The Thursday, October 30 episode of Beyond the Gates featured family dysfunction on Halloween, no less. Vernon and a witchy Nicole tried to have a safe, scary holiday. Instead, Nicole’s mansion erupted in drama, first from an angel’d up Leslie. Then Martin, Smitty, and Samantha invaded her place so Samantha could get some much-needed advice from her grandmother. At the same time, her brother had a confrontation of his own at Orphey Gene’s.

Key Takeaways

• Nicole tries to set up a safe space for Samantha.
• Martin overhears Samantha admit she overheard Kat talk about sex with Tomas.
• Tyrell stands up to Nathan.
• Ted and Leslie clear the air.

Tricks

Samantha (Najah Jackson) thinks she knows what she wants and who she wants to be. And at Nicole’s, her grandmother takes her into what should be a safe space to talk about her dads catching her in the act of making out with Nathan (Brennen Settle) on their couch. But things were clearly headed for much more since Nathan, who did get Samantha’s consent, had dropped a condom in front of the couch.

Nicole (Daphnée Duplaix) was able to get the real story from her granddaughter. That she and Nathan were a situationship. They knew each other from school and hung out a couple of times. But Samantha thinks that she’s mature enough to handle where things were heading. And while she asked Nicole if she could stay with her grandmother, it doesn’t seem like she listened to the advice Nicole gave her.

When Martin (Brandon Claybon) accidentally eavesdropped and discovered that Samantha was inspired to take things to the next level after Kat (Colby Muhammad) talked about sex with Tomas, the atmosphere grew significantly tense. Martin insisted that he was about to have a conversation with his sister. Samantha had to admit that she had only overheard Kat. She also expressed her wish to move in with Nicole, which left Martin and Smitty (Mike Manning, who recently took shots at a cast member from CBS’s Ghosts) shocked.

Samantha talks like someone who thinks she’s grown up enough to have sex with someone. But ultimately, underneath it all, she’s not putting any thought into the consequences of her actions. Is she ready for that? Why can’t she and Nathan take the slow-burn route?