| "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 #4 Muse, mask, and mirror—Caleb inspires, transforms, and reveals what lies buried within us. In his persona as the musical artist Stephen Clay, he has veiled his threat, dazzling fans worldwide with his rock star mystique. But although his fangs are sheathed and his vampire powers concealed, his influence is even more potent and pervasive than before his resurrection. He leads the people of Port Charles into a world of sensual intoxication and abandon. As Stephen Clay prepares a Halloween party to flamboyantly showcase his band and his realm of decadent temptation, Jack introduces Tess to the mundane marvels of modern household technology. Like a cavewoman suddenly transported into the 21st century, Tess is delighted and bewildered by the television, doorbell, and other everyday gadgets. To her, these common devices we take for granted are sources of magic. Jack shows her a world of illusions, a world in which the flickering pictures on a TV screen seem real and electric light can mask the darkest night, obscuring the radiance of the stars and the blackness of the limitless depths. Having lured Tess from her independent self-sufficient existence in the forest to his house in suburban Port Charles, Jack teaches Tess how to adapt to his cozy, technologically-dependent prison. In the process he takes away some of her natural, instinctual defenses, making her more passive, helpless, and domestic. Although Jack is socializing Tess by teaching her language and showing her the skills she will need to adapt in society, he is also sheltering her from the outside world, limiting her exposure to others and keeping her to himself. When Ian stops by and notices Tess, Jack is eager to have him leave. Later, when Livvie drops in after being discharged from the hospital, Jack also tries to cut her visit short. Seeing Tess dressed in one of Livvie’s old robes, Livvie, however, insists that she isn’t going anywhere until Jack stops Tess from helping herself to Livvie’s belongings. Since Livvie refuses to leave despite Jack’s pleas to go away and stop scaring Tess, Jack tells Tess to stay in another room while he deals with Livvie. Livvie taunts and tempts, teasing him about settling for an “imitation” rather than the “real thing” and then defiantly kissing him. Although Jack manages to resist her attempts at seduction, it is clear that he is having a difficult time getting Livvie out of his mind. By trying to rush Livvie out the door, Jack is not only protecting Tess; he is also struggling to protect himself from Livvie’s influence. He sees the truth in Livvie’s scornful remarks, realizes that Tess is, in a sense, a “substitute” for the Livvie he lost. He even admits to Livvie that Tess is who Livvie “could have been.” In Tess he finds the perfect Livvie, with all the desirable physical attributes of Livvie but minus the selfishness and pathology. As Jack watches Tess wear Livvie’s old clothes, he can re-create Livvie as he wanted her to be—naïve, childlike, trusting, uncorrupted by Caleb or anyone else, influenced only by the people and experiences Jack decides she can know. Through Tess, Jack can also re-create an ideal vision of the family and childhood he may have been denied while growing up. Through her, he re-discovers the wonder of Halloween as he explains to her the custom of trick-or treat, watches her give candy to a little girl in a princess costume, and hears Tess murmur “happily ever after.” Tess, like the little girl, celebrates the magic of fairytales--wishes come true and happily-ever-afters, true love and miracles. Jack is her prince, and she is his princess, two virtuous souls united against a cynical and dangerous world. In this fairytale realm of Tess and Jack, Livvie is the wicked witch come to destroy their happiness. After Tess has given the little princess her treat and Jack leaves to get more candy, Livvie is the next Halloween visitor. “Trick or treat, Tess,” she hisses as Tess opens the door. Livvie then tries to intimidate Tess into revealing the secrets of Tess’s origins and the significance of Tess’s “ratty old” doll. “Baby,” Tess replies, shielding her doll from Livvie’s hostile aura. “Right, Tess,” she sneers. “Why don’t you grow up? Talk to me and tell me where you really came from because I know you can.” “You killed baby,” Tess responds, hugging her doll protectively. “You little witch!” Livvie exclaims, an ironic choice of words given Livvie’s snarling, evil demeanor. “How would you like me to kill your baby?” she threatens, grabbing at the doll. “No. No!” Tess shrieks as Livvie claws at Tess and both receive identical scratches on their hands. “Ow, ow,” Livvie yelps, examining her hand. “I scratched your hand, but I’m bleeding in the exact same spot as you. What is this? What is happening?” As during their first encounter at the hospital, both Livvie and Tess feel the terrifying pull of their bond, the connection between two severed fragments of a soul shattered by Caleb. |
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| Snappies of "Naked Eyes" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |