| "Tempted": Allure and Menace in Port Charles' "Tempted,"An Analysis (c) by Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Tempted" episodes of the show "Port Charles," formerly of ABC-TV. This site will focus on the scenes featuring the vampire character Caleb Morley (portrayed by actor Michael Easton). The character of Caleb Morley 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. |
| "Tempted" Episodes 43-44 Livvie’s visit to Caleb’s cave begins with angry threats and ends in terrified submission, as Caleb shows Livvie a nightmare vision of her possible future and reveals frightening aspects of the people she holds most dear. Throughout these scenes between Caleb and Livvie, there is a marked contrast between Livvie’s fiery temper and Caleb’s calm, condescending, manipulative demeanor. Whereas she lashes out like a rash child, he patronizingly lectures like a parent or teacher, deflecting her accusations and turning them into barbs of guilt, holding her responsible for his reign of destruction. When she attacks him for making her hurt her friends, he assures her that since the people of Port Charles, like humans everywhere, are inherently fickle, distrustful, and incapable of lasting love, they deserve all the misery they have allowed to flourish. When she blames him for using her to unleash the evil, he tells her that it was her desire that brought him back to life and thereby set in motion his vengeful schemes. “You’ve made me hurt my friends,” she snarls. |
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| “Humans will only hurt you,” he replies, his hands folded across his chest, his tone of voice stern yet sad. He remembers all too well the pain and disillusionment he experienced when his first Olivia rejected him. With her rejection, the remaining traces of his humanity withered; he became in a sense the “monster” she perceived him as being, the destroyer of love, the despoiler of innocence. “No, stop trying to brainwash me,” she warns, spitting out her words with hatred and scorn. “I am on to you now. I remember everything, every sick, twisted thing you made me do. You violated me. You used me to do your dirty work, and now I’m going to make you pay for what you did to the people I love.” “And how do you plan to do that, my love? You brought me back,” he reminds her. “Why? Because you love me more than you do them. I wouldn’t exist if not for you. So think about that. Think about the role you played in all this.” She turns her back to him, her air of aggressive threat temporarily replaced by guilt and worry. "God, I feel sick," she moans. "All I did was try to love you," he says. |
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| "You don't have a clue what love is," she responds with a jaded, embittered laugh. "You made me drive a wedge between people who belong together--Eve and Ian, Lucy and my father. My God, I even made Alison think that Jamal is the father of Valerie's baby!"
"You're forgetting one little thing," Caleb notes, scratching his head. "These are the same people who tried to destroy me." "Yeah, and I brought you back. You're right. You're right, I am responsible! God, forgive me for that!" she yells. "You wouldn't have answered my call if you didn't love me," he smiles smugly. "Your love brought me back." "Why can't you just leave me alone?" she asks in a harsh whisper. "Why? Because you're my destiny," he explains, turning her around to face him. "I needed your strength until I could regain my own. But Olivia, all you did was plant the seed. It was their own distress that nourished it and made it into a mountain of misery. And they did all this on their own." Emphasizing again the weakness and fallibility of mortals, Caleb implies that they earned all their sorrow and brought about their own ruin. "No, Caleb," she says in a dejected tone, as if weary of arguing over a sin that cannot be erased. "I helped. We helped them." |
| Snappies of "Tempted" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |