‘Beyond The Gates’ Episode 74 Recap: Smitty Cracks The Case While Chelsea Gets Her Way

By Erica Vain | June 17, 2025

This Article was updated on November 17, 2025 by Erica Vain

A Sleeper Episode with Some Hidden Gems

Y’all, I’m not gonna sugarcoat it – episode 74 of Beyond The Gates was definitely a sleeper for me. The episode left a lot to be desired, especially with the whole Derek and Ashley engagement drama taking up valuable screen time. Spoiler alert: she said “hell to the no” to his proposal, and honestly, the entire storyline was completely uninteresting for me.

But even with Chelsea and Dr. Montgomery’s storyline dragging things down, there were some genuinely intriguing developments happening beneath the surface. Let me break down what actually mattered in this episode.

Smitty’s Investigation Uncovers a Corrupt Connection

The most interesting part of this episode was hands down Smitty doing his feature interview with Detective Mark down at the Dingle police station. We suddenly discover this detective is somehow tied to the whole Martin mystery. Remember two episodes ago when Smitty told Martin about this profile piece, and Martin started acting all weird? Well, now we know why.

While interviewing the detective, Smitty points out a photo taken at the yacht yard where Joey Armstrong appears in the background. Though Smitty doesn’t directly ask “are you a corrupt cop?” or “why are you associating with this criminal?”, he plants enough seeds to make it clear there’s something sketchy going on. What started as a fluff piece for the police department’s PR has turned into something much deeper.

I’m really excited to see how all this ties together. We already know this crooked cop has been taking payouts from Joey Armstrong – Jacob saw it earlier in the season and told his dad about it, who was covering it up. The fact that Martin is somehow connected to all this makes the mystery even more compelling.

Martin’s Secret and Vernon’s Cover-Up

Speaking of Martin, we see him at the country club talking to Vernon, revealing that he thinks the busboy said something significant to him – the same statement that Vernon knew about. This feeds into what many of you have been saying in the comments: maybe Martin isn’t the one who actually “did the thing.” Perhaps Vernon did it, and Martin is taking the fall.

I don’t know exactly what “the thing” is yet, but I’m thinking it was some violent act or had something to do with a car accident. What’s becoming clear is that Vernon is tied to it much deeper than just cleaning up his grandson’s mess – he could be actively involved.

By the end of the episode, Martin confronts Vernon because he’s certain the busboy said something meaningful. During their conversation, we learn Vernon paid an investigator to track the person connected to the incident and gave them a settlement to leave the country. Sound familiar? Just like Tabbatha paying $50,000 to make her problem go away, only to have it keep popping up “like a roach that won’t die.”

I’m screaming at these people to find a new playbook because this one clearly doesn’t work! This strategy has their family losing every single time.

Chelsea’s Rebound Romance with Dr. Montgomery

Meanwhile, Beyond The Gates gives us way too much screen time with Chelsea and Madison’s first date at the guest house. They share Chinese food, talk about Madison’s coming out story, discuss fashion, and navigate the awkwardness of Madison going from Chelsea’s follower to potential romantic partner.

When Madison asks if Chelsea has had relationships with women before, Chelsea responds with “Well, it depends on how you define relationships.” Girl, WHAT? The way Chelsea keeps trying to frame her swinging hookups with married couples as “relationships” is blowing my mind. We literally watched her spiral after pleading with a married woman to leave her husband, getting mad when she wouldn’t, then running around telling everybody she got her heart broken.

Let’s be real: you met these people who were married while you were single. Y’all had a bunch of consensual fun and sex, you happened to fall in love during all that sex, and now you’re mad the married woman won’t leave her husband? Chelsea is so simple in this episode.

Watching her conversation with Dr. Montgomery, I couldn’t get invested because Chelsea seems too immature. Montgomery is too good for her – not in an elitist way, but she’s more advanced in maturity and communication. Dr. Montgomery actually knows who she is, while Chelsea only knows who she’s pretending to be. I think Chelsea could end up seriously hurting Montgomery.

When they finally have sex at the end of the episode (which we apparently needed to see for whatever reason), I’m just wondering if Chelsea is going to fall deeper for Montgomery or if this is just her getting what she wants before moving on. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chelsea follows her dad’s villain arc and breaks Montgomery’s heart.

Ashley and Derek’s Failed Engagement

I care even less about Derek and Ashley. Watching Ashley say no to the proposal and then completely flip the narrative was frustrating. When she started with “this is not actually a proposal, this is an ultimatum,” I could see where Derek’s subsequent behavior might support her point, but she literally made it into that.

While I get that she’s not ready, I don’t think either of them is ready for marriage. Proposing to someone you just had a failed move-in situation with is one of the stupidest things they could have done. These two can barely go on a date in jeans over pumpkin pie without being awkward, and suddenly he pulls out a diamond ring thinking it’ll fix everything?

Ashley withholds a lot and isn’t being honest with Derek or herself. We also know she’s about to start having visions about Andre and her feelings for him, while Andre has been pining over her. It’s just so annoying.

Wasted Potential with Great Characters

What pissed me off most was watching Naomi and Andre – two dope, dynamic, complex characters in their own right – spend most of their screen time talking about Ashley and Derek’s failed relationship. These two interesting characters deserve better than serving as commentary on the “Wonder Twins and their failed ass love.” I absolutely hated it.

Beyond The Gates continues to have so much potential with its complex characters and mysterious storylines, but episodes like this make me wonder if they know what to do with all that potential. The show shines when focusing on the Martin/Vernon mystery and other complex family dynamics, not when it’s rehashing relationship drama between underdeveloped characters.

Overall, episode 74 had some intriguing developments with Smitty’s investigation and Martin’s secret, but was dragged down by relationship drama that’s going nowhere fast. Beyond The Gates needs to capitalize on its strengths and give us more of what makes it unique rather than tired soap tropes.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below! I’ll see y’all in my next breakdown.