Beyond the Gates: Ashley Jones Debuts in Surprising New Role!
On Beyond the Gates, the identity of The Impaler — the crime lord behind the blood plasma ring — has been a closely guarded secret. But on the Monday, June 8 episode, all was revealed! The Impaler is none other than Joey Armstrong’s (Jon Lindstrom) baby sister, Heather, played by soap vet Ashley Jones.
Sibling Revelry
A spokesperson for BTG confirmed Jones’s casting to Soap Opera Digest back in April, but declined to give details about the character she would be portraying. The actress, who also recurs on The Bold and the Beautiful as Bridget Forrester, has also appeared on The Young and the Restless as Megan Dennison and on General Hospital as Parker Forsyth.
As the episode began, Joey was waiting for a potentially dangerous face-to-face meeting with The Impaler, and was surprised when his female visitor dropped the cloak concealing her face and he realized who had come to see him. He wondered if the woman was there as The Impaler’s emissary, or perhaps his wife or his right-hand woman.
She changed the subject, marveling at how long it had been since they’d last seen one another. As Joey and Heather’s reunion continued, he admitted that he thought he would never see her again, and she pulled him into an affectionate hug — then referred to him as her big brother! She told him that she lived in London and he continued to press her about her connection to The Impaler. That’s when she lowered the boom, purring, “Oh, my dear brother. I am The Impaler.”
He howled with laughter and dismissed her claim. She took offense at his skepticism, explaining that she allowed people to believe that The Impaler was a man as a tactic. It quickly dawned on Joey that Heather was not pulling a prank on him. “I’m not the little girl you have to protect anymore,” she told him. “I’ve found my power.”
Heather credited him and their late father with teaching her well. Mention of their dad touched a nerve in Joey, and Heather acknowledged that he had borne the brunt of the man’s propensity for physical violence. However, she noted, she had dealt with his sexism. She scoffed at how their father had wanted her to “find a man, start a family — leave the business to the boys.”
Joey questioned Heather about why she had come to town. She told him that she wanted to work with him side by side, combining their illegal enterprises. “You like to keep your hands clean and I don’t share those sensibilities,” she declared of why she felt they would complement one another. He turned her down and without attempting to persuade him further, she moved to leave. Heather told him to take care of himself and pulled him into a hug. Joey implored her to stay in touch. “Don’t worry,” she smiled. “I intend to.”
Later, Joey told Vanessa (Lauren Buglioli) about his surprise encounter with his kid sister, admitting to his lover that he wasn’t sure what Heather’s endgame was — even as he concealed from his lover that Heather and The Impaler are one and the same.
Were you surprised by The Impaler’s true identity? What were your first impressions of Jones in her BTG debut? Sound off in the comments below!
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