During the Tuesday, May 26 episode of Beyond the Gates, Deanna and Doug’s face-to-face at the country club wasn’t an act of resurrection. It was the act of a grieving daughter who desperately needed her dad. He wasn’t real. He represented her subconscious. She was torn over this major loss in her life and seeing her mom move on so quickly.
Key Takeaways
- Deanna’s emotional conversation with Doug was rooted in grief, not reality.
- She is struggling with loss and feeling isolated as Vanessa moves forward.
- Doug’s memory continues to have a powerful impact on Deanna’s life.
What Happened Between Deanna and Doug
At the country club, Deanna (Angela Fairley) spoke with her dad. It was the first time BTG viewers got the chance to see Doug (Jason Graham) interact with one of his kids. Deanna was distraught and desperate for her father to be real. She needed him to be real because she was feeling so very alone. Her mom had moved on with Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom), a man Deanna didn’t trust.
A man that almost nobody in the DMV trusted except for Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) and maybe Randy (Maurice P. Kerry). Meanwhile, Donnell (Alex Cheeks) insisted that Joey didn’t harm their dad. Her brother had grilled the shady casino owner and felt that Joey was being honest with him. By the end of the episode, Deanna looked even more distraught than ever. And all she needed was her dad.
The Fallout for Deanna
Talking to someone who isn’t there means Deanna is struggling with her mental health. It’s a story that will be fascinating to watch unfold, as long as we get to see Deanna more regularly (which is our hope). Donnell may have concerns with Joey, but he got on board with his mom and her new relationship pretty quickly.
Vanessa’s relationship with Joey started before Doug died, so even though she has been grieving her late husband, we haven’t really felt that emotional gut punch at all. After all, Vanessa has said time after time that her marriage to Doug wasn’t the same after they became empty nesters. They became more like roommates, and she had to turn to external forces to get the satisfaction that she wanted.
With Deanna, we’re feeling the loss in a way we haven’t before. Doug was a mess at the end of his life. But Deanna wasn’t around to see it, so through her eyes, we get to hear about Doug, the great dad, not Doug the sloppy drinker and gambler. Hopefully, we’ll continue to see more imaginary conversations between Deanna and Doug, because the one we got on Tuesday was pretty heartbreaking.
Holding Out Hope for a Resurrection
While it was great to see Doug and Deanna interact, at the end of the day, it was all pretend, and he said everything Deanna wanted to hear. He was a figment of her imagination, and at the end of Tuesday’s episode, she was alone, calling out for her dad. And he didn’t show up.
On BTG, Doug lost his wife, his career, and then his life. It would be great if Doug were still alive and had a shot at redemption. As great as Joey is, he has it fairly smooth with Vanessa. An alive Doug could cause serious bumps in the road for Joey to navigate.
He’s always so in control. And it would be interesting to see Joey when he was actually thrown for a loop or seven. So as much as we enjoyed the Deanna/Ghost Dad scenes on Tuesday, we may never fully accept Doug’s death, and we’ll still hold out hope for a “resurrection.” This is a soap opera, after all.
MORE: Check out our critic’s review of BTG’s Cotillion.
