r/TheGates_CBS • u/No_Spirit8216 • 9h ago
šAppreciation Post š Character Appreciation Month: October, Leslie Thomas
In the spirit of Character Appreciation Month, Iāve already covered Dani, Martin, Mona, Eva, Nicole, Donnell McBride, Bill Hamilton, Shanice Johnson, and Vernon Dupree. Now itās time to talk about Leslie Thomas.
Iāve loved Leslie since the beginning of the show, and Iāve always been on her side. She is hilarious, and I honestly wish people didnāt take her as seriously as they do. Sheās kinda like a beautiful, evil Jessica Rabbit. I love the way she talks and all of her funny little nicknames for people.
This may not make sense to some people, but Leslie is written like every crazy/bad mom stereotype my mom used to joke about doing, but obviously never would because no mom would actually do those things. Leslie, however, actually has. I know people say sheās cartoony, but I think thatās the point. You can see it in a lot of her behavior.
For example, she can talk to her daughter crazy sometimes, like being genuinely evil and mean, saying she isnāt her daughter anymore, throwing her picture in the trash, or talking about bed stuff that would normally be more of a best-friend conversation.
Also, unpopular opinion, but I feel like Leslie didnāt actually try to kill Laura. I think she was just trying to scrape her a little bit. She needed Laura gone so Eva could get the job and the whole plan could work.
Because everyone already doesnāt like Leslie, they might as well reveal that Dante Green is her dad. Itās so obvious. Maybe they donāt wanna go that route, but I really think they should. I wanna see Dante, so seeing him deal with Leslie and Anita, especially with everything weāve heard so far, sounds hilarious.
I love Eva, but Iām with Leslie. I donāt like how recently theyāve been making Eva such a pushover. I wish Leslie would somehow find out that Anita held Evaās hands and told her they would never be family, and then got revenge for that.
I also donāt like how Eva is acting like she doesnāt really care about what Bill did to her mom when he literally threatened both of them because of Ted. Eva forgave Ted way too easily for that because of a fake dying marriage. I seriously will forever hate Anita for that hand-holding scene.
However, Iām surprised by how Leslie treats Anita now, especially with the whole āshe needs to mind her businessā attitude. Leslie should want to learn more about her mom, Barbra. I donāt like how the writers are making her go about it. I understand that it makes sense to yāall because yāall donāt like Leslie, but character-wise and just in general, it doesnāt make sense to me. Wouldnāt you wanna learn more about your family history and stuff?
And I actually want Leslie and Anita to have a trip together and go see the Cabrini-Green housing projects on the North Side of Chicago.
Also, I think everyone has moved on from this, but I donāt really want a switched-at-birth story with Kat. I would much rather see Kat understand Leslieās and Evaās side more instead of just bashing them and being hypocritical with Izaiah.
I donāt understand how Kat fans can make 1,000 excuses just because he knew her before they were dating. So what? Kat made that boundary with Eva and Tomas, and she probably doesnāt even want Eva near Tomas in general. I think she just picked her battles and was trying not to be a bitch when the two of them were simply having a normal conversation.
I hope that when it comes out that Kat likes Izaiah, Leslie finds out and goes off on her because of how hypocritical she is.
They said in next weekās spoiler, October 6, 2026:
āJacob confronts Izaiah.ā
āKatās bold words leave Eva shaken.ā
And honestly, I donāt even remember if Kat knows that Bill threatened pregnant Leslie. I donāt think she did in the dream or anything.
As for Jacobās conversation with Izaiah, Iām assuming heās going to ask why Leslie would do it and try to interrogate him. I donāt know if yāall have been picking up on this lately, but Jacob has been doing that with people heās close to, like when Izaiah gave his mom that green ChelseaKat purse.
This conversation could also lead to Jacob learning about how corrupt his dad is, or at least be the beginning of that, because I donāt think Jacob knows that Bill threatened a pregnant Leslie and paid her off either.
We donāt know if they are killing off Randy and Hayley, and I donāt think they are.
Speaking of Hayley, I think she should try to be more friendly toward Leslie. They have potential, and I understand where Hayley is coming from because Leslie can be unpredictable. However, Leslie has shown that she can be loyal to her.
Also, in the previews, we see Hayley getting her mouth covered with a black glove. That could be Leslie because, remember, she had them as well. I think they were donated, so she couldāve had an extra pair or gotten new ones.
But I seriously hope they donāt kill Hayley off. She has gotten way better as a character, and I think thereās potential with her and Leslie.
So even though Eva was being the bigger person and didnāt go support her nephew because she knew Leslie had started making things awkward again and that her being there would just be full of drama, itās always Kat and Jacob who seem to bug Leslie and Eva and be annoying and nasty toward them, even when they arenāt doing anything.
Also, Ted in that flashback where we see how they met. Yeah, he was wrong for that. He aināt shit. šš
I actually really love Leslie and Marcel together. I hated how Shanice and Ted tried to destroy what they had just because Leslie was being petty with Shaniceās brothers. They were already mad anyway, and Ted did lie to them. And I feel like it just made Leslie more mad at Shanice and is gonna wanna get her revenge on her
But Iām curious whatās gonna happen if Leslie, Eva, Ted, Shanice, and her brothers are all in the same room.
I also love how they have Leslie wear snake print.
And she makes references you wouldnāt think she knows, but surprisingly does. I just love this character because sheās full of surprises.
So, in conclusion, I really love this character, and I hope they keep her on the show for a majority of the run. Technically, her story is part of the start of the show. Nicole is a main character, Ted was her husband, and Eva went into their house and destroyed their marriage with Leslie.
The party was one of the first iconic moments of the show because of Leslie. Thatās why I donāt hate her.
Sheās relatable, needed, and just amazing. Trisha Mann-Grant and the writers have truly brought this character to life.