Dateline Fairmont Crest: The Real, True Story of The Articulates

Link to the previous Beyond the Gates thread.

2 lezzies kissing??? NO thank you!

Neither Eva nor Leslie have been onscreen this week and show has consequently been somewhat dull.

I'm liking that they are finally giving us some more background on whatever it was that Martin went through two years ago.

Seems to be some kind of carjacking incident.

Id join Smitty in a "jacking" incident

Is Fairmont Crest the name of the town they live in or is it the name of their subdivision?

I had assumed they lived in Potomac, Maryland and Fairmont Crest was the name of their subdivision in Potomac, but now I'm not so sure.

Fairmont Crest is the name of the Country Club the Duprees belong to.

Presumably Fairmont Crest is also the name of the gated community that the Duprees live in, but I can't say for certain.

Sounds like toothpaste

Why do the Duprees pay dues at the Country Club if their grandfather founded it? You'd think they'd be "grandfathered" in...

I get the feeling they live in the Potomac, Maryland area. Definitely some place on the northern part of DC.

Characters have mentioned going to the Adams Morgan nieghborhood a couple of time.

[quote]Why do the Duprees pay dues at the Country Club if their grandfather founded it?

How do we know they pay dues? Maybe they are grandfathered in.

All we know is that they are members and frequently go to the country club.

[quote]Sounds like toothpaste

Perhaps the toothpaste copied the name of our ritzy country club.

For some reason, I thought Martin's secret was something that happened when he was a child, but I guess it was more recent. I wonder if Vernon and Anita had him hypnotized to forget it. When the waiter guy kept saying "blow by blow" it made me wonder if it was some kind of sex hookup gone wrong.

R11. You must not be a watcher, Sweetie. In an earlier episode, Nicole asks why they have to pay such high dues to the country club only to associate with people like Bill and Hayley. So, your lack of knowledge is all YOU know, not all WE know.

On a superficial note, Smitty's arms looked good in that polo. They need to get him shirtless.

Superficial: This crap show loses a million viewers from its lead in, The Bold and the Beautiful. I’m not surprised. I’ve tried to get into this show, but I can’t. It’s lifeless.

I don't find B B any better.

Way too much time was spent on dull Ashley and Derek, and the boring gambling den.

Is it bad that I truly cannot tell the difference between Smitty’s husband and the cop? Is the same actor playing both roles?

[quote]Way too much time was spent on dull Ashley and Derek, and the boring gambling den.

Ashley and Derek are the token white couple. Boring and not fully developed. They are the white counterpart of Bryan and Claudia from GH in the 1980s and numerous other black characters that were largely one dimensional.

Similarly, Cady McClain's Pamela is the best friend of Dani. Her main function is to be a talk-to for Dani. Just like for so many years, the black characters' function on a soap was to be the talk-to character for the white characters. So, this is the reverse of that since BTG is aimed at a black audience.

The gambling den is owned by a white man. And that white man is the show's primary villain. Again this is the reverse of how black characters were treated for so many years.

Some of the Beyond the Gates cast in the Locher Room.

And if Ashley's mom was not purposely made to look like white trailer park trash, Im the Queen of England.

[quote]And if Ashley's mom was not purposely made to look like white trailer park trash, Im the Queen of England.

That's what shows did to black characters for many decades. Dressed them and made them up to look like the worst black stereotypes

Turnabout is fair play.

Where is Vicky Rowell these days?

Vernon stepping out of his goody-goody box is an intriguing character turn, and I'm finding all these men involved in having a hand in the Martin coverup along with Smitty and Jacob on the case is entertaining.

I'm really enjoying Eva versus Miss Priss Kat.

Do we know how far in advance the show tapes?

When they fired Ted #1 after three months, someone here suggested he was already gone before the show even debuted on Feb. 24.

R27 It appears that they're about three months out, because on April 10th, the cast and crew were celebrating the production of Episode #100, and on that day Episode #32 was being broadcast. .. So that's a difference of 68 episodes, and usually there are about 21 episodes broadcast per month. (That 68 is a little higher due to a few pre-emptions that occurred.)

Thanks r27.

Three months out for a brand new show seems a bit risky. Not much opportunity to adjust in response to audience reactions. But I guess with lots of soap vets running the show, their instincts have been spot on because she seems to be operating well.

CBS has pulled Beyond The Gates off the air - well kind of. They unexpectedly are airing reruns next week. The clueless cunt Michele Val Jean had no knowledge of it. Things ain’t looking good fir Beyond The Gates.

[quote] Three months out for a brand new show seems a bit risky. Not much opportunity to adjust in response to audience reactions

With the number of EP's they have, one would think that SOMEONE among them would have figured out that one story in particular hasn't been working even before it aired. At least part of that story seems to be over now? I just hope Ashley and Derek were using birth control.

On another note, I loved Big Bad Bill telling the blackmailer how things were going to be.

Odd that BTG would air re-air the first five episodes next week.

But apparently TV viewing is usually up around the July 4th holiday time. Kids are home from school and people have time off for the holidays. So maybe this is a way for BTG to pull in first time viewers and get them hooked.

Wonder if they've color corrected those overly bright debut episodes for these repeat showings? We here on DL certainly complained about that back in February.

They have like 20 Executive Producers on this mess of a show. Maybe that’s the problem of why it’s incoherent. It’s a mess. And Michele Val Jean can’t take any criticism. You tweet anything bad to her and she goes off the rails. It’s fun to see. lol

Michele Val Jean is full of shit!!! While I do believe that the decision to air a week of repeats - at the last minute - is above her paygrade, Sheila Ducksworth, an EP of BTG is an Executive at CBS. Michele feigning ignorance is not a good look. Surely Michele called or texted Sheila to ask why they are airing unplanned repeats. Michele knows more than she is saying and it doesn’t look good on her to claim not knowing anything. It’s your show Michele! Sorry, but she comes as stupid and I’m not sorry that her show is bombing.

"treating fans"

That's a funny way for SOD to word it.

It's not like BLG is a soap that has something from 30 years ago that it's pulling out of a vault.

R35. It will be lucky to last 30 months....

^ Go stomp on your dead sour cigar somewhere else Paul.

R37 is Lil Hayman

R38 Lil’s hymen was never broken.

So was today's little cliffhanger with Martin a fakeout and one of his visions?

It woke twitter up as Smitty was trending for a couple of hours.

I can see BTG overtaking GH in the ratings by the end of the year. Doesn't say much for either soap but the social media exposure could be helpful for the CBS show.

It is competitive in the desired demo

I didn't have Derek and Shanice on my BTG Bingo Card, but I'm not mad at it.

Well Cady McClain is useless on this show. I just watched Thursday (yesterday) episode. WTF! She’s terrible. And useless.

R44. They needed a "big name." Pamela could have easily been Robin Strasser.

Eighty-year old Strasser? .. Pamela is supposed to be something of a peer of Dani's not someone who is old enough to be her annoying grandmother.

Somehow, I can't see Robin Strasser playing a talk-to character, which is essentially what Pamela is -- someone for Dani to express her thoughts and feelings to and nothing more.

Actually the Pamela role should have gone to Vanessa Marcil. She would have been the perfect Dani BFF.

This show is a POS, but I do love it.

I kind of like it. I liked Saints and Sinners, so I was happy to see Keith Robinson pop in there (although he would not be my first pick from that cast).

So, a year from now....how many Emmy noms will BTG get? I say 7 total....

Acting-wise ... Eva should definitely be nominated, Emerging Talent, perhaps? She's a great find. Probably her villainess mother, Leslie, in Supporting as well. Other supporting? Smitty gets regular kudos and is popular. I like Bill quite a bit, although I suppose he could be lead. I could see both of the Articulettes, Sharon and Tracy, in the Guest Performer category. I love their scenes. The show will more than likely push to get Dani and Anita in lead actress.

As far as the overall show, it's far more entertaining that the other two, very tiresome CBS soaps, so best show, writing, and direction should go its way as well.

At least someone finally shut Smitty up.

Today's episode is the first I've watched.

Smitty is the husband? I thought he was one of the kids. Eesh.

Smitty has entered into her bossy bottom era

Smitty is a bossy bottom.

Mike Manning is doing a great job. The poor guy playing Martin, still can't act to save his life. However, I still think that kids are too old, even if they're adopted.

The Articulettes story just made Anita look really bad. I didn't get the point of it.

And if they're going to show outdoors scenes supposedly set in MD, in July, those bare trees look very strange.

The pacing on this show is ATROCIOUS.

Lots of interesting stories but they're all idling for way too long.

I noticed the bare trees too. Dumb.

[quote]The Articulettes story just made Anita look really bad. I didn't get the point of it.

I think that was kind of the the point of it, to knock the queen off her throne. They spent the first couple of months showing how great the Duprees are, now I think we're in tearing down phase. Vernon is clearly not some squeaky clean civil rights icon, Anita (Diana Ross) is messy from the projects, Nicole's marriage is in shambles and she's brawling with women in diners, Dani is nuts, and the grandkids are messy too.

Is Dani still a drunk or did they kill that storyline?

[quote] Lots of interesting stories but they're all idling for way too long.

What? The show hasn't even been on nine months. That's about the length of time it took for something to happen in a storyline in an old school soap. I like this more traditional pace.

R63 I can't remember if I wrote R59 or not but in any case I agree with it. But I also agree with a traditional pace as you stated.

I'm not saying it should be faster - I hate the fast storylines and quick cut scenes of GH.

But I think the actual pacing of the arcs of stories has been structured poorly. Ideally in old style soap, story A is reaching a crescendo, story B is simmering and getting hot, and then you might have story C or D just getting started.

BTG has a whole lot of B's and maybe one C story (the new lesbian pairing?) but only limited stories that have popped. The most powerful, best executed story thus far was the Ted/Nicole/Leslie story - which had a huge impact on several characters and is still ongoing (more to tell, more to come).

Too many simmering stories with no release and too much going around in circles isn't helpful. The buildup in the Martin story was slow and intense but the reveal was weak.....they promised more than they could deliver. I feel the same way about Anita and the Articulates....the story itself was with several dayplayers and didn't do much for the canvas overall, although in that case it did let us see some weaknesses in the great Saint Anita.

Lots of good stuff in this show, I just think they could be GREAT if things were tightened up a bit.

I am a soap traditionalist. I hate it when shows burn through story and skip important beats. Soaps have 250 episodes a year to play every single beat, but all that being said, I realize that soaps have changed and that in order to keep an audience engaged you have to find that perfect balance between Bill Bell and Ron Carlivati, meaning that you can still play a classic paternity secret storyline, but you can't wait 8 years to reveal it.

I see BTG as still setting it's foundation. I also think they've changed some things around. I get the feeling that Dani versus Haile was originally going to be the first big story, but they put that on simmer when Dana/Leslie and Eva just blew up. Now they're getting back to Dani versus Haile.

Yeah, I thought Dani vs Hailey was going to be the show's big storyline. But its now a B-storyline.

The Eva is Ted's daughter reveal and all of Leslie's antics has been the show's A-storyline. Show doesn't seem quite as compelling on days Eva and/or Leslie are off.

The Martin secret reveal had me on the edge of my seat. I think there's more to come from it. Perhaps the blackmailer sent proof of what Martin did to someone.

The Articulates story is far from over. Anita was needed back in Fairmont Crest, so they had to have a reason for her to be there. The group will get back together. Probably have another fight or two, break up a few more times and ultimately do their reunion show for November sweeps.

Vernon certainly seems less of a saint now that the Martin secret has been revealed.

The Martin secret makes no sense. Martin is a congressman for a Maryland DC suburb. Not the deep south.

The show should have STARTED with Dani and Bill married and Hayley coming into Bill and Dani's life.

Hayley would have shown how she was that crawling-to-the-top character.

The Martin reveal would have been a lot more effective if that actor could convincingly emote.

R70 Or act his way out of a paper bag. He's terrible (and various soap boards and social media sites are dragging him for it).

Mike Manning has been a real standout in this story. The actor who plays Martin looks the part, but can't act it.

[quote]The Martin secret makes no sense. Martin is a congressman for a Maryland DC suburb. Not the deep south.

Yes that's true. I think we just have to gloss of that and give the show some leeway on this for the sake of plot. .

I found myself wondering if Martin and Vernon had gone to some political event out of town, say in Baltimore or in western Maryland where the chances of such a deserted road and the emboldened racist rednecks would be greater.

It's true there are plenty of redneck areas in MD and Martin and Vernon were on a "country road," But I still find this storyline - including the plastic surgery on the survivor of Martin's attack! - so farfetched as to be absolutely ridiculous. Even for soaps, this is just ludicrous.

[quote]But I still find this storyline - including the plastic surgery on the survivor of Martin's attack! - so farfetched as to be absolutely ridiculous. Even for soaps, this is just ludicrous.

Sounds like you've got limited soap watching experience.

Plenty more ludicrous stories than this:

The Ice Princess

Casey the Alien

A cloned Reva

Marlena Possessed by the Devil. Twice

Viki going back in time to the 1880s

Erica's aborted fetus turning up alive and a full grown man

Prince Albert the ape kidnapping Delia

Half of Genoa City going to a remote French chateau where they have no cell phone service to discover a former town dimwit is now a business savvy billionaire and is holding them hostage.

WRONG, r75. I've been watching soaps since 1963. I saw all the ABC soap storylines you mentioned and I'm watching the Genoa City one now. The difference is, those storylines were obviously outlandish from the get go. The Aristotle Dumas storyline is getting zero acclaim, it's being recognized as a big insult to the audience's intelligence. That's what this Gates storyline is - an insult to the audience's intelligence. Especially the audience that lives in the same area as this dumbass storyline.

I can assure you that racists and rednecks are everywhere.

I love it when Eve gets one up on Miss Priss Kat. Hopefully she will get Kat's very hot man in bed.

On a side note, I was wondering if Eva and Tomas hook up, Eva gets pregnant, and somehow Leslie steals Eva's baby and gives it to Hayley to raise as the baby she's pretending to be pregnant with

Also, I wonder if there is a reason why Allison and Madison look so much alike, or if Chelsea just has a type.

So is Haley definitely not pregnant? I love that Dani is turning out to be right.