| "Surrender" : Analysis of the "Surrender" Arc of ABC-TV's Port Charles
(c) Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Surrender" 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. |
| "Surrender" Analysis #2 As the magic and hope of the holidays are replaced with dismal regrets, the residents of Port Charles endure the depressing aftermath of their defiled dreams. Awakening after making love with Rafe, Alison smiles, basking in the afterglow, before remembering the cancelled wedding and fears of incest. Regaining control after being bitten by Elizabeth, Ian confronts the horror that he has been transformed into a vampire, while Elizabeth realizes the terrifying consequences she may face as a result of giving into her adulterous hunger and betraying Caleb. Happiness, ephemeral as a human breath, dies, but the nightmare seems to last forever. Though casting himself as the victorious villain in his melodrama of revenge, Caleb, like his victims, experiences the bitter, desolate consequences of his schemes to torment and conquer Port Charles. He has entangled himself in a thorny marriage to a weak, clinging, narcissistic woman he cannot trust or completely love. He has lost his soulmate, his Olivia, and is left with the clone he created, the naïve, saccharine Tess. Holding Tess in his arms, his fangs aching for her soft flesh, he stares into her pale, terrified face. “You remember me. How sweet,” he teases. “I’m not Livvie,” she insists. |
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| Snappies of "Surrender" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
| “But Olivia’s inside you, Tess.” His eyes glow red, infernal fires never quenched. “And Olivia’s the one I want.”
“Please, stay away from me,” she cries. “There’s no use fighting it,” he cajoles. “We are what we are, and we were meant to be together.” He bares his fangs again, thirsting, lusting, but before he can satisfy his desires, Jack, recovering quickly from his battering, grabs Caleb from behind and throws him against a warehouse wall. “Damn, Jack,” Caleb exclaims with a smile of surprised admiration, rising to his feet and wiping the dust from his clothes. “You’ve been working out. I’m impressed. Maybe you still have a little of that vampire mojo left inside you. It’s a little déjà vu. You, me fighting over her. I’ve kind of missed it. Haven’t you?” |
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| By reminding Jack of the blood bond, the symbolic rape of Jack’s manhood and humanity, Caleb once again demeans and emasculates him.
“One big difference,” Jack chafes. “She’s not Livvie.” Battling an elusive opponent, Jack repeatedly charges at Caleb, who deftly vanishes, leaving Jack to collide against the wall. “None of us are who we used to be. Some of us are much improved. You’re going to watch this, Tess,” Caleb taunts, disappearing and then reappearing to see Jack hurl himself against the walls and floor. “Come on, Jack. Let’s see what you got.” Tess watches helplessly as Jack, brandishing a baseball bat, repeatedly fails to hit Caleb. Finally, Caleb, tiring of this game, grabs the bat, jabs Jack in the stomach with it, and then breaks it over his knee. “No fangs, buddy?” Caleb snarls, seizing Jack by the throat and pinning him against the wall. “I think you got some of your strength back, but none of the best parts.” “Don’t hurt him,” Tess bleats, a lamb offering herself as sacrifice to save her lover. |