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The first episode of this arc metaphorically establishes the predominant theme of light vs. darkness, good vs. evil, and the ambiguity sometimes underlying this dualistic conflict. We see a brilliant, dramatic use of light here---the sharp contrast between the motorcycle race in the bright summer sun featuring Jack, the external drama and violence of Jack's accident vs. the dark basement where Caleb is "kept" by "Father Michael."
We are introduced to Caleb gradually, given taunting signs of his presence before he is fully revealed. The mesmerizingly erotic sound of his voice, the hypnotic allure of his eyes--these stir us sensually even before we see him in all his menacing, enticing glory and power.
Before we glimpse him, we hear his voice as he responds in mockery to his "brother" Michael's summons. Descending the steps, Michael calls to him in the basement depths. "After all that I've done to keep you safe, why? Why did you do it?" he asks, "Answer me, Caleb. Why do you keep trying to run away when you know it could be dangerous for you, when you know what I'm doing is for your own good?" In reply comes Caleb's laughter, derisive, wickedly seductive. "Just stick to saving the world, St. Michael," he scoffs. "Leave me out of it." When Michael persists in demanding to know what Caleb did, where he went, Caleb replies, with lewd insinuations, "Let's just say I've got my eye on a certain sweet young thing."
Who is this "sweet young thing" sparking Caleb's desire? Who roused the sleeping serpent within the ascetic Father Michael? Hints are given in the preceding "Port Charles" arc, "Time in a Bottle," when after confronting Eve in the woods, Michael visits her in the cabin. Into this wilderness Eden, he brings an apple, and as he and Eve share a feast, his hunger and temptation grow. The urges intensify, the vampire is awakened, and Caleb emerges, ravenous and lustful, when he meets Jack in the woods.
Despite Michael's vows to never let Caleb hurt anyone again, Caleb remains defiant and confident of victory. "Who are you kidding? You can't keep me prisoner here forever," he boasts. "You know I always find a way out." Indeed, as Michael leaves, Caleb appears in the dusky mist of his basement lair.
Throughout this scene the basement is lit in a gentle, ochre light, dusky and foggy but pierced in areas with golden rays which illuminate Caleb's face, making him appear like some radiant, almost holy figure in a Da Vinci or Caravaggio painting. Both Father Michael and Caleb in their scenes together (which are, of course, before it is revealed that they are the same person, opposing selves) have a mystical, ethereal glow. Caleb's eyes here appear brownish- red rather than blue, and his wild, graceful, predatory demeanor contrasts with the golden aura surrounding him. He is like a beast imprisoned, and when he sees Eve trespassing through his territory, he seems hungry yet somewhat apprehensive, just as a predator would when unexpectedly confronted by prey which may put up a fight when seized. While Michael warns Ian of danger and Lucy sees sinister omens in her Tarot cards, Caleb awaits his release. |
