On Beyond the Gates, another big secret dropped on the folks at Fairmont Crest. And it was a doozy. Martin finally recalled the nightmare of a night he and Vernon experienced. Two racist brothers cornered them on a dark, deserted road and attacked them. But Martin fought back, and two years later, he’s still feeling the effects of murdering that man in self-defense as well as the cover-up that pulled together a team made up of upstanding and unsavory characters.
July 2025 Performers of the Month
Honorable Mentions
The Performer of the Month title could have gone to any number of BTG actors. That’s how good July was. Brandon Claybon really stepped up as Martin revealed what happened two years ago to his husband, Smitty (Mike Manning). The scenes were intense, painful, and most importantly, riveting.
Timon Kyle Durrett (Bill) is a machine. He was so good, especially as his character made questionable choices to live up to his self-appointed Fixer title. Bill reveled in his role as the guy who cleaned up the Duprees’ messes. Then, he reeled after Vernon (Clifton Davis) let him know he went too far and told him that he was the power player in this relationship. Not Bill.
Colby Muhammad (Kat) continued to rail against Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) and tried to sabotage Eva (Ambyr Michelle), which backfired. However, it was her scenes after Kat had sex with Tomas (Alex Alegria) that were the most fascinating. Kat looked apathetic about it while Tomas gushed. She couldn’t understand why she had that reaction. Muhammad excelled during these scenes.
Finally, Tamara Tunie on stage singing as Anita Williams Dupree took the spotlight at the comeback concert for The Articuettes. Anita also got to sing as a solo act, and she was simply powerful.
READ THIS: Here’s who were the BTG Performers of the Month for June 2025.
The Top Spot x 2
Daphnée Duplaix
Duplaix’s Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson had it rough in July. Well, she’s had it rough ever since Leslie crashed her anniversary party. However, in July, she dealt with more of Ted’s (Keith D. Robinson) lies, she practically choked Leslie, and she had her Iron Man or Captain Phillips moment when she told Bill, “I am The Fixer now!”
Nicole has been through so much that she can’t bottle up her emotions any longer. She’s unleashing them, and it isn’t always pretty. Just ask Dani (Karla Mosley), who was on the business end of Nicole’s anger and disappointment over her relationship with Andre. She also exhibited helplessness and frustration after finding out what Martin went through, and she hadn’t been able to be there for him. But now she’s making sure she is.
Duplaix thrives while playing all of those different scenarios. She is showing us a whole new Nicole as her character navigates this hurricane of drama that surrounds her 24/7. Nicole is usually this calm, cool, and collected psychiatrist, but she’s human, and those feelings are making themselves known. And it’s a pleasure to watch Duplaix handle each scene like a boss. Even when her character is feeling down and out, you can see that she’s having fun being messy Nicole. Well, as messy as Nicole gets.
Daytime Emmy voters will hopefully take note.
READ THIS: Check out what’s happening on the Monday, August 4 episode of BTG.
Mike Manning
Smitty is a character who is a great dad, loyal husband, and dogged investigative journalist. He will not back down in the face of his teen kids, corrupt cops, formidable lawyers, or even the Dupree patriarch himself, Vernon Dupree. If he wants the truth, then he will get it, and he will be relentless about it. He asked Martin over and over again to tell him the truth about what was going on with him.
And when Martin finally told him, Smitty was empathetic and understanding of the events of two years ago. He was practically crying over the horror that Martin experienced. And much like Nicole, he was hurt for not being able to be the one to help him deal with his trauma. What Smitty couldn’t handle were the unsavory details of that evening. He couldn’t handle the continued lies. And so he made the decision to ask Martin to leave the house.
Through it all, it was awesome to watch Manning, who gives his character this fearless quality. As the journalist mixed it up with a variety of characters in July, the actor brought something different to each occasion or scene. And he surprised us as Smitty. The way Smitty had collaborated with Jacob (Jibre Hordges) for weeks, yet after Smitty learned the truth, he instantly clammed up because he wouldn’t cause any trouble for his husband. Smitty is a fighter with a strict moral code, and as a result, he’s willing to make choices that aren’t necessarily popular. Manning was impressive.
