with Nicole. Don't get me wrong, he should definitely exercise extreme caution, but let things flow naturally, have an open mind, and see what happens.

Derek/Ashley/Andre is worse than having kidney stone surgery. This storyline has been on a merry-go-round for almost a year, and absolutely nothing has changed. This lather, rinse, and repeat makes me want to slowly remove my eyeballs with a spoon. I see potential redemption and usefulness in Ashley, but Derek needs to go yesterday, and she needs to stay the hell away from Andre. Maybe she could take a spin with Izaiah?