"The Gift": Analysis of "The Gift" Arc of ABC-TV's Port Charles
(c) Alison Armstrong
(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.
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" #22 (cont.)
“Good,” Imani says with a triumphant smile. “And now that little business meeting is finished,” she concludes,
giving Livvie back the money and watching as Livvie dejectedly walks out the door.
Frustrated and defeated, Livvie again heads to the Elixir, where the temporary consolation of alcohol and the
familiar annoyance of Jack help dispel the lonely misery of her soul.
“Good,” Imani says with a triumphant smile. “And now that little business meeting is finished,” she concludes,
giving Livvie back the money and watching as Livvie dejectedly walks out the door.
Frustrated and defeated, Livvie again heads to the Elixir, where the temporary consolation of alcohol and the
familiar annoyance of Jack help dispel the lonely misery of her soul.
Snappies of "The Gift" scenes
taken by A. Armstrong
taken by A. Armstrong
There she vents her self-pitying tirade, blaming Jack and everyone else for her troubles. Jack, however, is in no
mood for her petulant rant and, fed up with her rude, haughty tone, orders her to leave the bar.
Livvie turns to leave, but Jack, perhaps remembering the plan he and Rafe had devised, relents and stops her
from going. Explaining that he was just in a “bad mood” and did not mean to take it out on Livvie, he insinuates
that he is tired of holding a grudge against her. He even tells her she’s “not such a bad person.”
She ponders his words, his uncharacteristic display of kindness, not knowing whether to trust him. She wants
to believe him, yet she fears the emotions he has awakened inside her, the nostalgic comfort and tenderness of
their former romance. So long ago that seems now. She has changed, and so has he—drastically. Both have
grown cold, disillusioned, embittered and cynical.
“Something’s wrong,” she says uneasily, apprehensive about trusting his show of kindness. “Something is just
a little bit off. . . . You said that I was lovable, right? . . . OK, and I’ve had a couple of really lousy days, and
I’m . . . I don’t know, maybe I’m feeling a little bit vulnerable, so I needed to hear that.” She pauses, doubt
tainting the hope that maybe his traces of kindness were genuine. “Nice try, Jack,” she sighs, her cynicism
affirmed. “I came close, I mean, this close to believing that you were actually standing there, actually, honestly,
trying to be nice to me. . . . And then I came to my senses and I said, ‘This is Jack. This is you. The one
person in this world who hates me more than anyone. So you want to tell me why you went through all the
trouble of lying to me?”
“You are a sad person, Livvie,” Jack responds, defending his lie. “Has anyone ever told you that? . . . Sad
because I gave you a simple compliment, and you’re starting to get suspicious. It’s not like I crowned you Miss
America or anything. I said you were a lovely person, just like any stray dog. . . . Take it however you want to
take it, but what can I possibly gain from giving you a compliment?”
“All I know is this is the nicest you have been to me in a really long time,” she says sadly. “And don’t pretend
like you don’t hold any grudges, because you do. I’m the same way, I know. And don’t think for two seconds
I actually believe that you’d be nice to me and forgive me, because you wouldn’t. I know you better than that.”
“Fine, fine, I take it back,” Jack scowls, dropping the kindness act and launching a new tactic. In the guise of
“honesty,” Jack reminds Livvie of the conversation they had had in the elevator a short time ago, when he had
confided that Reese had left him. “You were right,” he tells her, “about me being unhappy and bitter. . . . I have
been. And that’s why Reese and I broke up, and, well, I figure it’s time to start taking a good look at myself
and changing.”
“Changing? Oh, oh, yeah, I get it,” Livvie sneers, rejecting Jack’s claim. “You and Reese are having trouble, so
why not jump on the Livvie bandwagon. Sad, pathetic Livvie, right? . . . Come on, Jack, admit it.”
“No,” Jack bristles. “The only thing I’m going to admit is you’re not just sad, you’re completely insane to think
that I would get mixed up with you again. Look, you made your bed of nails with that bloodsucking hero, so
why don’t you go home and sleep in it?”
“Believe me, Jack, I don’t need your opinion about my relationship,” Livvie mutters. “I know exactly what you
think about me and Caleb. . . . Stupid me, confiding in you about all my problems.”
mood for her petulant rant and, fed up with her rude, haughty tone, orders her to leave the bar.
Livvie turns to leave, but Jack, perhaps remembering the plan he and Rafe had devised, relents and stops her
from going. Explaining that he was just in a “bad mood” and did not mean to take it out on Livvie, he insinuates
that he is tired of holding a grudge against her. He even tells her she’s “not such a bad person.”
She ponders his words, his uncharacteristic display of kindness, not knowing whether to trust him. She wants
to believe him, yet she fears the emotions he has awakened inside her, the nostalgic comfort and tenderness of
their former romance. So long ago that seems now. She has changed, and so has he—drastically. Both have
grown cold, disillusioned, embittered and cynical.
“Something’s wrong,” she says uneasily, apprehensive about trusting his show of kindness. “Something is just
a little bit off. . . . You said that I was lovable, right? . . . OK, and I’ve had a couple of really lousy days, and
I’m . . . I don’t know, maybe I’m feeling a little bit vulnerable, so I needed to hear that.” She pauses, doubt
tainting the hope that maybe his traces of kindness were genuine. “Nice try, Jack,” she sighs, her cynicism
affirmed. “I came close, I mean, this close to believing that you were actually standing there, actually, honestly,
trying to be nice to me. . . . And then I came to my senses and I said, ‘This is Jack. This is you. The one
person in this world who hates me more than anyone. So you want to tell me why you went through all the
trouble of lying to me?”
“You are a sad person, Livvie,” Jack responds, defending his lie. “Has anyone ever told you that? . . . Sad
because I gave you a simple compliment, and you’re starting to get suspicious. It’s not like I crowned you Miss
America or anything. I said you were a lovely person, just like any stray dog. . . . Take it however you want to
take it, but what can I possibly gain from giving you a compliment?”
“All I know is this is the nicest you have been to me in a really long time,” she says sadly. “And don’t pretend
like you don’t hold any grudges, because you do. I’m the same way, I know. And don’t think for two seconds
I actually believe that you’d be nice to me and forgive me, because you wouldn’t. I know you better than that.”
“Fine, fine, I take it back,” Jack scowls, dropping the kindness act and launching a new tactic. In the guise of
“honesty,” Jack reminds Livvie of the conversation they had had in the elevator a short time ago, when he had
confided that Reese had left him. “You were right,” he tells her, “about me being unhappy and bitter. . . . I have
been. And that’s why Reese and I broke up, and, well, I figure it’s time to start taking a good look at myself
and changing.”
“Changing? Oh, oh, yeah, I get it,” Livvie sneers, rejecting Jack’s claim. “You and Reese are having trouble, so
why not jump on the Livvie bandwagon. Sad, pathetic Livvie, right? . . . Come on, Jack, admit it.”
“No,” Jack bristles. “The only thing I’m going to admit is you’re not just sad, you’re completely insane to think
that I would get mixed up with you again. Look, you made your bed of nails with that bloodsucking hero, so
why don’t you go home and sleep in it?”
“Believe me, Jack, I don’t need your opinion about my relationship,” Livvie mutters. “I know exactly what you
think about me and Caleb. . . . Stupid me, confiding in you about all my problems.”