Beyond the Gates Recap, May 22, 2025: nuTed and Nicole had their first meeting

Here's what went down Thursday, May 22, 2025 on Beyond the Gates when Tracy had mixed feelings about the idea of reuniting The Articulettes, Ashley and Derek found their way back to each other, and June busted out some Oakdale references.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Jacob met Derek at Ashley's and was happy to hear the couple had patched things up – until Derek revealed he was just at the apartment to get the rest of his things. Derek figured he would just make things worse if he tried to have a conversation with his alienated girlfriend. He loved Ashley and still wanted to marry her, but it was his stance that Ashley was doing the rejecting, despite everything going great for two years. Jacob related how Derek had stopped taking Ashley out once they'd moved in together, and also how Derek needed to compromise on the little things they'd been fighting about so they could better handle the big stuff.

Andre caught up with Ashley, who reported that Derek had neither come home nor returned her calls. Ashley felt that she had really hurt Derek; Andre felt that Derek would be stupid to let Ashley go. Ashley took Andre's hand and thanked him for giving her something to hold on to. Ashley later met with Derek at Orphey Gene's at his request. The couple admitted they had missed each other, and Derek divulged that his silence hadn't been intentional; he just had wanted to think things through before having a dialogue.

Derek apologized for not treating Ashley better, and Ashley allowed that she had overreacted about Derek's housekeeping skills. They had each been afraid the other was about to break up with them, and the duo affirmed that they wanted to stay together — and that they had perhaps attempted cohabitation prematurely. Derek confirmed that he had moved his stuff out — except the moose head. He wanted to get things back on track by taking Ashley to dinner; she happily accepted and kissed him...which Andre saw when he walked in.

Leslie tried to make amends with Mona, who maintained that it was Leslie's fault that the lives of her real friends, the Richardsons, had been shattered. Leslie snarked that since Ted and Nicole were “so in love,” they should have been able to work things out. Mona didn't like how Leslie took pleasure in other people's pain and deemed her broken. Leslie persisted and relayed how lonely Ted had been when they met, and how she had fallen in love with him. Since a Dupree getting divorced was “a no-no,” the Richardsons had reunited to save face, Leslie opined, and Nicole cared more about her reputation than about Ted himself. Mona disagreed and left, but not before Leslie observed that Nicole now wanted nothing to do with Ted since the façade of their perfect marriage was in tatters.

Nicole received a warm welcome from Ashley, Shanice, and other nurses when she returned to work at the hospital. Though she had no appointments, Nicole told Andre that she'd come to test the waters, and because she had to get out of the house. Then, Ted got off the elevator and the marrieds uncomfortably acknowledged each other. Andre excused himself; Ted wanted to sit Nicole down and talk, but Nicole wasn't ready. Kat found her parents together and, in private, played them the recording on which Leslie described Eva running Laura off the road and boasting that Kat had no proof.

While Nicole was incensed that Eva could be so evil, Ted defended his new daughter, saying that “Dana” could have been making things up because she was mad at Eva. Kat allowed for that but held that the Thomas women had still cooked up a plan to get Laura out of the way so Eva could replace her. Ted admitted he had talked to Leslie about her poor treatment of Eva and attributed Leslie's sense of betrayal to her likely implicating Eva in the crime.

Kat explained how she had already taken the recording to Jacob and how the detective had regarded it as hearsay. Nicole objected and thought Leslie should already be in prison, while Kat regarded both Eva and Leslie as dangerous, citing her theory that one or both of them had poisoned Laura with potassium and caused her heart attack. Neither of the Richardsons wanted to believe that anyone would purposely get a toxic amount of the mineral into Laura's body, but Kat noted the timing — Laura's levels had spiked just as she was ready to take her job back from Eva. Ted and Nicole were equally shocked to learn that Leslie had visited Laura.

Nicole had to concede that Eva might be innocent, while Ted warned Kat to stay away from Leslie, who was capable of anything. Nicole concurred, remarking that Kat's fascination with true crime podcasts didn't make Kat an amateur sleuth. It had been Ted who had brought Leslie into their lives, and Nicole demanded that her estranged husband do something to stop her. Later, after Kat privately told Ted she had been trying to wear Nicole down on Ted's behalf, Nicole brought Jacob to get the latest.

Kat was disappointed to hear that Eva's alibi of being at the Lakeview Casino at the moment of Laura's hit-and-run had checked out. Jacob added that, while Leslie didn't have an alibi, there was still nothing linking her to the incident. Detective Hawthorne was also looking into hospital security footage and who was on staff the night Laura went into cardiac arrest.

Alone with Andre, Kat complained about how Leslie and Eva were getting away with everything. She shifted gears and wondered if Leslie had sent Eva to the casino on purpose so Eva would have an alibi. Yet, Kat was also still certain that Eva had to have at least known about Leslie's plot against Laura. Following, Kat questioned Shanice, who recalled that she had seen an unfamiliar nurse on staff before Laura's heart had given out. Shanice remembered getting bad vibes from the sudden staffer and agreed with Kat that it was odd the mystery nurse had only shown up one night.

Ted shared with Nicole his plan to talk to Eva about Laura in the hopes that Eva would feel safe enough to open up to him. When Nicole icily conveyed how she'd heard Ted had put Eva up in a hotel, Ted insisted he was simply trying to get Eva out from under “Dana's” control. Nicole sniffed that Ted needed to do that for all of them as well.

Jacob asked for Nicole's professional advice, telling her about June...who had apparently given him and Naomi a fake name. Nicole didn't think that uncommon for the unhoused, but Jacob sensed that “June” might be suffering from mental health issues and/or memory loss. Nicole consented to having a chat with “June” to assess her.

Eva found Leslie at her hotel room door; Leslie oozed in and conceded that Eva had played her cards right, because now she was in the lap of luxury. Leslie implied she wasn't upset with Eva anymore, but Eva was still stung that Leslie had accused her of the crimes she herself had committed. Backtracking from her previous confession, Leslie said that she had just made things up for Kat's benefit. She was thrilled that Eva had covered for her with the police; Eva asserted that she had only been protecting herself, because even if Leslie went to jail, no one would believe that Eva hadn't assisted her.

Leslie purred that people could think what they wanted, but no one had evidence. Eva wanted Leslie to leave; instead Leslie waxed romantic about the expensive hotel rooms Ted had gotten for their trysts. Leslie was surprised that Ted hadn't discussed their love with Eva, who was astonished that Leslie still thought there was a chance for her and Ted to get back together. Eva retorted that Leslie was Ted's biggest regret and advised her mother to let go of such an insane idea. “I know the hell you just did not call me crazy,” Leslie seethed. “Maybe I did,” Eva clapped back. Leslie agreed to follow Eva out, but with Eva's back turned, Leslie jammed a credit card into the lock of Eva's door.

Leslie let herself back into Eva's room and stole lotions and a robe. There was a knock on the door, and both Leslie and Ted were astounded to see each other. “Teddy-boo,” Leslie cooed after she regained her bearings. “What took you so long?”

At the Dupree mansion, Tracy came upon Vernon scolding a business connection for calling him on his personal phone. Anita joined them and announced she and Tracy were meeting with the person responsible for their reunion. Vernon left, and Anita welcomed Naomi, who was floored to meet another member of The Articulettes. Anita explained that Naomi was a lifelong fan; Tracy was happy to be recognized and remarked how rare that was now, shooting Anita a look.

Anita and Tracy regaled Naomi with the story of a talent show they had lost where they had met Dante Green, who had changed their lives. Naomi and Anita described how Naomi had lured Anita into singing karaoke, and how there had been an agent in the crowd. Both Tracy and Naomi were stunned to learn that Anita had been offered a comeback concert yet had turned it down – Anita stated she'd wanted to talk to Tracy and Sharon first, because she wouldn't do the show unless it was an Articulettes reunion.

With Naomi gone, Tracy voiced her annoyance that Anita had waited to tell her about the show until Naomi was there, calling her granddaughter's inclusion part of a sales pitch. Anita swore it hadn't been a manipulation; she had just felt that Naomi represented their fans, who wanted to see the group perform again. Tracy felt blindsided, but wanted to know why the concert was so important to Anita. La Dupree confessed that she saw the gig as a way to atone for the way the act had split up.

Tracy wasn't sure she wanted to open any old wounds; Anita conveyed the doubts she'd had herself and got Tracy to at least consider the idea of reforming. However, Tracy pointed out, convincing Sharon, who still bore a heavy grudge against Anita, would be another story entirely. When Vernon returned, and Tracy was friendly to him, Anita kidded that the first rule of being an Articulette was you didn't step up on your sister's man. Vernon asked if he had anything to say about it, leading the singers to reply in unison, “No!”, which caused everyone to laugh.

Naomi went to the hospital and introduced Nicole to a chipper June. Hearing Nicole was a psychiatrist, June's mood changed: “I hope you're not prowling the halls looking for new heads to shrink,” June said, sourly. Nicole assured June that she was on a leave of absence and casually asked if June had been born in that month. June admitted that her real name was Jessica Griffin and that she had once been married...to a man who had ultimately left her.

June explained how she had fallen in love with a widower and had a daughter, Bonnie, with him. The eyebrows of Nicole and the Hawthornes raised when June went on to detail how her husband had gone back to his presumed dead wife, who had really been tucked away in prison with amnesia. Nicole smiled and asked June if her husband's name had been Duncan, then told her niece and nephew-in-law that Jessica, Duncan, and Bonnie had all been characters on As the World Turns. “I always thought Jessica looked a lot like mama,” Nicole reflected. (Tamara Tunie, who plays Anita, also played Jessica on ATWT.) June laughed, having put one over on everyone.

Beyond the Gates airs weekdays on CBS and streams on Paramount Plus.