| "Tempted": Allure and Menace in Port Charles' "Tempted,"An Analysis (c) by Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Tempted" 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. |
| "Tempted" Episodes 16-17
Transfixed by Caleb’s music, Livvie finds herself drawn, as before, to Caleb’s cave. But this time the cave is filled with white silk curtains like those in the Villa. She inhabits both realms—the earthy dank abyss and the fairytale palace. She is Caleb’s feral mate and his enchanted princess—bride to his animal desires and his passionate soul-cravings. In the labyrinth of the catacombs and the maze of curtains she seeks the lover who lures her to ecstasy and damnation. Telling herself that this must be a dream because she wouldn’t come back here otherwise, Livvie keeps hearing the music leading her further away from Jack and the safe comfort of her life with him. “Oh, why do I keep hearing it? Why can’t I make it stop?” she wonders. “Because I need you, Olivia. And you need me,” Caleb’s voice answers. “You can’t run away, Olivia. I’m a part of you.” “No, you’re dead! You’re not real,” Livvie insists. “Oh, I’m real, all right,” Caleb’s voice replies temptingly. “And I’m just going to get more real every day, more and more undead, courtesy of those who tried to destroy me. I’ll just sit back and watch them self-destruct.” “No. They’re stronger than you think,” Livvie hisses as she wanders amidst the billowing curtains. “Really?” Caleb, still hidden from sight, remarks with a sarcastic edge. “So why is Eve beginning to wonder if she’s a good mother? And how long will it take for Ian to doubt the sanity of his beautiful bride?” “No, that’ll never happen. They love each other,” Livvie argues, stubbornly refusing to believe Caleb’s cynical prophecy. “As best they can, considering they’re only human,” Caleb says in a tone of scorn and condescending pity. “What do you mean?” Livvie asks. “Human love is . . . is so pathetically fragile,” Caleb explains. “Like fine china—lovely to look at but so very easy to break.” As he speaks of human love’s fragility and impermanence, he must be reliving his fiancee’s rejection, his murderous rage, the never-ending guilt, bitterness, and self-hatred he felt at having the woman he adored more than anything else in the world turn with disgust against him, shunning him forever as a monster, a loathsome beast. “How can you say that?” Livvie snarls. “How do you even know what it’s really like to be in love?” Her words, seething indignantly, reflect her hypocrisy, for she alone knew the depth and intensity of Caleb’s love. She, like his doomed fiancée, once basked in his adoring, tender caress, and then spurned his undying devotion. But she, unlike his first Olivia, knew his secret and yet willingly opened her heart to him, sharing with him the savage erotic delights only he as a vampire could provide. |
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| Snappies of "Tempted" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |