| "Tainted Love" Diary 15 (c) by Alison Armstrong |
| An analysis of the "Tainted Love" episodes of the show "Port Charles," formerly of ABC-TV. This site will focus on the scenes featuring the vampire character Caleb Morley (portrayed by actor Michael Easton). The character of Caleb Morley 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. |
However, as she says this, her face seems unconvinced that it was an unwanted dream. This scenario is an excellent example of the subconscious/conscious conflict so prevalent in Tainted Love. Jack represents Livvie's conscious feelings here. Although originally depicted as a bit of a rebel, Jack is actually much more of a boy-next-door-type, someone unthreatening and a lot more socially acceptable than Caleb. Caleb represents her subconscious feelings--dark, wild, a menace to the social order. It is clear from this scene that Livvie wants Caleb but has to convince Jack and herself that what took place was a horrible dream. Caleb fulfills her deepest needs, the desires and emotions she represses. He is the ideal lover we've always yearned for, soothing and caressing, instinctively knowing his partner's secret needs, taking time for pleasure in all its aspects, not just concentrating on penetration. Caring yet willful, seductive yet forceful, he brings sensuality, beauty, and soul union as well as self-discovery and self-acceptance, liberating us from inhibitions and self-censoring conventions. He reminds us of the parts of ourselves we've repressed or that have been stamped out of us by conditioning or life experiences--our animal side, our romantic dreams, our physical joy, our childlike need to be loved and accepted for who we are. Caleb sees inside Livvie and knows that although she may try to deny her feelings, his appearance in her fantasies is not merely a dream, but is instead an embodiment of her wishes and needs. He is there, in the flesh, invoked there perhaps by her desires. As he stands, unseen, behind the door, he emphasizes his unwavering belief in their fateful bond. "No tricks, no dreams," he states. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Not until you're mine. " He leans against the door again, his mouth a sublimely alluring pout of erotic temptation. |
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| ******************************************************* In the next two episodes Caleb's influence, once again, is perceived through his effects on the lives of Michael, Jack, and others who know them. It is only towards the end of these two episodes that Caleb reappears and Tainted Love makes one of its first climactic revelations. The episodes focus on the sibling rivalry between Michael and Caleb in addition to Chris and Jack. Chris, curious to find out what has made his brother Jack so violent and hoping to make money out of his discoveries, goes to Jack's apartment and tries to convince Jack to be his "own personal science experiment." When Jack refuses to be persuaded by thoughts of Chris's profit-making endeavors, Chris warns that Jack's violent tendencies may endanger Livvie. Holding a syringe filled with a sedative, Chris tells Jack that he wants to draw some blood. Bristling with rage, Jack describes to Chris his strange symptoms--his constant hunger that is never filled no matter how much he eats and his "uncontrollable urge to kill." Meanwhile when Eve and Ian approach Michael with their request to have him perform their wedding ceremony, Michael sadly refuses. "Caleb and I are mirror images of each other," he explains. "I look at him; I see myself. . . . He is every bit a part of me as I am of him." When Eve replies that Caleb must then have some of Michael's goodness inside him also, Michael says, "Not enough. That's why I'm here. To help my brother get rid of the demons that seem to drive him. Until I do that, I can't leave here, not for anything. I hope you can understand." He adds, "They say a holy place is not truly blessed until it has been touched by love. Your love has brightened this darkness. I can't imagine being more blessed and for that I thank you." When Michael leaves momentarily, Eve tells Ian about the first time she saw Michael kneeling in prayer at the altar of the church. The sun was shining, streaming through the stained glass windows and illuminating Michael. It was as if "God was smiling on him," she exclaims, and it was then that she realized how meaningful his life was. She suggests to Ian that since Michael can't leave the church, maybe Michael could marry them at the church. Interspersed with these scenes of brotherly conflict are scenes of Lucy's laughable attempts to invoke the dark forces she feels are inhabiting the woods and Livvie's attempts to understand why she cannot seem to get thoughts of Caleb out of her mind. But even though Livvie takes Alison with her to the cave and tries to summon Caleb there, supposedly to ask him to leave her alone, he does not appear. Nor does he appear to Lucy, at least not in human form. As Lucy puts away her magical paraphernalia and prepares to leave with Kevin, however, we see a pair of red eyes peering from the bushes, eyes wild and fierce, like that of a wolf or bestial demon. |
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| Snappies of "Tainted Love" scenes taken by N. Klein and A. Armstrong |