| "Naked Eyes" : Analysis of the "Naked Eyes" Arc of ABC-TV's Port Charles
(c) Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Naked Eyes" 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. |
| "Naked Eyes" Analysis #3 His is the gift of hunger, a hunger gnawing through the numbness, awakening our hibernation-smothered senses, stirring us to the anguish and passion we have tried to suppress in order to survive in “normal” society. It is a hunger that defies death and has, literally, resurrected him from the grave. Constantly driven by the hunger for life, the vampire represents the insatiable urges that lure us away from the blinding white light of tranquil annihilation and towards the thorn-infested gardens of sensual experience. By choosing immortality in this world rather than a remote ethereal realm, the vampire affirms the ecstatic possibilities of earthly existence. Having wandered away from the antiseptic shelter of the hospital, Tess staggers towards Stephen Clay’s limousine, her innocence bedazzled by its sleek, dark luster. As guileless and trusting as a child, she knows almost nothing of the world’s dangers or addicting pleasures and is therefore susceptible to the stranger’s charm. “Do you need a ride?” Stephen softly coaxes as Tess looks at him blankly, clutching her rag doll and humming to herself. “That’s my song,” Stephen says, somehow detecting the notes of his song in her muffled, monotone humming. “Did you know that? I’m not going to hurt you,” he assures her. “I’m just offering you a ride. These roads, they’re not safe to be walking on alone. Do you understand what I am saying?” “You know me,” she replies in a halting, timid voice, as if trying to remember something that lurks in the inarticulate depths of her being, something trying to emerge in the garbled echoes of his song. From the distance she hears Jack calling her name, his voice stirring another part of her consciousness, two men, two conflicting impulses summoning her soul. “Jack. He’s coming for me,” she explains, smiling as she fondly recalls Jack’s comforting presence. Stephen frowns slightly at the mention of Jack. |
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| Snappies of "Naked Eyes" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
| “Tess? That’s your name, Tess?” Stephen asks. “That’s a lovely name.” He reaches his hand out to her. “Nice to meet you. I’m Stephen. I’m glad you like my music.”
Jack continues to call for her, while Stephen tries to keep her attention. “Whoever is looking for you sounds determined to find you,” he murmurs. “Are you running from something, from someone? I know that you don’t know me, but I can protect you. All you have to do is get in the car.” His voice seems to grow a bit colder and more forceful as he urges her to get in the car, becoming hypnotic, soft yet commanding. “That’s Jack. I love Jack,” she says shyly, her soulful expression reflecting the strength of her love. Despite his seductive charm, Stephen is, for the time being, unable to lead her away from Jack. Instead, she turns her attention towards the man who has given her glimpses of a life beyond her self-enclosed, autistic existence in the woods, the man who brought her civilization, protection, and domesticity—Jack. By giving her language and the social tools needed for adapting to human society, by trying to "save" her, he has taken away some of her natural innocence, the very quality he has vowed to safeguard. Because of Jack, she has lost some of the unselfconscious purity of her soul. At Jack’s approach, Stephen retreats. When Stephen’s limousine drives away, Jack, anxious over Tess’s safety, asks her who was in the car. “A man, a nice man,” Tess replies matter-of-factly, as if puzzled by Jack’s sense of alarm. Noticing that Tess is shaking and believing that the man in the car is the cause, Jack suggests that Tess go back to the hospital with him to have her checked out. However, the usually acquiescent Tess refuses to return, saying that she is afraid of Livvie and wants to “go home, to the forest.” |