On Beyond the Gates, Ted truly feels that Nicole should be Garland Memorial Hospital’s next chief of staff. But what does Nicole think? Find out what’s ahead on BTG the week of May 25. But also take a look back at what just happened during the week of May 18.
Key Takeaways
- Derek’s death sends shockwaves through Fairmont Crest as Ashley, Naomi, and Shanice struggle with devastating grief.
- Ted pushes Nicole as Garland Memorial Hospital’s next chief of staff, despite her reluctance.
- Deanna’s shocking reunion hints that Doug McBride may not be dead after all.
Weekly Recap: May 18-22, 2026
Monday, May 18 – Episode #289
The Duprees get ready for Samantha’s cotillion. Gathered are Dani (Karla Mosley), Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix), Chelsea (RhonniRose Mantilla), Kat (Colby Nixon), Samantha (Najah Jackson), Jessica (Camryn Jade), and Eva (Ambyr Michelle), the birthday girl who was there to help with the hair.
Anita showed up later, ready to be part of the festivities. She didn’t feel a hundred percent, but she said she wouldn’t miss this evening. Later, June (Jasmine Burke) and Naomi (Arielle Prepetit) showed up. June wore a beautiful dress that Martin (Brandon Claybon) and Smitty (Mike Manning) got for her.
Elsewhere, Bill (Timon Kyle Durrett) felt nostalgic and had a flashback to Naomi’s cotillion debut, when he and Dani were all lovey-dovey. Meanwhile, the men pre-gamed for the cotillion. Gathered were Vernon (Clifton Davis), Ted (Keith D. Robinson), Martin, Smitty, Andre (Sean Freeman), and Tyrell (Jaden Lucas Miller).
In plasma ring news, Jacob (Jibre Hordges) met up with Ren (Donny Carrington), who said the bosses were thinking about moving the plasma ring operation out of the DMV. Ashley (Jen Jacob) was in a panic as Grayson (Jordi Vilasuso) prepared for the worst. He showed up at her place and handed her his important documents in case something happened to him.
Bill questioned Hayley (Marquita Goings) about her past, which she didn’t appreciate. Lia (Cecelia Specht) put Derek (Ben Gavin) in the hot seat and told him that his attitude about Grayson volunteering at the clinic raised red flags for her.
Dani talked to Chelsea about Andre’s idea to go to Tokyo to see Chelsea’s bags in the fashion collective. Dani made it clear she didn’t want to steal Chelsea’s thunder or anything. But Chelsea okayed it and said she thinks it would be great to have her mother there.
At the free clinic, Derek tried to stop Grayson from stealing the plasma for the delivery. And when he couldn’t get away, he told Derek the truth about working with Jacob and that this delivery needed to happen. He also said that Ashley could be in danger if he didn’t make this delivery.
Finally, Samantha made her pre-debut in a Dupree tradition over at Anita and Vernon’s house. She walked down the steps in her gown as the family welcomed and celebrated her, taking photos.
Tuesday, May 19 – Episode #290
At the cotillion venue, Samantha couldn’t find Donnell (Alex Cheeks), and she was worried. We finally met Jessica’s parents, who made it in for the debutante ball. And there was instant tension, especially between Jessica and her mom. It was clear they weren’t happy with their daughter’s rebellious streak.
Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) tried to track down her son, but she couldn’t reach him. The head of the cotillion committee couldn’t make it, so the Duprees took over hosting duties, starting with Kat and Chelsea, then Nicole, Dani, and finally Anita.
Elsewhere, Joey (Jon Lindstrom) told Randy (Maurice P. Kerry) to head to the warehouse to assess the situation with the plasma ring. For some reason, he needed to be fully informed. Unfortunately for Randy, cops nabbed him while he scouted the warehouse, and they put him in the car where Elon (Malachi Malik) and Marcel (Darryl W. Handy) were stationed.
Grayson showed up at the warehouse with the bags of plasma. Jacob and Ren were already there. They were waiting for the VIPs of the plasma ring to show up. At the cotillion, Naomi, worried about her husband’s safety, was glued to her phone waiting for word from Jacob. The ball started, and when it was Samantha’s turn to make her official debut, she walked out, and Chessy (Madison Alsobrook) tried to trip her. That’s when Donnell showed up, ready to steady his date. Samantha and Jessica made their debut.
Later, Tyrell and Jessica talked about leaving the ball so they could be alone. Nicole got an emergency call about a patient, so she had to leave. June caught a drunk Nathan (Brennen Suttle) doing something shady. Anita kicked off the platinum deb portion of the evening. She introduced former platinum debutante Deanna McBride (Angela Fairley), who would actually crown the winner. Vanessa was surprised to see her daughter there.
Back at the warehouse, Derek arrived at the warehouse. Apparently, he followed Grayson. Jacob immediately told him to hide out so no one could see him until Jacob gave him the all clear. Lia also appeared at the warehouse. She was supposed to be busy doing something else, but she showed up. All hell broke loose after Lia met “Rashad,” who turned out to be Jacob Hawthorne. Shots fired. Ren tried to run, but the cops caught him. Jacob was unconscious.
Wednesday, May 20 – Episode #291
Deanna introduced the Platinum Deb winner. But something went wrong. She could see that something was off with the card. The name on the card was Francesca, but Nathan ultimately tried to rig it in Chessy’s favor. Anastasia (Timeca Seretti) tried to crown her granddaughter. But the real winner of Platinum Deb was Samantha.
While the Platinum Deb was being crowned, all hell broke loose at the warehouse. Arrests were made, and Derek was the one who was shot. Lia and Grayson worked on him until the former firefighter was taken to Garland Memorial Hospital, where he died from injuries due to the gunshot wound. He passed away during surgery.
Randy reported back to Joey. Deanna asked her mom to get ice cream after the ball. While Vanessa agreed, the drama of the evening took over. She got a call from Joey, who told her to make sure to tell Naomi to get to the hospital. He thought Jacob was hurt, but it turned out to be Derek. Vanessa headed over to Joey’s, where she questioned him, wanting to know how deeply he was involved in whatever transpired at the warehouse.
While Martin, Smitty, and Jessica’s parents, Hal (Dwight Hicks) and Joyce (Tarina Pouncy), wondered where their children were, Jessica and Tyrell slipped away for their first time together.
At the hospital, people waited for word about Derek, including Shanice (Ernestine Johnson), Ashley, Jacob, and Grayson. A doctor came out and told Shanice the news. The nurse walked over to everybody and shook her head. They couldn’t save Derek. Ashley started crying.
Thursday, May 21 – Episode #292
Ashley and Naomi were shell-shocked after discovering that Derek had died. Meanwhile, Grayson had to go to the precinct where he gave Jacob his statement about the events of the warehouse shoot-out. Jacob told Grayson that Derek’s death wasn’t his fault.
Lia, who told the cops she wasn’t feeling well, was taken to Garland, where she was handcuffed to her hospital bed. She felt humiliated. Marcel told her he had considered her a friend. She told him to be thankful that he had never been pushed to the brink. Marcel said he could still help her, but she didn’t talk/give up any intel.
Vanessa talked to Donnell after she talked to Jan (Jerri Tubbs) on the phone. Donnell and Vanessa discussed the plasma ring. He felt that a criminal ring like that shouldn’t be a foreign concept to his mother since she was involved with Joey. Elon made demands of Joey, thinking that maybe Joey did have an involvement with the plasma ring. Why else would Randy have been casing the warehouse? Joey maintained his innocence.
Naomi supported Ashley, who had had to make the heartbreaking call to Derek’s parents to tell them that their son was dead. However, Naomi called Jan to come over to Ashley’s to help support her daughter. Naomi headed to her dad’s law firm, where Bill was more than okay to let his daughter distract herself with work. But he said she could cry on his shoulder if she wanted.
Lia tried to find a way to explain her actions to Shanice. She said she was sorry that she had brought shame to the hospital. And she also said that Shanice would help restore morale to Garland. Shanice was distraught, saying that Lia had set off a chain of events that had gotten her friend killed. And that Lia could rot in hell.
Jacob stopped by Lia’s and told her that Grayson had an immunity deal. And he suggested that maybe she could cut a deal of her own, as long as she provided information. She wasn’t sure if that could happen, considering that she had no idea who the Impaler was.
Joey told Randy to get word to whoever this Impaler was that things were getting too close to Joey’s turf. Donnell stopped by the casino and spoke with Joey. He wondered if Joey had something to do with the plasma ring. Ultimately, he believed Joey, but he was still worried about his mother being involved with him. He started thinking that maybe Deanna had been right about him all along. That he had been playing them. Joey assured him he wasn’t.
Bill and Tomas (Alex Alegria) discussed the events of the plasma ring operation. It turned out Jacob was undercover. And that, according to the news, the entire blood ring no longer existed in the DMV. And that Lia would need to find herself one hell of a lawyer to help avoid doing real time. Kat hoped that Bill wouldn’t be the one taking on her case. They ended up speculating that Lynette’s disappearance might be tied to Lia. After all, Lynette (Dominique Madison) was the one who stole Lia’s retirement money.
Later at the country club, Kat and Tomas again talked about this potential reason for Lynette’s disappearance. According to Kat, if it wasn’t Lia who disappeared Lynette, it could have been someone else, and she felt they should tell Jacob. Vanessa eavesdropped and heard Tomas telling Kat that this was just a hunch. Grayson stopped by Ashley’s with flowers in hand.
Friday, May 22 – Episode #293
Grayson stopped by Ashley’s, where he finally met Jan. Of course, it was too late. Ashley blamed him for Derek’s death and just wanted him to leave. Vanessa told Kat to leave the investigating to the professionals.
Anita and Vernon arrived at Garland to talk to Ted. They were all board members and had to do some damage control. After all, Lia was no longer the hospital’s chief of staff. They would need someone new. Anita and Vernon suggested Shanice’s Aunt Monica (Iona Morris), who was a renowned oncologist in Houston.
Ted had his own suggestion: Nicole. Anita and Vernon were skeptical. They knew Nicole didn’t want any administrative position. But Ted insisted that she would be the best person to help heal the damage that Lia inflicted on the hospital. Anita and Vernon felt that Nicole should talk to Nicole first before pursuing this option.
Andre opened up to Dani about his complicated relationship with Derek. He said he now wished he’d never pursued Ashley. Dani suggested that they go support Ashley, which they did. And Ashley really appreciated it. Meanwhile, Ted asked Nicole to talk with Shanice, who was broken up over her friend’s death.
While Kat and Tomas talked with Vanessa, Deanna arrived. Things were awkward between the mother and daughter, and Vanessa left. Tomas then also left, leaving Kat and Deanna to talk. Kat gave Deanna advice, but it seemed she might take her own. Later, at the club, when she was alone, she suddenly ran into her father. Is it really Doug (Jason Graham)? Is he alive?
Weekly Breakdown: May 25-29, 2026
Monday, May 25 – REPEAT Episode #438 (OAD 1/19/26)
Special episode that pulls back the curtain on Beyond the Gates with commentary from the actors as they relive their storylines… including all of season one’s explosive affairs, shocking cons, and family secrets.
Tuesday, May 26 – Episode #294
Bill orders Tomas to stand down. Nicole confides her fantasies to Kial. Joey gives Donnell what he wants. Deanna’s blast from the past has a mission for her to accomplish. Leslie is worried the plasma ring’s reach could impact her.
Wednesday, May 27 – Episode #295
Shanice gives Ted her decision on the future of their relationship. Naomi does her best to help Ashley in her time of need. Martin and Tyrell have an important father-son talk. Leslie crashes Garland’s press conference. Mona has a health update for Jan.
Thursday, May 28 – Episode #296
A fallen hero is memorialized. Dani schools Bill on his selective memory. Ted’s vote of confidence in Nicole rubs her the wrong way. Madison admits to Chelsea that she still holds out hope for a reconciliation with her family.
Friday, May 29 – Episode #297
Anita and Vernon’s night of romance is interrupted by Kat and Martin. Joey wants Bill to contain a potential threat, but then notices Bill’s off his game. Jacob and Naomi have a raw conversation about his undercover operation and the lasting effects it will have in their lives. Leslie insists on making Hayley an ally.
