| "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" Analysis #6 (cont.) Back in the days before Caleb entered Port Charles, play fights and moments of exuberant closeness were common amongst Livvie, Alison, Jack and Jamal. They were best friends, bound by youth, enthusiasm, and a zest for adventure. When their adventures occasionally became dangerous, their friendship grew even stronger. Lacking close family ties at an early age, they saw each other as family. Caleb’s arrival in town, however, slowly eroded their friendship, bringing about a chain of events that eventually caused a rift between Livvie and Jack, Alison and Jamal, as well as Livvie and Alison. Not only did Caleb ultimately ruin Jack’s relationship with Livvie; he also destroyed Jack’s idealism and belief in true love. Although Jack resisted Caleb’s influence, rejecting Caleb’s immortal brotherhood, he could not keep Caleb from corrupting Livvie or Tess. Both women succumbed to Caleb’s seductive allure, and, Jack, disillusioned with love, turned to the impishly free-spirited Reese to ease his lonely, jaded heart. Cynical and pragmatic, he realized that he would no longer fight the darkness pervading Port Charles and tempting his soul. He would, instead, embrace it, use it as a means of survival. Having managed to put aside his anti-vampire prejudice and scruples while managing the Elixir for Joshua, Jack gradually overcame his hatred for Caleb. No longer a rival, no longer a symbol of everything Jack had once despised, Caleb ceased to be an enemy. By befriending the shadow side of his soul, Jack was starting to befriend Caleb. Despite Jack’s violent resistance to being turned by him, Caleb had always had ambivalent feelings towards his stubborn fledgling. He offered Jack the opportunity to be his pupil, his eternal blood brother, yet even though Jack continually turned against him, tried to destroy him, Caleb still seemed to harbor some affection for the “little man” with whom he had shared his vampiric gift. On more than one occasion Caleb had for unknown reasons spared Jack’s life. Perhaps he saw Jack as a somewhat amusing pet, toying with him as a cat would with a mouse, knowing that he could deliver the fatal blow yet savoring the game of torment and conquest his captive playmate provided. Perhaps he was also attracted to Jack’s defiant spirit and innocent yet sullen sensuality. Wiry yet strong, Jack was a baby-faced rebel with a swagger that made him seem tough in spite of his small stature. Jack was intriguing because he played so hard to get and kept fighting even when the odds were so much against him. Now that Jack had acknowledged his inner darkness and abandoned his rather narrow-minded morality, he could be a potentially useful ally. He had shown surprising ingenuity in his handling of the situation with the three vampire women at the Elixir, and he was ruthlessly eager to become manager of the Stephen Clay Experience. Clever and ambitious, he could prove worthy of working for Caleb’s band. Visiting the Elixir a day or so after the encounter with the three vampire women, Caleb stops by the bar to offer Jack a job. “Olivia showing up here the other day, that wasn’t by chance, was it, Jack?” Caleb smirks. “Hmmm. Took some stones. I didn’t know you had it in you. You know, I’ve been looking for a manager for the band. I heard you didn’t screw it up too much while I was gone. So if you still want the job, it’s yours. You can consider yourself manager on probation.” |
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| Snappies of "The Gift" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
| “Hey, you won’t be sorry,” Jack smiles, pleased with Caleb’s confidence in him.
“I’m never sorry, Jack,” Caleb boasts. “But I’m going to keep my eye on you. I understand that you’re a businessman now, but I still don’t just buy this whole vampire love fest just yet. Let’s see if you can cut it. . . . Deal?” “Deal,” Jack agrees. |
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