Beyond the Gates: Beyond the Gates Recap for January 14, 2026: Joey took steps to limit Leslie and Pamela gave Dani permission to lean on Bill

Here's what went down Wednesday, January 14, 2026 on Beyond the Gates when Nicole agreed to the double date from hell, Bill refused to drink any more of Hayley's poison, and Marcel had a loaded gun for Leslie to play with.

What happened on Beyond the Gates

Hayley tormented Dani with Chelsea and Naomi's test results – in a “daymare” – on Beyond the Gates | Image: CBS

On Beyond the Gates, a hungover Nicole awoke to a “self-care tray” that had been left behind by Carlton. Vanessa, who had let herself in, thought that Nicole seemed disappointed to see her instead of him, but Nicole explained that Carlton had been more of a chaperone. Nicole lamented that, while she had tested negative for the BRCA gene abnormality, Dani, who had just gotten married and was finally happy again, had tested positive. Vanessa understood Nicole's feelings and deemed her more than qualified to help the family, suggesting that Nicole find something constructive to do with her survivor guilt.

When Nicole seemed to write Carlton off as “a nice guy,” Vanessa reminded her friend that they all deserved happiness. Vanessa made her own case for being with Joey, prompting Nicole to suggest introducing Vanessa to single doctor friends – or that Vanessa could stand strong on her own. After Nicole said that Vanessa had chosen the most dangerous man she could so she could feel safe, Vanessa countered that Joey trusted her “the way you used to” and implored Nicole to stop predicting her demise and just be happy for her. Vanessa promised to be better, but she was floored when Vanessa suggested that Nicole and Carlton double date with her and Joey. Beyond her own trepidation, Nicole wasn't even sure Carlton would want to see her again after the way she'd drunkenly carried on the previous night.

Dani entered the banquet room of the country club, where she was accosted by Hayley. Horrified when Hayley smirked that Anita had gone from Cabrini-Green to the cancer ward, Dani reeled upon Hayley adding that it was only a matter of time before Dani succumbed to the disease as well. Hayley chirped that she knew Dani was scared to death about Naomi and Chelsea possibly inheriting the mutation as well – and waved their test results in Dani's face. When Hayley dared Dani to open the envelope, Dani declared that she didn't want it...

...only to snap back to reality and find Pamela handing her a card to give to Anita, which was packed with photos of Anita and Dani from past fashion shows and events. Dani apologized, explaining about the BRCA gene and how its repercussions were “shaking the whole damn family tree.” Pamela was surprised that Dani was giving her the news in the austere country club rather than somewhere they could be “obnoxiously loud” – like the nightclub in Berlin that Pamela didn't want brought up to her. For her part, Dani wondered if her time in the spotlight were truly over and if the universe wasn't signaling her to go in another direction.

Pamela stressed that the only thing that was different was that Dani now knew she was predisposed to higher risk of certain kinds of cancers, and that having that knowledge allowed Dani to monitor the situation carefully. However, whether Dani wanted to surge into her career comeback or pull back from it, Pamela promised she was there for Dani to lean on – even if that led to Pamela having to hold Dani's hair while she vomited. Pamela laughed that Dani could also vomit on Bill – yet endorsed Dani also leaning on her ex, if that's what was needed. Regardless, Pamela announced that someone needed to send a condolence card to cancer, because it had come to the wrong family.

At Uptown, Leslie met with Joey, who was resentful that Ms. Thomas had summoned him. He stated that the legal entity of the clinic was now in place, which meant that their business was concluded. Leslie claimed that their partnership was just starting, and his attempt to change the name from the Leslie Thomas Outreach Project was just one more reason discussions would continue. Joey frowned that he was only interested in developing the clinic because of Vanessa, whom Leslie labeled “the Bonnie to your Clyde.” “I've had people killed for comments like that,” Joey replied, with Leslie, despite her bravado, not knowing whether Armstrong was serious.

Later, Marcel found Leslie at Uptown, though he said he was there to meet with someone about the care of his boat, the Sheila. Upon learning that Leslie had conferenced with Joey, Marcel hoped that she and the casino owner had parted ways, but Leslie purred that she liked playing with fire. She wanted to know if Marcel was going to “teach [her] to walk the straight and narrow” or further lead her in the other direction. Marcel kissed Leslie, telling her “you gon' drive me crazy – or back to your place.”

At the hotel, Leslie was in the process of stripping Marcel when she noticed that the detective was still wearing his gun. Marcel growled that he was packing heat, and Leslie unholstered the weapon, aiming it around the room. Malone could tell that Leslie knew how to handle a gun; Leslie said that her ex-husband had owned a few and handed the firearm back to him. Then, Leslie threw Marcel onto the bed.

In Bill's office, Hayley dispensed a few drops of poison into a tea cup just as Bill returned. When Hayley offered Bill the tea, he barked that he wasn't going to drink any more of her poison. Hayley bristled until Bill said that he was joking; Hayley worried that anyone who might have overheard might have gotten the wrong impression. Bill apologized for running out on her after learning that Dani had tested positive for the BRCA mutation, saying he needed to be there for their daughters. After Hayley sighed that she wished she could be there for the family, Bill reasoned that the tone had changed because of Anita's illness and that Hayley might find success if she reached out to them.

Hayley was none too pleased when Joey showed up without an appointment, telling him that she and Bill weren't going to listen to any further attempts to coax Bill into running for office. Joey smiled that he was there for legal advice; after Hayley left to text Naomi, Joey explained to Bill about the clinic and how he'd partnered with Leslie. Bill warned Joey that Leslie was a menace, something of which Joey was already well aware – which was why he wanted Bill to look over the clinic contract and install protections in case Leslie pulled something. Bill was stunned to learn that Joey wanted to name the clinic after Doug, since McBride had been an alcoholic gambler who had mysteriously perished after trying to take Joey down.

Joey greeted Vanessa, who chastised him for giving her “such a weak kiss” in view of the country club patrons. After satisfying Vanessa's implied requirement, he told her about having met with Leslie, who wanted to be more hands-on “in all ways.” Joey assured Vanessa he had Leslie handled, and that he had also solidified things by bringing Bill on board. It would all be worth it when they broke ground on the clinic meant to honor Doug.

Vanessa was blown away by Joey's gesture, which Joey said he hadn't meant to blurt out; he'd wanted it to be a surprise. When asked why he was doing something so “phenomenal,” Joey replied that he wanted to show others how Vanessa was making him see the world. Plus, the clinic would help people and accomplish things that Doug would have wanted to do. When Vanessa beamed over how happy Donnell and Deanna would be, Joey flashed back to Marcel smirking that Vanessa had no idea that Joey had made her a widow.

Nicole found Carlton at the hospital; he said that he would have called her, but he figured a ringing phone would have aggravated any hangover symptoms. After he invited her out for a drink – a “green” drink, something non-alcoholic and healthy – Nicole hesitated to mention the favor she wanted to ask of him. Carlton was amazed that Nicole wanted them to go on a double date with Vanessa and Joey, calling it “a big step.” Nicole felt that the bigger challenge would be bringing Joey into the mix.

Dani swooped into Bill's office, then caught herself, apologizing for the old habit of just popping in. Bill had no issue and wanted to know if Naomi and Chelsea had gotten their test results back yet. Dani reported that they hadn't, then described how “everything feels kind of important right now” – which was why she wanted to thank Bill in person for showing up for their girls and not being “a first-class jerk” as usual. Bill said there was nowhere that he'd rather be, and Dani snarked that she might have to change her opinion of him.

Hearing that Pamela had given her tacit permission to lean on him, Bill vowed that he'd never stop caring about Dani or their daughters and pulled Dani into a hug. Dani shuddered and admitted that she'd never been so scared...which was when Hayley returned and exclaimed, “Would you mind taking your hands off my husband?!”

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