Ever since Rafe left his angel persona behind in the clouds and came back to Port Charles fully human, his wonderment and sheer joy at being back in the arms of his true love, this time for good, has been the driving force in his new found existence.  Fulfilling a lifelong dream, Rafe finally found himself face to face in the presence of someone who loves him with absolute depth and purity, who knows everything about him, his past, his future, everything. The legions of Brian Gaskill fans couldn’t be happier having Rafe firmly planted in this earthly world, free to make a full, satisfying life for himself, growing old with the one he loves. Desperate to build a normal life and to focus on a love he sacrificed his very soul for, Rafe tried to ignore the warning bells going off every time his instincts told him something wasn’t quite right, but this being a soap world after all no one really expected that blissful, simple dream to last longer than five minutes anyway. 

Be it the disturbing song NAKED EYES playing on the radio, or the seductive, uninhibited Halloween party where he just couldn’t shake the bad vibes coming at him from every corner, enough hints and clues thrown his way to keep him just that much off balance, he knew his slayer instincts were alive and kicking.  With the shocking unveiling of Caleb look alike Stephen Clay, Rafe’s unease could no longer be denied. 

Caleb was back and with him came the reawakening of all that is Rafe – after 10 years the Vampire Slayer was back in business. Brian Gaskill playing this so effectively, like a caged spirit fighting to escape its constraints, you could see and feel every bit of Rafe’s struggle to let the slayer side dominate once more. Holding nothing back as always, every emotion and conflict evident on the actor’s face, in his body language, in his manner. Evil materializing in Port Charles again put Rafe smack back into slayer mode whether he wanted to be there or not.

Two sides to the slayer so marvelously apparent now.  Determination mingling with resignation, his demeanor changing from lover to slayer in an instant, promises of undying love and protection couldn’t suppress the warrior preparing to do battle, seeking to face the nemesis he absolutely knows is his. 

Asked what makes the slayer different this time around Brian Gaskill confides;

“This time he has love in his life…compared to when he was human before he died in 1991…this gives him a new strength and helps him get in touch with his “angel powers”…a trait he never had as a human slayer…but this love in his life also makes him more vulnerable and sometimes too distracted to be a proper warrior…but I guess love is worth it.”

The slayer has matured since his last adventure on earth hasn’t he.  He’s more prepared, more aware, has taken off those rose coloured glasses after his earthly experiences as an angel made him more cynical, less trusting of the world around him.  His defeat at the hands of Caleb burned forever in his memory, his pull to a normal life with Alison and the need to protect all those around him whom he loves notwithstanding, Rafe cannot walk away from this.  Will his human emotions and shortcomings  prove to be his undoing in the end yet again, perhaps.  But this is what Rafe was born for, trained his whole life for, it cannot be ignored, even for Alison.

Will Rafe’s newfound human emotions influence his instincts and his plan of action towards Stephen Clay/Caleb?  And how much of Rafe’s reaction to Stephen Clay/Caleb is driven by revenge?  Gaskill explains;

“His judgment I think is a bit clouded…as he is a bit over-protective of the people he loves…but at the end of the day Rafe is focused and nothing will get in the way of him completing his goals.”

And what role does Lucy play in all this. Vampire slayer number two, Rafe’s cousin is the only person in Port Charles who can support him unconditionally, who understands it all, who can encourage Rafe to be true to who he really is.  She is the one person to whom Rafe can truly turn to with his doubts and fears and dreams for the future, she above everyone else can be as unconditional in her love and support as he is of her.  Rafe’s trust in his cousin is absolute but can he trust Lucy to help him this time?

“Yes.  Finding Lucy is the best thing to ever happen to Rafe after Alison…They may be distant relatives…but I believe they are just as much soul mates (not in the romantic sense) as Rafe and Alison,” Brian offers.

The incredible onscreen chemistry between Lynn Herring and Brian Gaskill has been clear from the day they met in TAINTED LOVE. It’s always a treat to watch them act together, they play off each other so effortlessly and always give us an experience to remember.  Fans would agree that Rafe and Lucy are soul mates in more ways than one, each longing for love and family ties, bonded in their common history and slayer abilities. 

Rafe and Lucy may be the only ones in town who believe Stephen Clay is Caleb but make no mistake, the showdown between the Slayer and the Vampire is coming.  We know its Caleb, Rafe knows its Caleb.  There is no way in this lifetime that Rafe will let Caleb best him again.  This time around he has too much to lose.  He is no longer the solitary slayer existing only to seek out and destroy evil wherever it may hide.  He’s found love, family, made connections to other people, set down roots in Port Charles.  The wonderfully talented Brian Gaskill has so successfully integrated and developed all the aspects of Rafe’s personality, revealing to us layer after layer, building the character from angel to slayer to human and back again. 

Now that there is so much more depth to the character as he’s earned his place on earth by literally going to hell and back, just how desperate is Rafe to hold on to his new life and how far will he go. Brian Gaskill admits;

“He’ll go as far as he has to…but his first priority is not protecting his own life but the lives of his loved ones.”

With the return of Michael Easton as Caleb it’s been a lot of fun watching Rafe spar with Stephen Clay/Caleb. Once again the sizzling onscreen chemistry between the two actors is a treat to watch.  Asked how the story line has re-energized the slayer side of Rafe’s character, Gaskill so eloquently muses;

“It has completely re-energized it…sometimes to a fault…becoming human again was a gift from above…but now as he returns to life, he also returns to all his previous instincts as a slayer…which will again and again get in the way of his “stop and smell the roses” philosophy that he tried so passionately to get across to Alison when he was an angel.  Rafe was able to inspire and teach as an angel…now the challenge he faces is the same as us all…You learned it…You know it…But can you LIVE IT!!! With all the distractions of daily life…

Indeed. For Rafe and for us all.   

Comments/feedback? Wanna throw something? 
Email me Max at Soaptown USA

Comments/feedback? Wanna throw something? 
Email me Max at Soaptown USA