Beyond the Gates Recap Dec 12: Ted and Shanice get catfished, Kat answers Tomas

In the Beyond the Gates recap for Friday, December 12, 2025, Bill gets a new client, Kat gives Tomas an answer about moving in, and Naomi and Jacob hit an impasse.

Beyond the Gates Recap

At the law office, Hayley told Bill she had a vacation planned for them in St. Barts, but Bill couldn’t just up and leave. He promised they’d go for the holidays, though, and suggested she take his credit card and go shopping to feel better.

Bill had a new client come in named Lynette Wise. Bill reviewed her list of charges, including embezzlement at her last job. She insisted she was innocent. Bill said he’d get it taken care of.

Meanwhile, Hayley called Randy and said that the next time Bill collapsed, she needed to get him isolated. When Hayley returned to the office, Bill introduced her to Lynette, but Hayley’s face fell when she turned around.

Ted and Shanice both showed up to get takeout catfish, but there was only one left. June waited while they argued over who should get it, and finally they decided to sit down and share it.

During they’re chatting, Ted mentioned he’d missed his friendship with Carlton but couldn’t stand it that he went after Nicole so quickly. Shanice and Ted grew closer as they talked.

Leslie asked Vanessa to join her and Eva at their table at the country club. Leslie explained that she needed her help with something big. Vanessa thought they wanted an escort, but they wanted to find a building for the free clinic. 

Vanessa advised things they would need to do before opening the free clinic, including seeking legal advice. After Vanessa left, Leslie teased about someone they knew who was a lawyer.

Eva scolded her mom for thinking she still wanted Tomas. She told her that she was interested in Izaiah and that there were plenty of other lawyers to choose from, like Naomi. Eva sent her a message to ask if she’d be interested in helping.

Tomas met with Kat and was taken aback at her strong feelings against moving in together. He thought they’d leveled up by going away together; she thought they were moving too quickly. Kat didn’t think that being around one another 24/7 would help their relationship. 

Kat admitted to Tomas that she was worried that if they moved in too early, he’d realize that he didn’t really like her. She said she needed to have faith that she wouldn’t mess things up and asked for more time. 

Tomas reluctantly agreed.

Naomi and Jacob met at Uptown and talked about their lack of sex life. They knew it stemmed from the issues they were having about whether or not to have kids. They decided to follow their therapist’s advice as they missed intimacy.

Jacob ran off to take care of something. Later, Naomi was surprised that he’d gotten a hotel room and put rose petals all over it. When Naomi hesitated because she was still in her work clothes and didn’t feel sexy, Jacob told Naomi to close her eyes and kissed her. Naomi pulled away and said it all felt forced.

Jacob tried to understand and suggested they just keep trying to work on things before their next appointment. He handed her a beer and suggested they watch a movie instead, since the room was paid for. After a while, Naomi chilled out, they reconnected, and ended up making love.

Vanessa and Joey met at Uptown, and she told him how happy he made her when he came to the country club and kissed her. Vanessa told Joey that she thought it felt right between them and she wanted to feel loved. Joey said he was still getting used to being in a relationship.

Joey held her hand as Vanessa wanted to talk about what was next. She told Joey they were just getting started, but promised not to cramp his style. Vanessa wanted to know who would contact her if he got hurt. She knew that his work was dangerous and wanted to be part of the loop. 

Joey balked as there were people who would use that information against him. He joked that he’d just not wind up in a ditch rather than include her as a next of kin. Joey made it clear that he didn’t want another wife; he’d done that before, and it didn’t work out. Vanessa told Joey that she wanted a commitment.
“Do you hear yourself? Your husband’s not even cold in his grave,” Joey snarked. Vanessa went to slap him, but he grabbed her wrist. Joey told her they should stop before it got too serious, but that’s exactly what Vanessa thought they were. Vanessa thought Joey was scared of getting hurt again, but Joey told her she’d pushed too far and left.