| "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" #8 (cont.) The “Naked Eyes” lyrics are reminiscent of the Doors’ song “Break On Through to the Other Side,” in which the Doors’ lead vocalist/songwriter Jim Morrison sings “You know the day destroys the night, Night divides the day, Tried to run, Tried to hide, Break on through to the other side . . . The gate is straight, Deep and wide, Break on through to the other side.” Taking their name from Aldous Huxley’s book about psychedelic drug experiences, The Doors of Perception, which, in turn, was inspired by a line in William Blake’s poetry, the Doors speak of transcending dualities by opening the senses to new experiences. As Blake writes in “The Marriage of Heaven and Hell,” “If the doors of perception were cleansed, everything would appear to man as it is: Infinite.” Heaven and hell, good and evil, and other dualities would be seen as complementary aspects of a whole. The performance of Stephen Clay, like the lyrics to “Naked Eyes,” is reminiscent of Jim Morrison. Like Morrison, Stephen wears black leather pants and possesses a predatory, serpentine sensuality. The menacing seductiveness, swaggering yet graceful gestures, and sultry ferocity of Jim Morrison are also very evident in Michael Easton’s vivid portrayal of Stephen Clay. |
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| Snappies of "Naked Eyes" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |
| Unfortunately, the performance is cut short when Rafe shoves past the security guards and leaps onto the stage, shouting Caleb’s name.
“Hey, hey, stop the music,” Stephen commands the band, as the audience hisses at the raving maniac disrupting Stephen’s concert. He then turns towards Rafe. “Hey buddy,” he says with a sarcastic smile, “if you want an autograph, you’re going to have to wait.” |
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| “I gotta hand it to you. It’s a great disguise,” Rafe responds. “A mysterious rock and roll star. Pretty good.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about. I’m Stephen Clay,” Stephen replies, as the crowd cheers in support of their idol; then he quietly but sternly orders security to remove the troublemaker. “Sorry, folks, this guy’s had a few too many,” he jokes while the guards try to drag Rafe offstage. Rafe, however, pushes past the guards again, charging towards Stephen and knocking him down upon the floor of the stage. “This ends now,” he vows, hovering over Stephen. When the security guards manage to get Rafe off from Stephen, Rafe continues to threaten him. “I’m going to send you right back to where you came from,” he hisses. “Bakersfield? What are you talking about?” Stephen asks, with a guileless, perplexed expression. We who are familiar with Rafe, Caleb, and their cosmic battles, know that Rafe is threatening to send Caleb back to Hell. Stephen, of course, knows this too, but he very convincingly assumes a guise of innocence and bewilderment, thereby making former angel Rafe appear deranged. Although at first Stephen tries to downplay the situation, making it seem as if Rafe is merely an obnoxious drunk, when Rafe continues the harassment, Stephen refers to him as a “lunatic”. In the eyes of the spectators, most of whom know nothing about Caleb and just want to be at Stephen Clay’s rock concert, Rafe appears progressively more unbalanced and absurd. As Rafe persists in his attacks, ranting, “You can play dumb all you want, but I know who you really are, Caleb,” he is no longer perceived as just a drunken idiot; he is now seen as a psychotic. When Rafe, grabbing the microphone, announces that Stephen Clay is not “who he says he is . . . his name is Caleb Morley and he’s a vampire,” the crowd no doubt thinks he has completely lost touch with reality. |
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