User blog:AustinDR/PG Removal: Orel Puppington



Again, while he isn't on the list (and I need to recreate his page because it was a one-line article), this is done on the likelihood that some might contest that he be put on.

What is the work?
Moral Orel is a stop-motion animated show created by Dino Stamatopoulos which is a parody of 1950s series such as Leave It to Beaver. Taking place in Moralton, Statesota, Orel is a devout Christian whose family consists of Clay, Bloberta, and Shapey Puppington. The series goes like this for the first two seasons: Orel misinterprets or takes Reverend Putty's teachings too seriously and makes things worse when he tried to help others around town, then Clay would give him an even more wrong lesson, and they laugh, ending the episode. This was the show for the first two seasons. At least until the season 2 finale where an alcoholic Clay shoots Orel in his leg, causing him to have a limp for the rest of his life. This one act drastically changes the show from being a comedic parody of American nuclear families to a more dramatic one. Season 3 does away with the comedic tone, becoming one of the darkest pieces of western animation I have seen.

Why Doesn't Orel Qualify?
So, with all that being said, why is it that Orel doesn't count at least in my opinion? After all, the show points out that Orel has a pure heart that wants to help people but merely just misunderstands what he was being taught. After especially season 3 Orel ends the series being a better man and father than Clay could attest to and thereby doesn't fall victim to the town of Moralton's corruption. All is good thus far...except for the fact that what ultimately sealed the deal for me was his lack of understanding in the first two seasons.

Orel had committed several acts that were good-intentioned, but nevertheless harmed the town. From the pilot, he unwittingly releases zombies onto the town when he used the Necronomicon, his justification being that the deceased were sinning as they were "spitting in God's face." Another one had Orel take the "turn the other cheek" to literally and he goes around school beating the stuffing out of students. And yet another episode has him use a turkey baster to impregnate all the women in Moralton. Again, ultimately, what costs Orel his chances of qualifying is his lack of moral agency or comprehension that the decisions he made would harm people.

While Season 3 rectifies all of this to a degree (like magic not being used again after the pilot for instance), Orel does realize that his parents and those he looked up to were greatly flawed, but even then, Orel became more of a jaded figure that while he doesn't end up becoming like his father or the other citizens of the town, he was nevertheless broken.