used to introduce an honest admission
To tell you the truth, we're not together anymore.Husbands and Wives · 1992 — Chapter 15 of 15 · 2'46" · B2
Rain's Birthday Party in a Blackout, Explained: get the wrong idea
A birthday party is interrupted by a hurricane and a blackout, and by candlelight Gabe admits he and his wife are no longer together. Then he gives Rain the gift he has been hiding under his jacket all night, afraid people would "get the wrong idea." She loves it, and asks for a birthday kiss.
What happens
At Rain's twenty-first birthday party, a hurricane knocks the power out and the guests move by candlelight. Gabe confesses that he and his wife are no longer together, then gives Rain a gift he has kept hidden under his jacket all night. She calls it beautiful and asks him for a birthday kiss.
Listen for
get the wrong ideaTo tell you the truthfittingmisconstrued
00:00 / 02:46Space play · ← → lines · R repeat
Now
Phrase of the scene
get the wrong idea
to misunderstand someone's intentions
停电的生日派对上，盖布把藏了一晚的礼物偷偷递给雷恩，解释自己一直遮着，是怕旁人想歪。
It's just a friendly dinner, so don't get the wrong idea.
Also in this scene
- To tell you the truth
used to introduce an honest admission
- fitting
suitable and appropriate, almost fatefully so
- misconstrued
to be understood or interpreted wrongly
Everything marked in this scene
19 notes across 46 lines
- Happy birthday! Hi, how you doing? - Hi!Did you meet Jessica? Her daughter and I used to be best friends.Incredible this time of year. It's so beautiful!The television said we were supposed to get the tail end of that hurricane off Carolina.Oh, it's very fitting. I was born during a hurricane.- She looks so lovely, doesn't she? - She's having a great time.Well, you know, it's our 25th wedding anniversary in June.I know I paid that bill. Take some of these candles out in the other room.- Actually, we'd better just... Can you guys... - Here we go, here we go.Oh, this is just my luck on my own birthday.It goes black.Hey, you look very, very pretty in the candlelight.And the wind is supposed to get worse.Happy birthday. I've been carrying this around all night.It could be misconstrued, so I've been hiding it under my jacket for...to misunderstand someone's intentions
You know, I just didn't want anyone to get the wrong idea.You know, um... You know what I'd really like?A nice, um, birthday kiss.Rain's Birthday Party in a Blackout, explained
What's really going on
The scene lets a storm do the work of a confession. The hurricane and the blackout strip the party down to candlelight, and in that softer light Gabe says two things he could not say in a brightly lit room: that his marriage is over and that he has a gift for Rain he has been hiding. The joke about the gift — "It could be misconstrued" — is also the truth about the whole evening: he is afraid of how his attention will look. Rain keeps it playful, admiring the gift and then asking for what she wants. The scene's real subject is the gap between what people say and what they mean, which the storm makes briefly visible. "To tell you the truth, we're not together anymore" lands as both an admission and an opening.
Theme
RomanceA birthday gift and a requested kiss make the tension between Gabe and Rain explicit, right after he admits his marriage is over.
MarriageGabe's quiet admission that he and his wife are no longer together hangs over the party and changes what the gift means.
What you'll learn
- 'to tell you the truth' carries more than its dictionary gloss.
- 'get the wrong idea' changes the pressure of the reply.
- The surrounding lines set the social temperature.
To tell you the truth, we're not together anymore.Gabe's plain admission at the party that his marriage to Judy has ended, offered as a confidence to Rain.
Oh, it's very fitting. I was born during a hurricane.A coincidence turned into a line: the storm outside matches the day she was born, and she enjoys the drama of it.
Oh, this is just my luck on my own birthday.Self-mocking complaint when the power fails: the one night that should be hers is the night everything goes wrong.
Happy birthday. I've been carrying this around all night.Gabe's way of presenting the gift: he has held it since the party began, which says how long he has been waiting for the right moment.
Questions about this scene
Why does Gabe hide the gift under his jacket?
He is afraid people at the party will read too much into it. He says it could be misconstrued, so he waits until they are alone in the candlelight.
What does Rain ask for at the end?
She asks for a birthday kiss, which turns the gift-giving into something more personal. It is the scene's way of naming the attraction that has been building between them.
Why does Rain say the storm is fitting?
Because she was born during a hurricane, so the weather matches her birthday. She likes the coincidence, which fits her taste for drama.
Why does Gabe tell Rain his marriage is over?
The blackout and candlelight give him cover to say it quietly. The confession also redefines the gift: it is not just a present but a signal that he is available.
Why does the party keep talking about the weather?
The storm is the evening's backdrop and keeps intruding: it causes the blackout, threatens the drive home, and gives everyone something safe to talk about while the real subjects stay unspoken.
Husbands and Wives · 15 chapters
All chapters →
Chapter 1grow apartJack and Sally Announce a Split
Chapter 2to the best of my knowledgeGabe and Judy's Late-Night Talk
Chapter 3a different ball gameSally Calls Jack During a Date
Chapter 4I meant it as a complimentGabe Praises a Student's Story
Chapter 5penchant forGabe's Kamikaze Women Theory
Chapter 6out of left fieldGabe and Jack Fight Over Sam
Chapter 7touch a nerveFriends Discuss Divorce Over Lunch
Chapter 8knocked out by itGabe and Rain Talk About Writing
Chapter 9Sooner or laterSally Stops Michael From Rushing
Chapter 10cleaned up my actGabe Meets Rain's Parents
Chapter 11out of lineJack and Sam Fight About Astrology
Chapter 12wipe outJack Comes Back to Sally Drunk
Chapter 13in your cornerRain Critiques Gabe's Novel
Chapter 14go sourJudy Tells Gabe It's Over
Watching · Chapter 15get the wrong ideaRain's Birthday Party in a BlackoutThat's all 15 chapters of this film