As PORT CHARLES 9^th book, NAKED EYES, kicked off this week all is pretty much as expected, as it should be, the fall out from TORN spilling over, the characters beginning to confront the truth about themselves and their situations, casting cautious, “naked” eyes to the future. We’ve finally, mercifully moved firmly away from the last 26 weeks that quite frankly could have been known as one arc -  SUPERSTITIONTORN.  The mood here, the lighting, the pacing, the flow, all different, all designed to let us move on.   We’ve also moved firmly out of summer and into fall, and that much closer to sweeps of course, when meatier story lines emerge, when intrigue, deception and seduction (as the new promo teases) swirl around at will, catching everyone in its web, viewers included.  If this first week is any indication it looks like the web’s a spinning, said the spider to the fly.  PORT CHARLES is back. 

There is no doubt Rafe and Alison fans got what they deserved after sticking out 26 weeks of separation.  That reunion on the “love train”  (how Brian Gaskill said that line with basically a straight face is beyond me, but being the pro he is, say it he did)  brought Rafe and Alison together again, brought Rafe back to earth as human and a character entrenched in this world, one that can’t be snatched away at a moments notice, more or less putting the heaven and hell device to rest.  What emerged from that train was a new and improved Rafe and Alison, clearly a more mature couple, one that can face the trials and tribulations of real life, well real life as PORT CHARLES defines it anyway, a relationship that can be developed, explored, exploited to its full potential. 

Erin Hershey Presley seems to be coming into her own here as an actress, growing into her role more fully each day.  The sweet, sappy Alison will always be there but the focus is now more fully on her strengths, on her force of will to stand up not only for the man she loves but also for her own life, her own needs and desires.  It’s not all fun and games anymore, skipping through life with the innocence of a child/woman, she’s left the innocence behind her finally.  Erin Hershey Presley is going to need to draw on every bit of strength she can find in her somewhat, shall we say, thinner abilities, to stand up beside the powerful talents of Brian Gaskill as his Rafe’s humanity unfolds through this arc.  Chemisty while definitely the glue, isn’t going to do the trick alone anymore I’m afraid.  The angel will always be a part of who Rafe  is, guiding his instincts and choices but the sheer force of Rafe’s humanity is clear already, his human character as brought out by Brian Gaskill, will overwhelm and leave all those in the dust if they can’t keep up.  

Furthermore, the triangle does not appear to be quite over, even though Rafe , Livvie and Alison’s confrontation, while not the emotional explosion I expected, at least not yet, left it perfectly clear that Livvie’s lies, manipulations and deceptions were all for naught really, did not produce the desired result in any way.  Rafe’s  journey came full circle regardless,  his destiny clear from the moment those undeniable sparks flew and nothing Livvie did could alter his course. Rafe’s proposal of marriage proved that.  Obviously Livvie’s  vengeful nature won’t let her relinquish her hold on her marriage just yet, that would be far too easy and probably unsatisfying for the viewers. No her trouble making ways will hang on through this arc as well,  Rafe and Alison can’t have a smooth road from here on in, heaven forbid, that doesn’t make for good drama now does it. 

While the focus this opening week certainly had to be and was on Rafe’s return and reunion with his one true love, two other very interesting stories are unfolding, and at least for the moment seem to be character driven, lucky for us.  Oh the complicated plot is coming, have no fear, but for now we can just take a little time and revel in the joy of watching characters without having to decipher complex, convoluted, perplexing tangled plot twists. 

Jack awakening after falling down a hidden hole and injuring his leg to find himself  held captive, not only by the hole itself, by a mysterious, tattered obviously delusional  young woman holding tight to that  rag doll that so intrigued him is rather interesting.  Brian Presley hasn’t really had much to do since his vampire days so this could bode well for his character being part of a front burner storyline.  We had such strong hints each day who the tattered girl might be, with her revelation as a Livvie doppelganger on Friday surprising no one. Kudos to TPTB for continuing to find creative ways to put Kelly Monaco’s considerable talents to good use.  She can handle whatever they throw at her, she’s been proving that since Tainted Love.  This actress deserves every accolade. Not too many fans of Livvie out there, but many, many fans of Kelly Monaco all in agreement that she gave a tour de force performance.  We’re all just tired of Livvie.  By creating this doppleganger, if that’s what this new character is, or Livvie’s alter ego, or long lost twin sister, could we be looking at the path to her redemption and her way back to Jack.  Is this the psychotic part of Livvie’s persona that will force her to recognize, confront and examine the true nature of her being, finally admitting to all her sins.  Maybe.  Could we be looking at a way to get rid of the character of Livvie entirely, perhaps watching her descent into complete madness, leaving Kelly Monaco in place to explore and develop something new.  Maybe.  Whatever this turns out to be the possibilities are mighty intriguing indeed and most importantly in my book, gets Jack away from the  silly Jamal/Marissa/Ricky triangle and a story line that is sinking fast. 

Lucy and Ian.  How will they fight their undeniable chemistry, the attraction that is so clearly out there for the world to see.  Should they even try, why waste it.  Yes they’ve been down the comfort sex road once before, and under basically the same circumstances, but they’re both different people now.  Lucy’s learned just how tough it is to reconcile the fantasy family life she’s created in her head with family life as it really is, full of compromises and mistrust along with the bliss.  Her impulsive nature doesn’t serve her well with her rigid Doc, he fails to appreciate, time and time again, her playfulness, her uniqueness, her joy in her world.  Ian understands her perhaps better than anyone else because basically he sees a kindred spirit.  He too allows his impulsive nature to take him places he shouldn’t go, he jumps into situations without thinking, all with the best of intentions however, just like Lucy.  Lynn Herring and Thorsten Kaye just come alive together, I love this pairing and have never made any bones about my dislike of Kevin. He squashes her sheer exuberance every chance he gets.  Lucy has more chemistry with Rafe in one second onscreen than she every had with Kevin.  But alas, I suspect the budding Kevin/Lucy/Ian triangle may be merely a plot twist designed to accommodate Jon Lindstrom who appears to be pursuing interests  elsewhere and hence the shortened screen time.  Who cares though, no offense to all you Lucy/Kevin fans, because the real beneficiaries will be those open minded viewers who get to see two such talented pros in  Lynn Herring and Thorsten Kaye, who obviously have an understanding and connection to each other both as actors and in character. 

NAKED EYES certainly hit the ground running.   There was more than enough action packed into this first week to leave one breathless.  Where’s the fire I’m wondering.  The writers seem to be stumbling a little over those lessons they surely learned on their summer vacation.  Yes give the viewers what they want, but surely there can be some middle ground here between the Alison/Rafe/Livvie triangle that took forever to play out and two seconds to resolve, and the instant Ian/Lucy/Kevin triangle that’s been set up at breakneck speed.   

What’s that you’re whisperings?  Stop complaining you say, we all got what we wanted this week.  Absolutely true.  If this week is any indication, the next 12 are going to be a great ride.  The romantic train ride may be over but if you can believe the fabulous promo that’s been airing for NAKED EYES, this arc looks like it could take us places we’ve never been.  To quote Rafe,  hold on.