Beyond the Gates: Are Ted and Shanice the Couple We Didn’t Know We Needed?
On Beyond the Gates, an unlikely pairing may have taken the characters by surprise as much as the audience — but this match-up is one that could really work.
Ted and Shanice on Beyond the Gates
For decades, Ted Richardson’s (Keith D. Robinson) marriage to Dr. Nicole Dupree Richardson (Daphnée Duplaix) was the gold standard in Fairmont Crest. They were the power couple: a brilliant plastic surgeon and an accomplished psychiatrist living a picture-perfect life. But as that dynamic duo proved, “perfect” is sometimes just a code word for fragile.
This week’s elevator mishap that trapped Ted and Shanice Johnson (Ernestine Johnson) together didn’t just offer a dramatic plot device; it revealed a chemistry rooted in vulnerability, rather than image.
While Ted’s ex-wife may carry the burden of maintaining the Dupree legacy, Shanice offers Ted something he hasn’t had in years: a blank slate.
As a senior nurse at the hospital where Ted also works, Shanice is grounded and level-headed, traits that Ted appreciates in his dramatic life. It’s not like either of them isn’t aware that Ted’s had a year. Shanice is the eyes and ears of everything in Fairmont Crest, so it’s not like he’d have to ‘fess up about his past. That said, when they were trapped in the elevator, Ted was able to voice fears and talk about life without having to keep up a facade to impress or please anyone. In short, he could be himself with Shanice and feel seen as the real him at the same time.
Of course, there is a downside to this pairing: a romance with Shanice would put her in danger. Anyone Leslie (Trisha Mann-Grant) sees Ted talking to has gotten a slivering earful of warnings to stay away. But Shanice is someone who can more than hold her own with Leslie. She had no problem setting her straight on that one — to the point that she almost welcomed a throw down with her (admittedly, so did we!).
Nicole will always represent who Ted should strive to be, but Shanice represents who he already is: authentic. Ted has seemed unwilling to move on from Nicole, but now that Shanice has made him do a double-take when he least expected it, he’ll be open to seeing where it could go.
Do you think Ted and Shanice would make a great couple? Tell us in the comments!