| "Desire": Analysis of the "Desire" Arc of ABC-TV's Port Charles
(c) Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Desire" episodes of the show Port Charles, formerly of ABC-TV. This site will focus on the scenes featuring the vampire character Caleb Morley/Stephen Clay (portrayed by actor Michael Easton). The character of Caleb Morley/Stephen Clay 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. |
| "Desire" #2 (cont.) “Well, fancy meeting you here. Looks like it’s my lucky day. My dear, sweet husband,” she coos sarcastically. “I actually had to see you with my own eyes. Here you are, stripped of all your power, hmmm? A little beat up, but . . . poor baby.” “I don’t have time for this,” Caleb mutters, trying to get away from the hospital as soon as possible without being seen by anyone else. |
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| Snappies of "Desire" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
| “Don’t you dare walk away from me,” she warns, “or I will scream so loud that every nurse, orderly, and security guard will come running. And by the looks of how you’re sneaking around here, I don’t think that’s what you really want, do you?” |
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| “What do you want?” he replies irritably.
“You are going to stand here and you’re going to listen to every word I have to say,” she commands. “Go ahead, I’m listening,” he grumbles, quickly shoving her into an empty hospital room so that they can continue their conversation unobserved. “Don’t rush me,” she growls. “OK, you may have had the privilege of acting however you want and treating people however you pleased because you have been the big, master vampire. But not anymore,” she threatens, her voice haughty, derisive. “Because that’s not going to work, because now you’re just a regular guy. You don’t have power over me anymore.” Realizing that the only way he will be able to stop Elizabeth’s hostile tirade and escape from the hospital before being caught, Caleb decides to drop his surly approach and try to win her over with his charm. He knows that despite her anger, she still loves him, lusts for him, and will do almost anything he asks if she thinks they could have a future together. Therefore, he must appease her fury by acting contrite and then assure her he wants nothing more than to have a second chance with her. Even though we sense the duplicity and deceit lying underneath his words of tenderness and regret, Caleb is such a skilled, charming liar that we, like Elizabeth, may find ourselves also falling for his act. Michael Easton brilliantly captures the ambiguity of Caleb’s interactions with Elizabeth in these scenes, his facial expressions, tone of voice, and gestures subtlely conveying this enigmatic mixture of sincerity and deception that is the essence of Caleb. “I never thought what we had had anything to do with power,” he says in a sad, regretful tone. “You made me believe that you loved me. You married me, and then you just. . . you just disposed of me like I was just garbage left over from yesterday,” she snarls. “I never intended to hurt you,” he apologizes. “Hurt me? God, you destroyed me!” she fumes. “You turned me into a monster, and then you left me all alone just to deal with that by myself!” “Elizabeth . . ” he starts to interject, but she quickly cuts him off, her pent-up wrath demanding release. “Just don’t. . . I am not finished yet!” she rages. “I gave up everything for you, but you . . . you were too blind to even see that, weren’t you? You are the most arrogant, self-absorbed, obsessive bastard that I have ever met. And I hope to God you are miserable now that you are all alone and you’re powerless.” |