| "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" #9 (cont.) Her plea, a blend of self-pitying excuses and guilt-tripping ploys for help, succeeds in gaining Jack’s sympathy. Livvie’s lament is very similar to the sob stories she’s told Caleb. Caleb, like Jack, she has claimed, was the “one person” who cared about her, truly loved her, and then abandoned her. Her melodramatic script is basically the same for both Caleb and Jack, as, throughout her life, she keeps running back and forth from one to the other, seeking in both the perfect, unconditional, all-forgiving love that neither one, nor perhaps anyone, can completely give. Despite his anger, Jack, stirred by Livvie’s show of helplessness and vulnerability, agrees to let her stay with him temporarily so that she can be safe from Caleb. As Livvie thanks him, they hug, seeming to derive comfort from the touch of each other’s bodies, the familiarity and sense of nurturance. Amidst the comfort, no doubt, is the tingle of desire, as memories of the past and thoughts of what might have been, perhaps still could be, linger between them. Memories of Caleb also linger, haunting Jack’s thoughts with visions of Caleb’s attack and the feelings of violation it caused. As Jack looks out the window, he sees and feels once again Caleb crouching over him, pinning him down, sinking his fangs into Jack’s throat. Caleb made Jack his, just as he did Livvie; he claimed Jack, cuckolded him. Remembering Caleb’s assault upon him and subsequent possession of Livvie reawakens Jack’s feelings of jealousy, sexual inadequacy, and emasculation. By reminding Jack of these feelings, Livvie intensifies Jack’s rivalry and desire for vengeance. Even though Jack no longer loves Livvie, he wants to keep her from Caleb, prevent Caleb from winning the contest between them. As Livvie sees Jack look out the window and moan in horror, “No, no,” she senses that he is reliving his experiences with Caleb. Hugging him to her, she murmurs, “Hey, Jack, it’s OK; I’m here. I know what you went through, what we both went through. We’ll help each other,” she consoles, using their shared experiences as a way of strengthening her relationship with Jack. Caleb is the one bond Livvie still has with Jack, the nightmare, which like Caleb’s “gift that keeps on giving,” can never be put to rest. While Livvie, Jack, Ian, Rafe, Lucy, and to some extent, Alison, see only the nightmarish side of Caleb, refusing to believe that he can change his murderous ways, Elizabeth sees only her amazing, sexy, caring rock star boyfriend Stephen Clay. Conceding that Caleb/Stephen is, indeed, “sexy, very seductive, and very charming,” Alison tries in vain to persuade her mother that Caleb is dangerous. The more Alison and Rafe insist that Caleb is only using Elizabeth for his own malevolent schemes, the more Elizabeth believes that they are trying to destroy her happiness. Countering the claim that Caleb will get under her skin and control her mind, Elizabeth suggests that Rafe has “been to one too many Star Trek conventions” and is brainwashing Alison. She rejects Alison’s unflattering assumption that Stephen is becoming involved with Elizabeth in order “to see how close” he can get to Rafe and confides that she feels as if she had known Stephen forever. To her daughter’s dismay, she describes Stephen’s compassion and empathy when she told him her tale of self-sacrifice and emotional abuse. She is so infatuated with Stephen she doesn’t realize that, as Alison warns, she has “played right into his hands” by revealing her vulnerability and thereby giving him something to use against them. Despite Elizabeth’s rapturous devotion to Stephen, Rafe and Alison are determined to prove, at whatever cost, that he is the infernal Caleb. Thus, when they see Stephen arrive at Elizabeth’s hotel room, they try to trick him into revealing his vampire nature. No sooner has Elizabeth greeted him at the door than they are waiting in ambush. “I’ve been thinking about this all day,” he murmurs as he and Elizabeth exchange a lustful kiss. “I was so hungry for you.” Their kiss, however, is cut short by the approach of Alison and Rafe. “Uhmm, excuse me,” Alison interrupts, giving them a reproachful look and then turning towards Rafe. “Did you hear that, honey? He’s hungry.” “That’s a good thing,” Rafe smiles, gloating with expectation, “because we are all going to dinner.” Leaning against the door, his hair tousled, his sensual lips parted, Stephen epitomizes sexual desire, carnal hunger. He glances furtively at his pursuers, as if caught in a moment of arousal. “Dinner?” he repeats with a frustrated sigh. |
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| “Yeah, you said you were hungry, right?” Rafe smirks, patting Stephen on the back as if they were long-time buddies instead of deadly foes.
“You’re, uh . . . ” Stephen pauses, pretending to forget Rafe’s name. Then, after Rafe introduces himself, Stephen adds, “Yeah, the vampire guy.” “Yeah, the guy that ruined the concert,” Elizabeth mutters. “He’s engaged to my daughter.” “Small world,” Stephen remarks, sarcastically rolling his eyes. |
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| Snappies of "Naked Eyes" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |