| "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 43-44 (cont.) "Olivia, I can give you the world. I can give you happiness forever," he vows, walking around her and massaging her neck. "You will never, ever be lonely as long as I'm in your life. But it doesn't come without a price. And right now you're paying it." "You have no right to manipulate me any more like some kind of mindless puppet," she seethes, regaining her indignation. "You made me hurt innocent people whose only crime was coming to my rescue." "If your friends hadn't interfered, we'd be together right now," he notes. "They saved my life!" she shouts. "You call this a life?" Caleb smirks. "Oh. Only I can give you the life you truly long for. Do you remember how you came alive under my touch?" He embraces her, nuzzling her neck and whispering into her ear. |
| "No. Stop!" she cries, trying to resist his enticing seduction and the yearnings he arouses.
"And how it felt?" he continues. "Our bodies next to each other. So close that we're one heart beating." He rests his head on top of her and rubs his face against her cheek, savoring the feel of her flesh, feeling it tingle in response to his. As always, Caleb relies on his sexual allure to weaken her resolve. He is a tempter, a tease, with all of the irresistible sensuality traditionally associated with female vamps, the femme fatales who lead their hapless victims into damnation. Charismatic, beautiful, graceful, predatory, mesmerizing, he is an androgynous being with animal, human, and godlike qualities, transcending gender and all human labels. Although he is certainly powerful enough to take what he wants by brute force, he prefers to entice rather than ravage. A seducer rather than a rapist, he coaxes us, his victims/lovers, to give him what he needs. He desires our compliance, our surrender, the yielding of the soul that implicates and corrupts, damning us, along with him. In vain Livvie tries to deny her attraction to him. “Right now, all I feel is sick to my stomach,” she claims, struggling to resist her temptation. “You don’t mean that,” he replies with a clenched smile, hurt by her words of rejection. “You made me sleep with some man just so Jack could find us,” she hisses. “You took away the only pure love I have ever known.” “All I did was show you that Jack’s love was conditional,” he persuades. “Do what he says, he’ll love you. But step outside the boundaries and you are a distant memory.” In a sense Caleb’s statements are partially true, for as we see elsewhere in this episode, Jack is in the process of trying to forget Livvie. Jack has even exchanged friendly words with Kyle, the man Livvie seduced into bed, and has directed his anger now towards Livvie. “I have to find him and tell him what’s going on,” Livvie panics, but as she starts to leave, Caleb clutches her arm. “He has moved on,” Caleb says softly. “I think you know in your heart that’s true.” “Yeah, well, it may be over for Jack and me, but it’s not over for the others,” she insists. “And I’m going to find them and I’m going to tell them. I’m going to tell them that you are behind all their misery.” However, before she can walk away, Caleb grabs her by the neck, encircling her throat with his large, powerful hands. “No, my love,” he murmurs in a tender yet menacing voice. “You’ll do no such thing.” “What are you going to do, Olivia? What exactly are you going to tell your friends?” he asks, his hands gripping her neck. |
| Snappies of "Tempted" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
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