GONE AND FORGOTTEN! After Dying a Hero, BTG’s Derek Baldwin Barely Gets a Mention in Fairmont Crest

DEREK BALDWIN DIED A HERO AND ASHLEY BARELY BLINKED

TL;DR: Beyond the Gates killed off Derek Baldwin back in May when he took a bullet meant for Jacob, and his last words were telling Ashley he loved her. Five months later, Ashley has bounced from Andre to the lab guy like Derek was never there. Jacob brings him up now and then, but that’s about it. The BTG spoilers are packed with drama, and none of it involves anybody missing Derek. We do.

Taken Way Too Soon

Derek Baldwin didn’t deserve to go out like that. During the plasma ring sting, he stepped in front of a bullet meant for Jacob Hawthorne and died at the hospital on the May 20 episode. He was the first original cast member BTG killed off on screen.

Ben Gavin said the producers told him Derek would “die a hero,” and he did. Derek had a hero complex from day one. He went out the way he lived, putting somebody else first.

The worst part? Derek was finally getting good. He wasn’t the sad guy waiting by the phone anymore. He had a backbone, he had friends who counted on him, and he had a storyline that mattered.

Do you miss Derek too? Email your take to amber@soapoperamagazine.com, and yours could become our next story!

Derek Was Better Without Ashley

Let’s be honest about why Derek felt like a pushover for so long. It was Ashley Morgan. Their relationship was a yo-yo. On, off, on again, with Derek doing most of the chasing and Ashley doing most of the waffling.

Once Derek started standing on his own, he got a whole lot more interesting. Gavin even said it himself: “He’s not a pushover anymore.” Season two finally gave him a spine and a purpose, and fans noticed.

Then the writers killed him. Derek Baldwin had real potential on this show, and they threw it away right when it mattered.

Vanilla Bean Moved On at Record Speed

Here’s what really gets us. Derek’s last moments were spent telling Ashley not to be afraid and that he loved her. That was his goodbye.

And Ashley? Vanilla Bean barely blinked. She went from crying over Derek to flirting with Andre Richardson to settling for the lab guy, Grayson Perez. We’ve seen people take longer to pick a paint color.

Grief looks different for everyone. But Ashley’s version of grief looks a whole lot like a dating app. Does she ever think about the man who died loving her? If she does, she’s hiding it well.

At Least Jacob Remembers

The only person keeping Derek’s memory alive is Jacob, and that makes sense. Derek died saving his life. Every so often Jacob mentions him, and for a second it feels like the show remembers he existed.

That’s more than Ashley can say. Jacob is carrying that loss. Ashley is carrying a new boyfriend.

It would be nice if the show let somebody besides Jacob grieve him on screen. A mention at the diner, a photo on a wall, anything. Five months later, Fairmont Crest acts as if he moved out of town.

Should Ashley get called out for moving on so fast? Tell us in the comments!

Bring Him Back, BTG

This is a soap. Nobody is ever really gone. Gavin said he’d come back for a twin or a flashback, and honestly, we’d take either one.

Imagine Derek Baldwin’s long-lost twin walking into the diner while Ashley is cozied up with Grayson. That’s the kind of payback we’d pay to see. Until then, we’ll keep missing Derek, since Ashley clearly won’t. Rest easy, Derek. You deserved a whole lot better than this.

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