| "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" #6 (cont.) As Rafe is in the sauna, bemoaning his loss of Slayer powers, his head buried in a sweat-soaked towel, Stephen enters the room. “Do you mind if I join you?” Stephen asks casually, seating himself on a nearby bench. “Nothing like a good steam to sweat all the demons out, huh?” “Well, it’s hot as hell in here, that’s for sure,” Rafe replies curtly, wanting to be alone with his thoughts and irritated by the stranger’s chummy patter. “That’s just the way I like it,” Stephen sighs with satisfaction. The references to Hell and demons, like the steamy, infernal sauna in which Rafe and Stephen sit, remind us of the perpetual cosmic battle set into motion by the return of Caleb. The two nearly naked men in the bathouse, veiled in sizzling mist, may also remind us of more sensual encounters. Like the masks at Stephen’s decadent party, the steam blurs the border between fantasy and reality, desire and action. The steamy room represents a place of limbo, in between heaven and hell, good and evil, and other rigid dichotomies. Foes, one semi-angel, the other semi-demon, each wearing only a white towel, sit in this place where boundaries are transgressed. The sauna, like a sweat lodge, is a place of temptation, release, and enlightenment, where one can drift with the steam into other realms, releasing “demons” as one begins to attain an experience of physical and spiritual liberation. The flesh and the spirit become one as dualities are transcended. Despite Rafe’s apparent lack of interest in conversing, Stephen continues to chat away. “This feels so good after the night I had tonight,” he remarks. When Rafe responds with a ho-hum “Really?”, Stephen goes on to discuss his evening. “Yeah, I met this woman, a real knock-out,” he boasts, taking a swig from his blue bottle. “Maybe a little on the needy side, but nice . . . if you know what I mean.” Stephen’s husky voice oozes sensuality, sexual insinuations. Stephen acts like the boasting, swaggering kind of men who use women as conquests and trophies symbolizing their prowess. Gone is the sensitive lover, replaced by the sleazy boor. “Uh-huh, that’s wonderful,” Rafe mutters sarcastically. “Thanks for sharing.” “You got a woman?” Stephen asks with a lewd smirk. “Yes, actually, I’m engaged,” Rafe replies grimly. “Congratulations. Ready to take on the old ball and chain, huh?” Stephen sneers, as if delighted with his obnoxious cliché. He pauses to gulp from his bottle. “To love, honor, and obey till death do you part,” he adds, mockingly. “I really came in here to be alone,” Rafe finally informs his annoying conversationalist. “I have a lot on my mind, so I’d appreciate if you’d just kind of let me be.” “I’m sorry, I understand,” Stephen says, his voice softer, more subdued, then asks whether it would be OK to put on some music. “Yes, go ahead,” Rafe grumbles, trying to regain his focus. “Do whatever you want.” The music Stephen turns on is, predictably, the song Rafe least wants to hear, “Naked Eyes.” As the music slithers through the humid mist, mesmerizing and seductive, Stephen leans back on the bench, his legs comfortably spread apart, his head covered in the towel. Rafe, uncovering his head, squints at Stephen, his eyes and mouth clenched tight with suspicion. Throughout their conversation, Rafe has never seen Stephen’s face in the veil of mist. Toying with Rafe in a devilish game of hide and seek, Stephen has made sure to cover his head whenever Rafe peeks out from beneath the towel. “Ever hear this song before?” Rafe asks, pacing around the room, staring at his mysteriously familiar neighbor, as if waiting to pounce on him and take off the towel concealing his identity. |
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| Snappies of "Naked Eyes" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |