| "Tainted "Love" Diary 20 (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. |
| ************************************************ Following Caleb's encounter with Jack, Caleb is shown at his most seductive and beguiling as flashbacks depict Caleb enticing Gabby with sensual delights beyond compare. However, as scenes with Jack demonstrate, he is also deadly when spurned. The episode opens with a scene between Gabby and Joe. Joe has come to say goodbye to Gabby for the last time before he leaves Port Charles. However, just as he is about to leave, Gabby suddenly acts aggressively sexual towards him. When she notices a bleeding scratch she has inflicted on Joe, she becomes entranced by the blood, sighing lustily. Caleb, meanwhile, is apparently about to give up on persuading Jack to willingly join him in embracing their vampire nature. As Jack grimaces and remains defiant, Caleb says in a soft yet menacing tone, "I offered you the world. An eternity of pleasure. It was a mistake to think you'd be grateful . . .or even useful to me. So your time is up." "Go ahead, you've done the worst," Jack snarls, as Caleb advances upon him, baring his fangs and slowly, like a coiling snake, encircling his prey. But just before Caleb can deliver his fatal bite, Livvie appears, yelling for Jack, and Caleb vanishes. Livvie urges Jack to let her help him, but he once again tells her to go away, warning her sadly that he has "gone through some changes" and for her own safety she should leave him alone. Elsewhere in Port Charles Jamal begins to suspect what is happening to Jack. However, when he is confronted by a concerned Kevin, who asks if Jamal knows what's "eating" Jack, Jamal reveals nothing. Kevin doesn't yet realize how aptly his word "eating" describes what is happening to Jack, for Jack, having been bitten by Caleb, is also being consumed by his ravaging hunger. Later, after Jack manages to escape from the woods and return to his apartment, Jamal visits him. As their conversation progresses, Jack tells Jamal about being attacked by Caleb, and even though Jack resists admitting to himself that he is a vampire, his hunger becomes so overwhelming that he eventually accepts Jamal's "gift" (a bag of blood stolen from the hospital). While Livvie and Kevin seek to understand the changes overtaking Jack, Joe remains puzzled by Gabby's inexplicable behavior. Talking with Kevin, Livvie confides how important Jack has been to her, acting as a sort of "white knight" who came into her life when she most needed him. As in the scene where Livvie, sleeping with Jack, dreams about Caleb in her bed, we see here that Livvie perceives Jack as a kind of support, a crutch, a protector. Joe, like Livvie, cannot understand why his beloved has been so irrevocably transformed. He wonders whether "this new guy" in Gabby's life has her on "some kind of drug" for she acts as if she is "possessed." Indeed, it is clear that Caleb has taken over Gabby's heart and soul, keeping her enslaved to her desperate need for him. As she licks her finger that touched Joe's bleeding scratch, she remembers her life-altering encounter with Caleb in the alley. Immediately falling for his darkly radiant, feral beauty, Gabby unsuccessfully tries, just like Livvie, to resist his charms. She tells Caleb (and tries to convince herself) that she is in love with Joe, but Caleb calmly persists in his sweetly thrilling seduction. "Are you sure of that?" Caleb asks her when she talks of her love for Joe. |
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| Snappies of "Tainted Love" scenes taken by A. Armstrong |