As Caleb soothes and seduces Livvie in the dark sensual, subterranean magic of his caves, Rafe is summoned upwards into the antiseptic, fluorescent, eye-searing white light brightness of Heaven. In this sterile, far from tranquil realm, Ed lectures Rafe about cosmic balance. Rafe whines about all the “pointless” rules he must follow, and all the while Caleb is becoming “too powerful.” Yet his apparent defiance is rooted in servility. Although in a snit of anger Rafe yells, “to hell with the rules,” he smiles nervously and adds the word “sir” when his boss, Ed, scowls at him. Like a submissive dog, he may snarl in futile frustration, but once challenged by his superiors, Ed becomes placating, ingratiating. Scolding Rafe for jeopardizing his mission by calling out Caleb too soon, he demands that Rafe set aside his blind hatred for Caleb so that the plan can succeed. When Rafe complains about all the pain Caleb is causing the people of Port Charles, Ed argues that “pain is a part of life” and that people grow stronger as they learn from their pain. Ed even concedes that Caleb might win but states that the battle between good and evil must go an as it has from the beginning of time. In order for good to flourish in Port Charles, Ed advises, Rafe must remind people of their inner goodness, for this faith is their strongest weapon.
In this scene Port Charles sets the stage for the Manichean battles that will dominate the remainder of the series until its unfortunate cancellation. As is demonstrated here, Port Charles depicts the universe as being in continual cosmic struggle, a perpetual war between the forces of “good” and “evil” that can never be won and can never end. Good will never prevail, nor will evil because there always needs to be a balance, an opposition. Within each individual this battle is also waged, and although some, such as Rafe, may think they have no dark (or “evil”) side and others, such as Caleb, may try to deny their inner goodness, the side they try to suppress is always there, in the background, hidden but ever present. The harder Caleb tries to eradicate his “Father Michael” aspect, his humanity, the more vulnerable he becomes. He fails to acknowledge part of his nature; he loses this internal balance and is destroyed as a result.
"Tempted" Episodes 30-32
Doubt lingers, imperceptible at first but growing stronger. It is as pervasive as an obsession, as pernicious as a cancer. Doing Caleb’s bidding, Livvie has helped the seeds of doubt take root and thrive. In the process she has absorbed their poison; she has become disillusioned and distrustful, no longer believing that human love can prevail.
Already, as “Anne Marie,” Livvie has succeeded in eroding the bond between Eve and Ian while causing discord between Lucy and Kevin. Now she begins ruining the relationship between Alison and Jamal. This time, however, she does not need her borrowed persona, “Anne Marie,” to create conflict. The sparks already ignited by Valerie’s arrival in Port Charles only need a little fuel to start a destructive fire. All Livvie needs to do is plant an idea, a gnawing, troublesome thought, into Alison’s receptive mind. That idea—the possibility that Jamal may be the father of Valerie’s baby—is the catalyst that leads Alison on a secret quest to find out whether the child is Jamal’s.
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