‘Beyond the Gates’ Can’t Make Us Hate Eva Thomas

Eva Thomas (Ambyr Michelle) is currently being dragged through the mud at Fairmount Crest. 

Eva Thomas has been our favorite Beyond the Gates character since the soap opera’s big February debut. The parted Afro wearing, bohemian styled former hairdresser stepped onto the scene as noted psychologist Nicole Dupree Richardson’s assistant after her own deranged mother Leslie Thomas hit Eva’s predecessor Laura Peterson with a motorcycle (unbeknownst to Eva). Of course, Eva discovered just how awful her single parent was during Ted and Nicole’s anniversary party. Yikes.  

In the beginning, despite not having held any previous administrative experience, Eva gets the job based on Nicole’s other assistant Mona Wilson’s recommendation. Eva tries to be the best person for the job, going above and beyond her duties to ensure Nicole that she’s the right fit. However, Eva is Leslie’s tool into ingratiating with Nicole’s family as a means to gather dirt on Ted’s wife— as Ted was Leslie’s affair partner and Eva’s biological father! Plastic surgeon Ted Richardson, lauded by Nicole as a better man than her ex-brother-in-law Bill Hamilton, cheated on his wife long ago. Sadly, Nicole doesn’t know about Ted’s straying. Shaped by Leslie’s ironed manipulation, a conditioned Eva plays niceties while carrying the burden of her mother’s hatred. 

Eva (Ambyr Michelle) the assistant at Nicole’s home office near the gorgeous framed art on the wall. 

The main reason that we must advocate on Eva’s behalf is because a crazy woman named Leslie raised her— a woman who is not even stable enough to adopt a cat. Leslie may have been super abusive to Eva, inciting her to hate the Richardson and Dupree clan prior to meeting them, likely ingraining into Eva’s development that she’s less than. Leslie continuously lied and gaslit Eva into believing things that weren’t true, fed her the most outlandish information in hopes of passing down her ire. The moment a happy, enthused Eva returned home from helping Nicole write her awards dinner speech, a jealous Leslie offered no congratulations or praise. She sought to bring Eva to a sunken, depressing place— a hole of her creation. It showed that that was perhaps Eva’s upbringing. Any amount of Eva’s joy that did not benefit Leslie would be cruelly snatched away. When Eva started suspecting Leslie’s foul games including how an awakened Laura became too ill to leave the hospital, Leslie shut it down by nastily elevating her voice and calling Eva, “little girl.” To say “little girl” is almost as belittling as men spouting out “females” or white men shouting “boy” to full grown individuals. This was Leslie’s way of bringing down Eva, mentally and psychologically and to ensure that her “weapon” kept running at revenge coded factory settings. 

Eva (Ambyr Michelle) and heartless mama Leslie (Trish Mann-Grant) scheme together.

As Eva interacts further with Ted and Nicole, however, her stance softens, soon blossoming into reluctance and regret. Often, she’s pictured with her mind operating against Leslie’s wishes, instead fantasizing about being pictured in the Hamilton family photographs. She has seen their genuine kindness and feels an affection that must have been severely lacking in the Thomas household. Eva then makes moves to protect them at Nicole’s awards dinner, having her wig-donning mother thrown out. It was certainly a demonstration of Eva’s manipulative tactics put to good use— a notion that the girl’s allegiance shifted, that in her heart of hearts, she knew intuitively that Leslie was in the wrong. 

The style of Eva (Ambyr Michelle)— cutesy chic turtlenecks, cozy sweaters, and patterned tops— could be the height of soap opera fashion. Lipsticks are always on point.

The other downside in Eva’s world is Kat— the uppity, spoiled daughter of Ted and Nicole who hated Eva on sight. An ice cold Kat goes on and on about Eva’s lack of experience and cracks on Eva’s clothes and hairstyling employment yet rarely sees the hospitalized Laura, the girl she can’t wait to see back at the job. Kat’s instincts regarding Eva’s intentions may be right on some instances, but her behavior indicates that she views Eva as a simple peasant undeserving of respect and care. Then add the boring Tomas character as another division between Eva and Kat. The classicism was enough without a triangle element. Now we have the virgin Kat versus the around-the-way Eva with Eva having already spoken about past men discarding her. Heck, Leslie is bound to throw Eva under the bus in the same deliberate manner as throwing a framed picture of them in the trash can! Eva needs girl friends, unconditional girlfriends, not a man that her sister’s radar is failing to vet on. We’d love to see a healed Laura become Eva’s bestie, an eventual storyline of Eva rescuing Laura from more harm, and a tender slow burn romance (with a better man) for Eva. 

Eva’s devastations are felt by the viewers watching her despair. Her whole life has been a complete lie and she has to pick up the scattered pieces.

Thus, the colossal reveal happens, Eva finally learning that Ted never knew she existed, that the carefully calculated vengeance was fueled by Leslie’s jealousy of Nicole and nothing more. Kat’s then dead to Kat, fired by Nicole, and disowned and kicked out by Leslie. It is Ted who promises a hotel room and eventual apartment to the abandoned young woman who slept in her car. While Mona and the hoity-toity Dupree women Anita and Dani attempt to sink Eva’s self-esteem to lower degrees, our girl has won money at the casino (here’s looking at you, Dr. Doug McBride— the addict) and vows to begin anew. 

Side note: Leslie showed more hurt / sympathy at losing Mona’s friendship and more love for Teddy than she ever did for Eva. Goodness, a tough watch. Thankfully, Eva wasn’t present for that. 

Poor Eva.

Apparently, Eva’s March 13th fantasy of being Ted’s (Maurice Johnson) perfect daughter will come true this week right down to the blazer material. We hope she returns to her unique style that sets her apart from the other women. Surely, Ted will accept her true fashion, either or. 

Eva Thomas couldn’t be possible without portrayer Ambyr Michelle’s masterful performances each week, showcasing the extreme depth of Eva’s inner turmoil— the emotional nuances of pain, sadness, anger, and love. Michelle renders remarkable vulnerable complexities, broadcasting resilience and dignity to this wronged character, a beautiful, riveting woman determined to make amends. She operates well with her chosen scene partners, especially Trish Mann-Grant (terrific at being an unrootable doppelgänger villain). Their storyline contains the juiciest entertainment elements, the most dynamic duo to the afternoon. By putting Michelle and Grant in huge positions during the three day exposè complete with the following aftermath showed the soap’s strongest acting and direction since the debut. They both received Soap Opera News’s Performers of the Week and Michelle had this honor for Soap Wire as well. They must be bound for nominations galore at next year’s Daytime Emmy Awards. 

If anyone deserves the nod and the win— it’s Ambyr Michelle, eligible for the new Emerging Talent in a Daytime Drama category. 

Eva Thomas has been on fire from the very beginning. We only hope the fuel remains lit.