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Hayley and Randy talk, while Chelsea and Madison watch on. Hayley is adamant about not having any of Bill’s big babies, and Chelsea is worried that Randy might pose a threat to her sister-aged mother-in-law.

Hayley is talking real tough now, but wasn’t it Randy that warned her about bringing Lynette in on the scheme? Randy has got to be sick of his hard-headed cousin by now, but I guess he has ten million reasons to keep working with her. He is much less likely to get such an offer.

Chelsea to the rescue. I can’t believe how much Dani’s girls have warmed up to Hayley as their MIL, but perhaps Chelsea’s concern comes from her own horrific experience with Allison. I was really impressed with Chelsea’s gumption. She zeroed in on the target and let it fly. Hayley acts as if she is deeply offended that Chelsea would even consider that Hayley would resort to violence. Poisoned tea definitely doesn’t count.

However, Hayley wasn’t wrong about Dani’s taste for violence, despite intense provocation. Still, Chelsea should have not apologized on principle, especially to the woman that helped push her mother over the edge. Why didn’t Chelsea think that Hayley might be cheating on Bill? Perhaps when it comes to Bill’s wife, the infidelity only flows one way in her mind.

Did Hayley come up with all these lies on the spot? She gave a great performance. Thank you BTG for finally showing us how the scammer queen was crowned. However, using Chelsea’s real trauma to throw her off the scent was foul. Hayley then tosses in Bill’s health scares as the reason he wasn’t asked to arrange protection. Even with all Hayley’s mind games, Chelsea still is able to focus and ask pertinent questions. Hayley then uses her crocodile tears to eke another one out.

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Bill and Tomas discuss Lynette’s case. Bill was always arrogant, but lately he has been insufferable. For someone that has a hand in everything DMV-related, no one has tipped him off that Hayley is up to no good. Tomas is not competing with Bill to be the better criminal, but the better attorney. A lot of Bill’s “favors” come from less than upright means, some downright illegal.

Instead of a lesson in negotiation, Tomas gets a front-row seat to the ways of the crooked and dirty. You really have to be careful where you look for mentors. Bill wasn’t wrong about building relationships through family, but it felt like he was saying that that was the only reason to start a family. This explains his marriage to Hayley. The legwork is over, now it is Bill’s time to enjoy the spoils.

Bill loves Kat, flaws and all. For some strange reason he is the only person that truly goes to bat for Kat. Pushing the narrative that Kat is worse than the liars, cheaters, and attempted murders, or plain murders, is disingenuous and quite frankly insulting.

Bill asks the question that brings the answer that many have postulated about, whether Tomas is with Kat for career advancement. The answer is no. I find that line of thinking insulting as well. Kat is beautiful, smart, hardworking, loving and protective of her tribe. Each character carries a slew of imperfections, but they are entitled to genuine love, so why not Kat?

Leslie and Eva chat about the clinic at Orphey Gene’s. It is totally ridiculous that Leslie keeps pushing for a wedding for a couple that made it official a couple of weeks ago. Leslie exits to pursue trivial aims, and Derek swoops in to handle the real work of opening the clinic. Might Eva be so impressed with Derek’s prowess because she is so new to all the programs and red tape herself?

I must be getting old because using flyers to advertise is now a genius idea. Also, is shoddy internet what they were talking about in regard to Eva’s difficult upbringing, excluding Leslie of course? The writing room might need to diversify along socioeconomic lines. Eva finally decides to acknowledge that the clinic is Samantha’s brainchild now that Eva needs something from her. Wow.

I don’t know if there is a romance brewing between Eva and Derek, or if Eva can’t help herself around men like her mother, but something is definitely there. I am glad that Derek is coming around about the clinic; the potential to positively impact others is astronomical.

Vanessa meets Joey at the casino and puts the moves on him. I don’t generally mind Vanessa and Joey, but Vanessa is using sex to hold Joey’s attention. A healthy dose of intimacy is great, but please let them do something else. The double-date with Nicole doesn’t count. Fortunately, their sexy time is cut short by Leslie.

Why is Joey off-limits, when no other man is, even those with wives? Especially those with wives. I guess his attachment to Vanessa isn’t provocative enough. One of the few things that I actually like about Leslie, is that she is no-holds-barred with anyone that gets on her nerves, including the gourmet chef crime boss Joey. Someone had to say it. Joey is not just a casino owner; he is a leader of the underworld.

Leslie was doing well until the delusions of grandeur took over. Who in the elite has accepted Leslie? Also, calling Barbara music royalty is a stretch, sadly. So, Derek, a firefighter turned general manager of a medical clinic, is now going to be the face of said clinic? Interesting. Derek will be back in the opening credits in no time. On another note, BTG got in on the running joke of everyone working out of Orphey Gene’s, nice.

Out of all the people that Leslie has crossed, Vanessa is the only one that Leslie has apologized to. Leslie made an attempt on an innocent young woman’s life twice and she finds Vanessa, the realtor and madam, scary? If Vanessa is old-money, is she really self-made?

The two women trade insults and Vanessa goes where no Fairmont Crester has gone, to a place where Leslie doesn’t get the last word. Meanwhile, Eva sat there and didn’t say a word to defend her mother. That is a change of pace. So far, the only two people that can handle Leslie are Vanessa and Joey. Extracting Derek from Ashley was the right move, he was convincing as the voice of reason.

Chelsea and Madison take Hayley back to Bill’s office. Hayley was really committed to this show. I just know she didn’t do all that sniffling all the way to the office. While it is probably a lot easier to manipulate someone when every interaction is a part of your scheme, it is still shocking that Bill has not caught on to a thing.

Madison checks in with Chelsea. This was a great moment between the two. I was a little suspicious after Madison abandoned her fellowship, and I felt like Chelsea was being impulsive with the proposal, but I am glad that they worked things out. They make a good team.

Overall Assessment

This episode was not full of thrills, but it had some good scenes. I enjoyed all the interactions. The Leslie/Vanessa showdown was quite entertaining.

Discussion Points: Are they getting rid of Garland Memorial scenes and replacing them with the clinic? What do you think was on the trucks that Randy mentioned to Joey? Will Bill and Hayley end up as a legitimate couple? Do you think that Tomas was being honest when he said he loved Kat? Let’s discuss in the comments!

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Beyond the Gates – S2E43: The Showdown (Review)