| "Naked Eyes" : Analysis of the "Naked Eyes" Arc of ABC-TV's Port Charles (c) Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Naked Eyes" 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. |
| “Naked Eyes” Analysis #1 (introduction of “Stephen Clay” aka Caleb) After Caleb is murdered by his beloved Olivia (Livvie) at the end of “Tempted,” his presence lingers, entangling itself like a pernicious vine around the souls of his former victims, lovers, and foes. Although Caleb is yet to be released from Hell and savor again his earthly delights, his residue of evil continues to wreak havoc upon Port Charles as those he tainted struggle futilely to rebuild the lives he shattered. Livvie’s innocence has been irrevocably defiled, and as her corruption grows, she ends up destroying the love she shared with Jack, conspiring against her former best friend, Alison, and making herself hated by almost everyone in town except her father, Kevin. This residue of discord entices unquiet spirits to Port Charles—avatars, witches, roving, reckless angels—who disrupt lives even further. In the midst of this chaos a strange, disheveled young woman named Tess makes her appearance, seeming to embody the fragmentation afflicting the Port Charles residents. Identical in appearance to Livvie, Tess is in many ways Livvie’s opposite. In contrast to Livvie’s bitter, manipulative, hateful personality, Tess is kind, gentle, loving. With her matted hair, ragged clothes, halting, inarticulate speech, and soulful, childlike expression, Tess is a vivid representation of the feral child archetype, a simple, pure soul nearly untouched by civilization. She exemplifies Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s theory of the “noble savage,” the concept that we are all born innocent, free of sin, devoid of cruelty or malice, but are gradually corrupted by society. Tess is somewhat similar to the young woman Livvie was before she met Caleb and became irresistibly attracted to his dark, vampiric sensuality. In fact, as “Naked Eyes” will later reveal, Tess is a part of Livvie, the good, trusting, tender aspect Livvie originally possessed before Caleb seduced away her soul. Tess, like Livvie , however, will eventually become drawn to Caleb after he returns to earth, this time in the guise of the rock star “Stephen Clay”. In addition to Tess, two other new characters drawn into the dazzling lifestyle of the enigmatic“Stephen Clay” are Elizabeth Barrington, Alison’s needy widowed mother, and Marissa, a young songwriter. Since Tess, Elizabeth, and Marissa are unfamiliar with Caleb and his devastating effect on the other Port Charles residents, they are prime targets for his deceptions as “Stephen Clay.” These deceptions form the basis of “Naked Eyes.” Throughout this arc there is an underlying theme of illusion vs. “reality,” the masks we wear to hide behind as well as the masks that help to liberate our as yet unrealized potential. Masks deceive, but they may also symbolically reveal aspects of ourselves. By donning the mask, by adopting a role we consciously or unconsciously desire, we begin to transcend limitations. Merging with the mask, we become more complete. Darkness and light, the “evil” and the “good” unite within our consciousness. Dualities blur. Thus, it is that the dichotomy between good and evil, emphasized in “Tainted Love” and Tempted,” becomes progressively less clear cut throughout the remainder of the Port Charles arcs. The “good” characters, such as the angel/vampire slayer Rafe and his slayer cousin, Lucy, increasingly reveal their weaknesses and hypocrisy, while the “evil” characters, such as Caleb and his vampire band members, reveal their sympathetic qualities. Rafe’s shining halo tarnishes, having lost some of its glow when, in a previous arc, Rafe sold his soul so that he could return to earth and protect his beloved Alison. As a result of this ill-conceived bargain, Rafe did return to earth but lost all memory of his past, including his love affair with Alison. Not knowing who he was or anything about his former life, he, thus, fell victim to Livvie’s vengeful schemes against Alison. Convincing Rafe that she was the woman he loved, Livvie managed to seduce Rafe and keep him away from Alison. She even succeeded in becoming pregnant, thanks to the avatar, and then persuaded Rafe that the baby was his. Eventually Rafe regained his memory and was reunited with Alison; however, the pact Rafe made, involving Heaven and Hell, paved the way for Caleb’s return. Although the moral boundaries are blurred in “Naked Eyes, “ the moral consequences for one’s wishes and actions cannot be erased. The price Rafe unwittingly paid for his union with Alison was Caleb’s liberation from Hell. The price Livvie paid for her deceptive seduction of Rafe and her subsequent murder attempts against Alison was the loss of her unborn baby, for in trying to poison Alison’s bathwater, Livvie ended up poisoning the baby within her womb. |
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| Snappies of "Naked Eyes" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |