Beyond the Gates: Who Is the Impaler? Clues, Suspects, and What We Know

On Beyond the Gates, Smitty and Jacob have been working undercover to expose a dangerous criminal known on the streets as The Impaler. While they are inching toward uncovering the identity, we’ve had some clues that point to who it could be.

Beyond the Gates: Who Is The Impaler?

When Smitty (Mike Manning) went to Jacob (Jibre Hordges) with his research on a plasma ring in Fairmont Crest, he had already done a lot of the legwork. He knew there was blood being taken from the chain of command, pulled away from patients who needed it, and sold on the black market instead.

Thanks to a tip from June (Jasmine Burke), Smitty learned that the person behind the ring was known as The Impaler. Jacob wanted to be the detective to go undercover and bust the operation, but first had to get approval from his father, police chief Elon Hawthorne (Malachi Malik).

Elon had concerns that this was too big for his son’s first undercover assignment. He turned to mob boss Joey Armstrong (Jon Lindstrom), hoping for insight. Joey claimed he didn’t know the identity of The Impaler, only that this was someone you don’t want to cross—and he preferred to stay out of it.

How The Plasma Ring Works

When Smitty explained the structure to Jacob, it became clear just how layered the operation is. At the bottom are workers like Grayson (Jordi Vilasuso), a lab tech under financial strain who got pulled into something far bigger than he expected. He makes drops in the hospital elevator with a driver.

That driver — one of whom is Jacob, known undercover as “Rashad” — transports the blood to a warehouse. The drivers are organized by Ren (Donny Carrington), who operates out of that warehouse and nearby alleyways.

Above them both is Dr. Lia Whitmore (Cecelia Specht), Garland Memorial’s chief of staff. But even she appears to be taking orders, suggesting someone even more powerful is at the top.

Is Lia Whitmore The Impaler?

Not likely — and here’s why.

Based on Smitty’s breakdown, The Impaler sits at the very top. Lia appears to be second-in-command and talks as though she also answers to someone. That almost-at-the-top ranking, though, would mean that she would have to be extremely close to the real leader to earn that level of trust. 

At this point, the possibilities narrow to two options: The Impaler is either someone we already know — or someone we haven’t met yet.

The Prime Suspects

Joey Armstrong

Right from the start, Joey (Jon Lindstrom) claimed no knowledge of the operation, who was involved, or any desire to find out. He had his own issues to deal with and didn’t like to cross territorial lines out of…professional courtesy, we’ll say.

But was Joey telling the truth? Is he secretly aligned with Lia Whitmore somehow? He mentioned his sister, which opens the door to that being a connection. Unless he’s using Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) as a public cover, we doubt they could be romantically involved.

Note: Randy (Maurice P. Kerry) told Joey he was staying on top of checking in on trucks and the warehouse. The question is — which trucks and which warehouse?

Izaiah Hawthorne

This reformed bad boy would be an interesting twist. Izaiah (Lami) spent years working in Joey’s world and possibly has the knowledge to run an operation like this. He’s also Jacob’s brother and Elon’s son — and still carries resentment toward his father.

Still, the likelihood seems low. He appears genuinely interested in rebuilding his relationship with Jacob, which would be complicated if Jacob had to arrest him.

Worth Noting: Jacob ran into Izaiah outside the warehouse while undercover, placing him suspiciously close to the operation, if not at the actual scene of the crime.

Dr. Kial Rollins

Kial (Greg Vaughan) arrived in Fairmont Crest as a traveling doctor, moving between hospitals and clinics. The timing of his arrival raises questions.

Kial is a friend of Shanice (Ernestine Johnson), and she called him to be a date for Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix) when Carlton (Robert Christopher Riley) couldn’t attend Winterfest. Could he be Lia’s brother? Possibly, but having the first and second in command at the same hospital seems a little overkill…no pun intended.

Worth Noting: One could argue that Kial’s interest has solely been with Nicole, but that could be a mask. It might also explain why he has zero feelings about commitment.

Dr. Carlton Fitzgerald

Speaking of Carlton, he also seems to leave town a lot, claiming to visit his never-seen niece. Truth? Possibly. But it’s also quite convenient.

Carlton also interacts with Lia in a way that feels overly familiar, sometimes even as if he outranks her. Is there a past relationship there? A partnership that extends beyond the hospital? We don’t have him high on our suspect list, but we still say Carlton’s hiding a dark side.

Shanice Johnson

Oh, Shanice. If there is anyone in the entire hospital who knows every single thing that is happening, it’s Shanice. But for viewers, she’s been a long-time suspect in the plasma ring conspiracy theories.

Some say she’s crucial to the hospital, but wouldn’t that be a necessity for The Impaler’s operation? We have her ranked lower than Carlton, but we still don’t believe she brought Nicole a date to Winterfest without a little self-serving motivation. Keepin’ an eye on you, Ms. Johnson.

The Ominous Possibility

Then there’s the possibility that we’ll just never know. Is The Impaler walking among the elite of Fairmont Crest, dining at the country club, and picking up dessert at Orphey Gene’s? 

When it all comes to a head, will he or she remain unscathed, while their operation either collapses or relocates? 

It’s entirely possible that those involved take the fall without ever naming the person at the top.

There’s one thing we know for sure: We’re only weeks away from finding out. And when the truth comes out, it’s going to hit everyone hard. 

Buckle up, gatekeepers. This ride is about to get bumpy.

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