| "Tainted Love" Diary 57 (c) Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Tainted Love" 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. |
| "Where are you?" she calls. "Why do you keep running away from me?"
"Sometimes we have to wait for the things we want the most," his voice says. "Love, beauty, passion--we can't just chase them around. We wait with bated breath till the time is right. Sometimes that wait seems like an eternity." "Well, I don't want to wait anymore. I want to know you," she shouts, as Caleb, now behind her, touches her shoulder softly. At his touch, she turns around and looks at him. "All of you," she adds, and Caleb kisses her. |
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| An overhead shot reveals Caleb and Livvie embracing. As in the scene
where Caleb and Livvie dance at the cave, we see them entwined in a dizzying whirlwind of desire and yearning. They are engulfed in this kaleidoscopic mirage of motion, spellbound by each other's presence. |
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| "This is it, my sweet," Caleb murmurs, as the whirlwind
subsides, "the perfect moment I told you would come when two of us
become one and know each other's deepest secrets, deepest desires."
As he kisses Livvie's neck, they both are stirred by passion.
"More," Livvie sighs. "More?" Caleb asks. "You want more? Then see the real me, the one who loves you forever and ever." He opens his mouth, revealing his fangs. "This is me, Olivia. This is who I am. All my power and glory. Now you know everything." |
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| Although Caleb uses the
words "power and glory" in association with his magnificent fangs
(and the vampire magic they represent), Caleb's voice as he says this
seems somewhat vulnerable, as if he awaits Livvie's approval,
expecting once again to be rejected because of his supernatural
gifts.
"Caleb?" Livvie gasps. "What--what does it mean?" "It means I'm different, special," Caleb says softly. "It means I can offer you the world--eternal life, a beautiful child, a family." "You gave me a miracle already, Caleb," Livvie assures him. "You gave me my mother back healthy and happy. You made that happen." |
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| "What I do is good," Caleb persuades her. "I've just been
misunderstood. Except by you. You and I--we are so alike. We only
want what everyone else has. To love and be loved back, to give
trust and not be betrayed, to give and know our love is a gift. Be
that family, Olivia. It will all start with us and flow out from our
love--generations of us, in beautiful rich circles that grow wider
and wider. There's nothing we can't do together." It is significant, of course, that Caleb neglects to mention how he will be able to provide her with this "beautiful child" and "family" and generations of their kind. He intentionally misleads her because he is afraid to tell her the whole truth, afraid of her rejection. But he may be trying to delude himself as well. Like Livvie, Caleb yearns for a family, and perhaps he is also lying to himself, refusing to face up to the fact that, as a vampire, he can never father a child of his own. He is sugarcoating reality, distorting it to fit his and Livvie's fairytale-perfect world. In his heart he does want what everyone else takes for granted; he does desperately need love. He shows her the truth about his vampirism, but he doesn't reveal the implications of his gift. In his own way he is as much of an innocent as Livvie, for he truly believes in the possibility of unconditional eternal love and happily ever after. Although he is justifiably distrustful and cynical towards his human enemies, he is an idealist when it comes to his romantic beliefs about love, an idealist, who paradoxically resorts to whatever methods are necessary to make his dreams come true. "I see who you are and what you want," Livvie replies. As she gently touches his face, he seems to recoil slightly, as if anticipating a slap, once more the wild animal who is so used to being feared, hated, and hunted that he does not know how to react to a tender caress. "All I want is what you want. And I love you like no other has ever loved," Caleb says, looking rather sad and vulnerable as he awaits her rejection or acceptance. "Do you still want me now that you know the truth?" "Yes. Yes," Livvie murmurs, lightly, lovingly touching his mouth and fangs. . |
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| As the episode comes to a close, each pursuit--Livvie and Caleb's, Alison and Jamal's, Kevin and Lucy's, Gabby's--has uncovered a dark secret. But each of these revelations is only a partial truth. Caleb has revealed himself to Livvie but doesn't tell her how he plans to create a family; Gabby and Jamal have learned that they are siblings but are as yet far from being a family; Lucy, Kevin, Eve, and Ian have begun to piece together the mysteries surrounding Caleb but do not yet know his true connection with Michael; Jack has found the carefully preserved entombed body of Caleb's first Olivia, uncovering the horror of Caleb's obsession but not understanding how deeply Caleb loved his dead fiancee. Each discovery exposes another layer of darkness and mystery, just as each psychological exploration and insight uncovers another secret we hide from ourselves. |
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| Snappies of"Tainted Love" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |