I said it last week and I’m afraid I’ll have to say it again this week, whether you’re a fan of Michael Easton and the whole vampire scenario or not, his unveiling at that rock concert as a Caleb look alike has the residents of Port Charles in a tail spin and it’s been one hell of a fun week to watch, everyone running around in circles initially trying to believe or rather should I say disbelieve, what was right before their NAKED EYES.

For those core characters, Rafe, Lucy, Ian, Livvie, and Jack whose experience with Caleb left them shall we say drained to their very core, the realization that they have never fully dealt with the fall out from his last jaunt to Port Charles is certainly driving the characters’ motivations at the moment. I have to say all this uncertainty and confusion that’s been created is a tasty refresher to a past story that seemed to be resolved but apparently still has a lot of life left to it, pardon the pun.  How does the saying go, revenge is a dish better served cold.  But whose revenge.  The obvious answer would be Caleb’s, if in fact that is who Stephen Clay turns out to be, but in truth his return gives everyone a shot at something. 

Redemption for Livvie?  Satisfaction and closure for Rafe and the opportunity to prove the slayer vanquishes the vampire for all eternity?  Fulfillment of some sort of destiny for Lucy, she was supposed to aid her angel/slayer cousin in killing the vampire last go round but didn’t, can she this time?  Revenge for Jack who barely made it back from the brink of immortality and who lost his one true love in the depraved game Caleb tormented him with?  Ian whose child was spirited away once before by Caleb, will some sort of payback be on the table for him now?

What makes this whole scenario so deliciously appealing is that it is proving to be the pivot that every other story on the PC table right now is revolving around. Every character has something invested in whether this is truly Caleb or not.  Their attempts to figure out the enigma, especially Rafe whose slayer side has been awakened again, coupled with their naked fear that this really is Caleb back to exact his revenge is being wonderfully played out.   I thought reuniting the past with the present was a transparent attempt at reliving a by gone success.  But much to my amazement it is so much more than that, the writers have managed to make this story relevant to today’s action and to where the characters are now. They’ve managed to incorporate the supernatural, unique elements that this show is so good at with ongoing plots and relationships. Once again Port Charles is exciting, fast paced, campy fun and once again shows us why the arc format works so well for it.

Stephen Clay and Rafe playing cat and mouse games all week while viewers try to figure out who is the cat and who is the mouse was just too much fun.  The jousting back and forth between these two, veiled barbs and threats being thrown at each other across that dinner table just added to the confusion and mystery of who Stephen Clay really is.  Michael Easton and Brian Gaskill have lost none of the chemistry that made the slayer and the vampire so compelling in the past and continues to thrill again.

PORT CHARLES certainly didn’t alienate any fans this week.  Along with our heady dose of supernatural good fun PC threw in what every soap fan, new and old craves, romance, though of course with its own special unconventional twist.  The combination is irresistible for soap lovers everywhere, mystery and romance. Danger and romance.  With Stephen Clay setting the whole town off balance it’s only natural that our characters would turn to each other for reassurance, love and security. In the face of such upheaval and uncertainty Rafe and Alison, Jack/Tess/Livvie (a more bizarre triangle I don’t think there ever was) and Lucy and Ian all found themselves drawn even tighter to each other.

Tess and Jack profess their love to each other.  Ok.  Who is poor, delusional Jack really in love with here?  Tess, the perfect ideal of the Livvie he once knew or, horrors of horrors the real Livvie in all her manipulative, needy glory.  Yet try as he may he can’t ignore the fact that they are connected in way neither of them can let go of, each one understands the others fear right now, understands the ramifications and possibilities if Caleb does indeed try to exact his revenge. Livvie’s terrified attempt at fleeing PC was classic Livvie, self-preservation at its finest and Kelly Monaco pulled it off with a campiness perfectly in tune to the atmosphere of the show right now. Conventional romance, heck no, but romance just the same.

Lucy and Ian, here we are again. Tiptoeing around each other, hiding behind silly jealousy doing everything they can to not give voice to the obvious attraction for each other, the obvious neediness they have for each other.  While Ian’s heartfelt confession of love didn’t exactly have the desired effect on vampire slayer number two the tenderness and hope with which it was delivered, the desperation in Ian’s soul for healing was lovely to watch.  Will Lucy be able to bear this confession, the weight of it hanging in the air between them, forcing her to face her commitment to a marriage that for all intents and purposes has been destroyed.   I hope we get a run for our money here.  I’m certainly not advocating infidelity, but this is a soap after all, the romantic tension between these two, the chase whether it leads to fruition or not, would be a marvelous story to watch, no offense to those Kevin/Lucy fans still out there.  Thorsten Kaye, when given the material, shines and gives me hope that the “older” characters will figure into PORT CHARLES’ ongoing story lines and situations. Romance can bloom for them too and be just as exciting and hot as the younger set.  He’s too good to backburner.

Rafe and Alison, is there any doubt, the magic still there.  Fans were beginning to wonder where it went however and if that engagement ring would ever make its presence known.  Between Alison’s angst over her mother and Rafe’s angst over the return of an evil that he just couldn’t put his finger on, the connection between these two seemed rather dim of late.  But the fans weren’t disappointed this week as Rafe and Alison drew even closer to each other.  The fear and uncertainly in their lives prompting Rafe to finally present the engagement ring and remind us again why there is no more special couple in all of daytime than this one.  Brian Gaskill switching gears quick as you please back and forth from the slayer with every instinct for evil aroused to the sweet, playful, romantic, “angelic” character fans fell in love with in the first place was as satisfying to watch as ever.  The payoff was huge and bright and familiar and left us wanting more.  Was there anything more romantic than the slayer professing his undying love as he headed out that door, determined to do what he needed to do.  Of course our astute, sensitive little antennas were raised on high alert at all that “nothing will ever keep is apart” stuff, soap speak for trouble in paradise surely heading your way.  But for now we’ll stay in the moment, go with the ongoing love story, watching it mature and grow.

NAKED EYES certainly moved along at a brisk pace this week, finally, balancing the supernatural elements that it does so well with its romantic pairings that it also does so well. What more could we ask for?  Mystery and Love….Danger and Love…..works for me.