Beyond the Gates Recap, April 16, 2025: Both Dani and Naomi called it a wash

Here's your Beyond the Gates recap for Wednesday, April 16, 2024 when Naomi and Jacob turned the Tide.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

On Beyond the Gates, Mike advised Bill to dial things down and admitted the lawsuit against the firm had been a distraction. “A costly distraction,” Bill clarified. Mike felt that the settlement Bill had offered his accusers had been a soft move, since it had been Naomi on the case, but now that there was new representation, they could go for the jugular. Bill blamed Mike's lack of restraint for all the trouble. Mike was certain that Bill wouldn't really let him go because of all the clients he had brought in, but Bill assured Mike otherwise.

When Mike couldn't believe that he was being terminated after helping Bill build the firm, Bill reluctantly acknowledged that it had been Vernon who had gotten him started. Getting angry after Bill informed him that he had distributed Mike's clients amongst the other partners, Mike threatened to sue Bill for defamation. Bill stated that Mike had tarnished his own reputation by harassing women at the office, in court, and even at other firms. Mike brushed off such talk as rumors, but Bill pointed out that any suit against him would only expose Mike's actions and negate the severance package he and the other partners had agreed to.

Furious, Mike deemed Bill a hypocrite — Mike was being punished for some “off-color” remarks, yet Bill had carried on a brazen affair with Hayley in the same office and promoted her because of it. In addition, Mike viewed himself as having to take the fall because Bill's daughter had sued to get back at Bill for dumping her mother. Bill grabbed Mike by the lapels, causing Mike to back off. Bill ordered Mike to get out “before I kick your ass.”

Even after making love with Jacob, Naomi was still preoccupied with her dad. She couldn't believe she was considering reconciling with Bill and wondered how Dani would react. Naomi hoped her mother wouldn't feel that she'd come over to her father's side. It was just that, having seen Bill vulnerable after his hand went numb, Naomi realized she couldn't just stop caring about him.

Naomi and Jacob served each other a chocolate dessert in bed, but a blob landed on the bedclothes. Naomi said such messes were the reason she'd bought Tide. The Hamiltons extolled the virtues of the laundry detergent — a bottle of which sat in the basket at the edge of their bed — then Naomi asked Jacob what it was like to have a father who could be respected. Jacob deemed it “lit.” Naomi was in conflict because Bill had always been protective of her, and she'd grown up assuming Bill would be like that with all women. However, Bill had clearly known about Mike's harassment and turned a blind eye to it while acting oblivious. Out of the workplace, Dani had gone from being the apple of Bill's eye to his doormat. Jacob opined that the exact same thing could happen to Hayley eventually. Naomi inquired if she was a terrible person for wishing it would.

Jacob brought home the fact that any reconciliation with Bill would mean Naomi dealing with Hayley on some level. When Naomi pondered just meeting with Bill one-on-one, Jacob didn't think that was likely; Naomi groused that Hayley was probably afraid to let Bill out of her sight. “That's some serious shade,” Jacob observed, but Naomi countered that Hayley knew Bill's history: Bill had cheated on Dani with other women before meeting Hayley. Jacob found Naomi to be more angry with Hayley than with Bill; Naomi asserted that Bill didn't set out to hurt people, whereas Hayley had constantly quizzed Naomi about her parents' marriage throughout their friendship. In retrospect, Naomi realized Hayley had been playing a long game.

Having washed their sheets and reveled in their smell, Naomi assured Jacob that he was nothing like her father, a blessing she cherished every day. Naomi decided that perhaps not badmouthing Hayley to Bill would make him let his guard down and help him to see what Hayley was really like on his own. Jacob good-naturedly smirked that Naomi was extremely beautiful when she was delusional.

After Dani woke up hungover, Andre handed her water and a painkiller. “No more of this, okay?” Andre pleaded, referring to Dani's drinking sprees. Dani got defensive and took Andre's overture of friendship as a rejection. Andre reminded Dani that he'd found her passed out drunk twice, but she shot back that she had been perfectly sober during the fashion show. Andre withstood Dani's antagonism and ruled it the façade she used to push people away. Dani ascribed her recent behavior to her constant barrage of ups and downs and faulted Andre for not being more compassionate, then told her sometimes-lover that if he was too young to handle her as she was, he could leave.

Andre tried to get the resistant Dani to understand that she was ruining herself because her husband left her, and her kids were grown. To Andre, Dani was strong and beautiful and sharp. “Not to Bill,” Dani whimpered. “Bill is an idiot!” Andre yelled. The photog realized that Dani had fallen for Bill when she was a kid, but in this phase of her life, it was time to reevaluate. Andre suggested that Dani see a therapist or a life coach to restoke her fire, which could be felt a mile away. Dani was pleased and humbled, and Andre additionally proclaimed that she was the magnificent Dani Dupree. She smiled, as if she was starting to believe it; he kissed her hand as a reminder and left.

Dani called Pamela over while considering taking another drink before her friend arrived. Pamela declined the offer of a glass of wine, saying she was cutting back; Dani lied that she was, too. Pamela expressed regret that she hadn't been at Chelsea's final fashion show, knowing it had been difficult for Dani. The ex-model reported that her family had helped her through it, but she was tired of people feeling sorry for her. When Dani echoed Andre's words and said she wanted her fire back, Pamela proposed “Operation Gemstone,” which would restore Dani to the shining diamond she was.

Getting down to work with Pamela, Dani recalled that she had felt the most alive when she was 17 and trying to break into modeling; that was what had been missing in her since her divorce. Pamela promised that Dani would feel even more alive this time, and Dani thanked her for guiding her as she built her career back then. Feeling that they needed to concentrate on what Dani's passion was in the present, Pamela put forth that they have a brainstorming session while dining at the club. Pamela and Dani immediately saw Hayley upon their arrival; continuing on their theme, Pamela asked, “How would the girl you used to be deal with Hayley?” Dani proceeded to Hayley's table and gently said, “Let's chat.”

Hayley was floored when Dani said she'd come to realize that Bill loved Hayley. “Bill loves you,” Dani repeated, adding, without sarcasm, that she intended to give Hayley the advice she wished someone had given to her. Dani wanted to spare Hayley what she had learned about how the loss of love could be invisible until a relationship was over, and one was left not knowing which end was up. Hayley was certain such a thing wouldn't happen with her and Bill, but Dani posited that Hayley's marriage – and job – with Bill was only solid until it no longer served Bill's purposes.

Dani warned Hayley to have a Plan B, which she herself hadn't thought to do. Hayley confidently told Dani that she and Bill had just been discussing their future. Pamela interrupted and snubbed Hayley, enjoying that Mrs. Hamilton still only had water at her table – Dani surprised everyone by letting a waiter know that Hayley was ready to order her dinner. Hayley thanked Dani, but accused her supposedly changed nemesis of “dishing out the same old crap.” Dani and Pamela's reaction was gleeful.

When Bill joined her, Hayley marveled that she had finally been able to order on her own after one word from “the queen bee.” Bill saw Dani across the dining area and was stunned that his ex had been so gracious. The topic moved to Mike's firing, and Hayley decided that someone with that big an ego was more trouble than they were worth. With Hayley in the ladies' room later, Bill came to Dani and Pamela's table and thanked Dani for getting the staff to serve Hayley. “Everybody's gotta eat,” Dani demurred, but she watched Bill as he rejoined Hayley.

Ted massaged Nicole's shoulders after she'd had a tough session with a patient. Once Ted heaped her with compliments, Nicole joked that he either wanted something or was feeling guilty. When Nicole took a call from Andre, Ted flashed back to confessing to his nephew how he had cheated with “Dana.” Hearing that Andre wanted to come over, Ted motioned for Nicole to say no, but she invited Andre anyway. Ted only said he didn't want company because it had been a long day. Nicole was sure Ted wouldn't be bothered, because Andre probably just wanted to talk to her alone. Ted glued on a smile.

Andre seemed cryptic when he came in asking questions about his aunt and uncle's upcoming anniversary gala, which made Ted nervous. Nicole informed Ted that Andre was going to add to the video he had made for her tribute night, only the new version would, to a greater extent, focus on her marriage than her achievements. Andre praised the Richardsons for staying the course; their love hadn't faded. Nicole shocked Ted and Andre by telling them she wanted the video to be a more honest reflection of her marriage and not simply cast it as some shining example.

Nicole felt the event should be a celebration of how she and Ted had weathered their problems and come out the other side, an angle Andre liked. Ted listened as Nicole opened up to Andre about her marriage hitting a rough patch and almost ending, which Kat's birthday had reminded her about. Nicole criticized herself for putting up a wall with Ted after enduring several miscarriages, and for getting mad at Ted when she couldn't conceive. Ted became animated and yelled for Nicole not to blame herself, as it was he who had been responsible for their troubles in those days.

After Nicole expressed surprise at Ted's vehemence, Andre stepped in and apologized for bringing up the subject. They all agreed they were tired, and Nicole excused herself. Once alone, Andre disclosed that he'd been afraid Ted was about to tell Nicole about the affair; Ted attributed his blow-up to stress. Rattled, the plastic surgeon granted that he'd been wracked with guilt ever since “Dana” had returned to town. Andre understood that Ted had been thinking about coming clean, but maintained that timing was everything. Ted couldn't just blurt an admission of cheating out like that.

Smitty worried when he couldn't reach Martin. When the congressman finally came home, Smitty was upset that Martin had gone to see the principal of Tyrell's school. Martin assured Smitty he had been calm and rational, and that the principal was glad to learn about the picture incident. Smitty reiterated that Tyrell had begged Martin not to approach the school about it, but Martin held firm that, because he had, something could be done about bullying on a systemic level.

Still not thrilled that Martin had taken a meeting about their kids without him present, Smitty retorted that, as a career politician, butting in what was Martin did. Taking a breath, Smitty conceded that maybe good would come from Martin's intervention, but he still thought that Tyrell wouldn't react well – and that Tyrell could be less likely to come to them the next time he had a problem.

Martin did some online research and was disheartened to learn that D.C.'s anti-bullying laws only applied when kids were on school grounds, and not to cyberbullying. Smitty agreed with Martin that the statutes were ancient, but he didn't want them to make Tyrell the poster child for the cause. Smitty did praise his husband for not letting his emotions rule him after he stormed out to confront the principal, and recognized that Martin was trying not to act from raw passion. This was good, Smitty reasoned, because one hotheaded act could be all it took to derail Martin's presidential ambitions. “Believe me, I am well aware,” Martin replied.

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