| "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 9-11 (cont.) “A poison that’s in your system?” Caleb retorts. “I offer you eternal life, and this is what I get in return?” “I don’t want anything from you except for you to stay dead,” Livvie insists. “I think you protest a bit too much,” Caleb observes. “You still go weak when you think about how me made love, don’t you? You still remember how I taste, how I feel, how I touched you.” “And I hate that I remember those things about you,” she angrily admits. “Why are you here? What do you want?” “I want what anyone who’s ever been betrayed wants,” he reveals. “I want revenge.” “You can’t hurt the people I love,” Livvie threatens him. “Oh, why not?” he mocks. “Vengeance is mine, sayeth the Lord!” He raises his hands to the sky in a parody of evangelical fervor, mocking and yet paraodixically demonstrating the religious preoccupation of his priestly alter-ego. “And if it’s good enough for the man upstairs, it’s good enough for me.” “And now I know that deep inside a part of you is good,” Livvie pleads. “There was a part of you that understood forgiveness.” “Are you talking about Michael?” Caleb sneers. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Sweetheart, but my weaker half has permanently left the building.” “Then what are you going to do?” Livvie inquires mournfully. “Well, that the beauty of it,” he explains. “I’m not going to lift a finger. Your friends will hurt themselves.” “No, they wouldn’t do that,” she insists. “Still underestimating me?” he taunts. “I’m going to give you friends just enough lead to hang themselves by their precious human emotions.” “My friends will fight you,” she vows. “They’ll destroy themselves,” Caleb counters. “I’ll sprinkle just a little seed of suspicion [he makes sprinkling motions with his hands], let them start to doubt themselves and each other. And then I’m just going to sit back and watch the show.” He places his hands behind his head in smug anticipation. “Don’t do this,” Livvie begs. “Getting revenge won’t change what happened to you.” “Oh, on the contrary,” he smiles slyly. “I’ll grow stronger as those around you grow weaker. Then I’ll be back, in the flesh, hungry as hell.” “Well, I’ll warn everyone,” Livvie promises with unconvincing bravado. “Sorry, my love,” Caleb smirks. “I can’t let you spoil the fun. I’m going to have to stop you from opening that oh so pretty mouth of yours.” “No, stay away from me. Stay away!” she screams. “This time you won’t win. I’ll tell everyone what you’re planning.” “You can’t stop me, Olivia,” Caleb says calmly. “Because this little conversation ain’t going in the scrapbook. You’ll have no memory of ever talking to me.” “I won’t forget this because I’m not under your spell this time,” she bluffs. “Whatever you say,” Caleb says patronizingly. “But soon I’ll be stronger than ever, and then you’ll come back to me. After all,” he smiles lewdly,” I still owe you a honeymoon. You’re my bride. You think I’d let a little thing like death come between us? We’ll have our child, and then everything will be as was meant to be.” Sobbing “No. No. No!” Livvie wakes up in bed, Jack hovering protectively over her. Hinting to Livvie that he also had a nightmare, Jack asks her to tell him about her dream, but Livvie cannot recall what happened. “I. . . I was so sure it. . . it just felt so important,” she stammers, “but I don’t remember it at all.'' Then clinging to Jack as if to a teddy bear that reassures but is powerless to protect, Livvie asks Jack to hold her as she struggles to find a security never to be regained. |
| Snappies of "Tempted" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |