| "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 9-11
Caleb’s spirit germinates in the cave, symbol of the womb, death, rebirth, and powerful instinctual drives. As in the beginning of “Tainted Love,” Caleb huddles in the darkness, hungering for sustenance. The cave, the monastery, these shadowy realms of visions and spiritual regeneration allow his soul to recover from its traumas, to heal in the shrouding solace of dusk and candle light. Destroyed by a bolt of lightning as if stricken by an angry celestial deity, Caleb seeks the shelter of primordial stone, lair of ancient pagan gods. Caleb’s desire to regain flesh, reclaim Livvie, and wreak revenge on those who destroyed him animates his spirit, it is the cohesive, driving force that gathers the scattered fragments of his soul and fuses them into the manifestation of his will. As he sows dissension in others, he gains unity and form from their mental and emotional dissolution. Eve’s desperate fears for her son’s safety, Ian’s patronizing, dismissive attitude towards Eve's concerns, Lucy’s foolish delusions of spiritual strength, Jack’s suppressed anger at Livvie’s betrayal, and Livvie’s gnawing insecurity over her mental state are the weaknesses Caleb uses to wear away his enemies’ solidarity and faith in each other. Although Jack and Lucy attempt to imprison Caleb’s spirit by boarding up the catacombs, Caleb’s turbulent forces rip through these flimsy human-made obstacles. A deepening rift grows between Eve and Ian after Eve, aided by Lucy, sneaks baby Daniel away from the hospital without telling her husband. As the seeds of deceit and domineering wrath start to destroy Eve and Ian’s happiness, Lucy adds fuel to Caleb’s dark energies by implicating Kevin in her idiotic scheme to invoke (and, presumably, bind) evil. Lucy’s ill-conceived incantation brings forth a fleeting shadow, a chilly sense of menace, and a violently shattered mirror. The broken mirror, split into jagged fragments, symbolizes discord, disintegration, duality, the deep inner conflict of Caleb’s enemies and Caleb himself. The reflection in the mirror is the shadow within us all, a source of creativity and self-knowledge as well as self-destruction. To be complete, we must confront the shadow and learn how to integrate it within our consciousness. Lucy, however, and most of the Port Charles characters seem unable to communicate with the shadow. They try to suppress it, control it, deny it, or banish it. But it can never go away, for it is as eternal and essential as the night is to the day and as dreams are to waking consciousness. Just as Caleb is Father Michael as well as his destructive vampire aspect, Livvie is the innocent, vulnerable Tess as well as the vindictive, manipulative shrew, and Kevin is the wise, generous Dr. Collins as well as the evil, twisted sociopath Ryan. This truth, revealed here in the shattered mirror, is often obscured elsewhere in the Port Charles arcs. By focusing on an externalized war between good and evil, personified by the characters Rafe and Caleb, Port Charles at times negates its own psychological insights and destroys the metaphysical subtleties it at other times brilliantly reveals. Instead of emphasizing the battle between the “good” angel and the “evil” vampire, Port Charles should have, in my opinion, focused on the ambiguity within the characters and the everchanging interplay between apparent opposites. However, unfortunately, the sudden reappearance of Rafe after the shattering of the mirror diminishes the possibilities for metaphysical and psychological exploration. The duality, represented by the broken mirror, is also depicted in Jack’s dream sequences. As Jack comforts a frightened, troubled Livvie, he has a dream that she is seducing him. Wearing a flowing red dress, she has him trapped in a maze of tethered bed sheets. Jack’s search for Livvie within the sensual labyrinth of white silk is reminiscent of Livvie’s search for Caleb in the maze of curtains at the Villa. “Where are you? Where are you?” Jack calls to her in increasing frustration. “Enticing. Seducing,” Livvie taunts. “You like me like this, don’t you, Jack? This is who you want, isn’t it?” “Wait. This isn’t you,” Jack complains. “Shhh. You’re still talking,” Livvie teases. “You shouldn’t be talking. Your lips should be busy with mine. Forget about everything but me, Jack. Let me love you.” However, just as Jack catches up to Livvie, embraces her, and tells her he loves her, she becomes cold and cruel. Laughing wickedly, she murmurs, “That’s all I wanted to hear. That’s all we have time for, Jack. So sorry. Try not to miss me too much.” |
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| Snappies of "Tempted" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |