| "The Gift": Analysis of "The Gift" Arc of ABC-TV's Port Charles
(c) Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "The Gift" episodes of the show Port Charles, formerly of ABC-TV. This site will focus on the scenes featuring the vampire character Caleb Morley/Stephen Clay (portrayed by actor Michael Easton). The character of Caleb Morley/Stephen Clay and any other characters relating to Port Charles are the property of ABC and their creators. This is a fan-run site and is not an official site, nor is it affiliated in any way with ABC, Port Charles, or the actors portraying any of the Port Charles characters. No copyright infringement is intended. The writings on this site are copyrighted by the author, Alison Armstrong, and may not be reproduced without the author's express permission. |
| "The Gift" #1 (cont.) “And I sent him to Hell,” Rafe retorts. “That cleans the slate between us.” “You know, when you were an angel, at least you played by some rules,” Caleb admonishes. “Rules? What rules?” Rafe scoffs. “Come on, you should know there are no rules here. You set it up that way. . . . Oh, come on, man. We’re wasting each other’s time. I mean, look at us. We’re just a couple of fools. We can’t kill each other. We can hardly hurt each other. So, please, please, can we just stay out of each other’s way?” “It will never be over between you and me, will it?” Caleb asks, giving Rafe a quizzical look. “No, I guess not,” Rafe agrees. “But at least it’s an even playing field. I have a feeling that ring will tilt the balance in your favor. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s OK if we never find it because it will only make things worse.” “Hmm,” Caleb sniffs contemptuously. “Do you ever think that maybe that ring has fallen into the hands of someone that doesn’t know just how powerful it can be? Or worse yet, maybe does know how powerful it is and plans on abusing it. You see, Rafe, doing nothing to find the ring might just be the most dangerous thing of all.” In the battle over the ring, Caleb and Rafe occasionally shift roles, with Caleb, the supposed villain, behaving in a more noble, trustworthy manner than the former angel Rafe. As with Kevin, the ring’s power, even symbolically, is causing people to act differently than usual. Obsessed with the ring’s power and paranoid that Alison may obtain access to it, Livvie stalks her. However, her confrontation with Alison turns out differently than expected. She and Alison, like Caleb and Rafe, are finding that their roles are, at times, reversed. “I want the ring,” Livvie demands, suddenly appearing in Alison’s bedroom. “I know you have it, Alison. Give it to me!” |
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| Snappies of "The Gift" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
| “How many times have I told you, I do not have the ring,” Alison angrily stands her ground. She is tired of being threatened by Livvie, tired of the histrionics, the incessant accusations.
“Oh, please!” Livvie grimaces in disgust. “You know, Caleb may believe every lying word that trips off your tongue, but I know better. You were the last one to see it on Joshua’s hand, and it just magically disappeared? I don’t think so.” “You know what?” Alison lashes back. “I’ll tell you something. I have just been to Hell and back and I do not need your paranoid ravings.” Heedless of any danger Livvie’s threats may bring, Alison pushes her. “And I don’t need you pushing me!” Livvie, taken by surprise, warns, her threat muzzled by the shock that Alison is actually standing up to her, even physically confronting her. “Look, I will shove you any time I want!” Alison scolds. “You know why, Livvie? Because you never seem to hear me. You need to stop causing trouble for me. You need to stop threatening me. And you have got to stop making me feel so incredibly miserable. . . . I don’t know where the ring is, and it has been nothing but trouble. . . . I promise you, if I did know where the ring was I’d throw it in the river because it is just as poisonous as you are.” “Is that where Rafe is, huh?” Livvie, smiling cagily, demands. “Is that what your boyfriend’s doing? Is he getting rid of the ring somewhere?” “Don’t be ridiculous!” Alison snaps. “I don’t know where he is. Where’s Caleb?” she retorts. “That’s not the point,” Livvie sullenly evades. “Oh, I see,” Alison smirks, grasping the real reason why Livvie has decided to pay her a not-so-welcome surprise visit. Livvie is here because she is upset that Caleb is not home. Since Caleb and Rafe have both left, Alison correctly surmises that they are “at the mansion together looking for the ring, which, of course, none of us has.” |