Adult Swim has been the birthplace of some of the most strange yet beautiful pieces of media to grace the digital universe. It was created as a diverging branch of Cartoon Network to come on at nightly hours, showing cartoons specifically for adults. Many incredible pieces of media have come out of Adult Swim including Rick and Morty, Boondocks. One piece we’ve already talked about, “Opal”, is an amazing short film by Jack Stauber on child abuse that was also aired on Adult Swim. However, one of my favorite pieces to air on Adult Swim is Moral Orel.
Moral Orel, a show written by Dino Stamatopoulos, first premiered on December 13, 2005. It continued with 43 episodes and 3 seasons until December 18, 2008 when it was cancelled from Adult Swim. The show brought conversation to numerous difficult themes, especially surrounding American Christianity, and the difficulty of these themes was what eventually led to its cancellation. Well, without further ado, let’s get into Moral Orel.
The Premise of Moral Orel
Moral Orel follows a young boy named Orel Puppington who grew up in the fictional town, Moralton, which is in the fictional Bible-belt state, Statesota. The community still debates whether the show is set in the 1950s and 60s or the 2000s due to specific details within the show. However, it remains that the general aesthetic and values are meant to resemble that of the 1950s-60s, whether or not that is its actual time period. Orel lives in a picture-perfect American Christian nuclear family with his mom Bloberta, his dad Clay, and his younger brother Shapey. He’s quite a jolly and naive young boy with a great devotion to the religion he grew up with and a great aversion for anything Catholic.
Season 1
The show begins as a light-hearted satirical comedy. The first season follows a simple and episodic formula: Orel gains advice (often Christian-orientated) from Reverend Putty or any grown-up around him, misinterprets the advice, makes a mess in an attempt to follow that advice, and gets a whooping from his dad in his study room. Each episode culminates with a Lost Commandment or Church Marquee Gag that is the final “moral” of each story, often not being too moral itself.
Let’s take the first episode as an example. The episode begins with Orel in a sermon held by Reverend Putty. Here, Reverend Putty says that life is a gift given by God and not one to be wasted. Orel takes this message to heart and a step further. When he sees the graveyard, he sees the dead people as not utilizing the gift of life from God because they are, you know, dead. Orel sees this as a sin and decides it’s up to him to help them. Using the help of a Satanic spell book in the library, he raises the corpses from the dead, bringing them to “life” as zombies. The undead people then begin ravaging the entirety of Moralton.
Clay comes to know that Orel was behind this and takes him to the study room for his beating. Afterwards, he tells Orel why he was wrong. Spoiler alert, it’s not because he ruined the town, the graveyard, or even just used Satanic spells. It’s because he had to undress the bodies to perform the spell and nudity is sinful. Hence, the 11th Lost Commandment: Thou shalt be ashamed of thy natural anatomy.
In the final episode of the season, things start to take a turn. Orel’s parents get into a huge argument and separate from each other, breaking up what Orel had thought was the perfect family. However, Orel keeps his faith in God, and even in such a low time, he looks up with a smile on his face, hoping things will be alright in the end.
Season 2
And it does. In season 2, the family is together again as if nothing ever happened. However, the show starts to take a darker turn. The first episode has Orel realizing the skin color difference between himself and the Figurellis (the only Italian family in the neighborhood) and then, a sort of segregation plays out. The 6th episode sees Orel’s classmate Tommy, who frequently disagrees with the incorrect and hyper-religious narrative taught in school, being placed in “special” classes because of it.
Both these episodes, along with the majority of the season, discuss larger issues (segregation like that in the US in the first episode and the suppression of intellectualism in strict religious institutions in the sixth) by using Moralton as a set of sorts. However, that is not the sole purpose of these episodes. More importantly, these episodes break the “perfect” facade of Moralton. Orel, and the audience, starts seeing consequences deeper, even if the world resets back in an episodic manner. The issues are no longer just absurd and laughable (while often still absurd); instead they resemble real issues that we face and a hit a little closer, which is what the last episode of season one was leading to.
“Nature”
The season culminates in the climax of the narrative—“Nature.” This story is split into two episodes, part 1 and part 2. Here, Orel’s father Clay takes Orel on a hunting trip, a trip meant to be for father and son bonding and helping Orel man-up. Clay, being the drunkard he is, drank throughout the entire trip and hunting with Orel. When Clay asks Orel to shoot an animal, Orel could never do it. Clay becomes increasingly annoyed with Orel due to this. At the end of the night, and with his excessive drinking, he erupts at Orel. In a fit of rage, he accidently shoots Orel.
However, even after shooting Orel, Clay doesn’t show remorse. He instead is quite uncaring to Orel’s condition, faking some sympathy while also painting Orel as the fault for what had happened. Clay then sleeps through to the next day, leaving Orel with an untended bullet wound. A bear approaches them during this time, and for the first time, Orel shoots it like his father always wanted him to. However, once Clay wakes up, he takes credit for the bear and drags Orel back home as if nothing happened.
This is the episode that completely diverts the show from its original stance as a light-hearted comedy. Just the same, Orel’s rose-colored glasses are fully broken as he’s forced to come face-to-face with the ugliness of his reality. The ugliness of his father.
Season 3
This season forgets the original episodic format of the show, instead opting for a more serial method. That is to say, the world doesn’t “restart” after each episode; rather, each episode’s consequences are shown somewhere down the storyline, paralleling Orel’s own awakening to his true reality. Every episode centers around the hunting trip, the events of episodes being either before the trip or after it. However, since the episodes are quite mismatched, the order of upload is not the chronological order. This is the chronological order of episodes according to plot: Innocence (episode 3), Grounded (episode 2), Passing (episode 8), Closeface (episode 9), Trigger (episode 5), Alone (episode 4), Dumb (episode 6), Numb (episode 1), Help (episode 7), Sundays (episode 10), Sacrifice (episode 11), Nesting (episode 12), Honor (episode 13).
Another thing this season does is focus on the plight of all others in Moralton as well. The first episode, for example, focuses on Orel’s mother, Bloberta and her struggles with a lack of a fulfilling relationship with Clay. The ninth focuses on Clay’s not-so-great childhood. The fifth centers on Orel’s friend, Doughy, and his relationship with his neglectful parents alongside his need for attention (due to the neglect). The fourth presents the stories of Nurse Bendy and Miss Sculptham sexual abuse and Miss Censordoll’s sexual mutilation.
This season doesn’t even try to be light anymore. It fully embraces the darkness and realness of the narrative, fully shattering the cute facade it previously put up. Even when shortened, the season still is a beautiful ending to a beautiful show.
The Cancellation
As I’ve been mentioning, Moral Orel was not able to complete its full and proper run. This was due to being cancelled by Adult Swim. Why? It’s such an amazing and well-curated show after all. And, you know, I was asking the same question. To me, there was no reason to cancel the show when it perfectly balanced humor and seriousness to create a story that really mattered. Well, Adult Swim didn’t think so.
In an interview, creator Dino Stamatopoulos discusses the reason for Moral Orel’s cancellation. You see, Adult Swim wanted Moral Orel to just be a comedy. They wanted it to be something to laugh at when it was on with some “dark humor” so to speak, nothing more. However, as Stamatopoulos continued to write, he got deeper and deeper into the characters. He realized there was so much to Moralton then just dark humor. And so, the story soon became just dark without the humor.
Adult Swim, however, didn’t really like this. They wanted Moral Orel to be a comedy, after all. When things start getting deep and serious, it can no longer be funny in the same way it was before. On top of that, season 3 saw an Orel that wasn’t the innocent and naive child he was before. Instead, Orel was more strong-willed, matured, and resentful towards his father, a side he never had before. Adult Swim didn’t like that either.
“Alone”
The straw that broke the camel’s back was season 3 episode 4, “Alone.” It was the episode in which the show explored the aftermath of sexual assault and mutilation through three women in Moralton. When the script was handed to Adult Swim, it was also followed by a scrapped episode called “Raped” (who can read the scrapped episode script here). That was when Adult Swim decided to cut the project short. There was no way to bring the story back to a humorous tone after talking about experiences as horrific as those. Moral Orel had fully become was Adult Swim didn’t want it to be—an actual piece of art.
An Analysis of Moral Orel
With a show as well done and thoughtful as Moral Orel, there is a lot of analysis to be done. The show slowly reveals its complexity, and yet, it held that same complexity from the very start. It masterfully maintains the balance between satire and realistic fiction, a feat that is more than admirable. But without further ado, let’s get into the analysis.
The Seasons
The first thing is to address the general arrangement and purpose of every season at large. As you might have noticed me hinting in the previous section, each of these sections slowly shatter the facade originally put up for the entirety of the show. In Season 1, it seems to be a silly little satire on American Christianity. It’s supposed to make you laugh when the issue with Orel buying crack from a homeless guy isn’t the drug—no it’s because drugs are “the gateway to slang.” It’s meant to make you say “haha, that’s really how ridiculous American Christian values are.”
However, with the progression of the seasons, things are no longer light-hearted and funny, especially after the final episode of season one. Season 2 is somewhat light-hearted but the themes start getting darker. I mentioned a few before, but one that really shows the darkness seeping into season 2 is episode 12, “Repression.” In this episode, Principal Fakey constantly denies his affair with Nurse Bendy to avoid guilt, repressing those feelings of guilt. Orel ends up learning to repress his own negative emotions, especially, in relation to his family. In ignoring the problems he faces, Orel becomes “happy.” This episode is clearly not funny or light-hearted, instead highlighting a common coping mechanism used by children in abusive and unstable homes.
The Turning Point
The climax, which are the episodes of “Nature”, is the breaking point of tension developed throughout this season. Orel can no longer excuse his father’s abuse as he sees Clay’s true “nature.” Clay himself reveals to Orel his full weakness and brutality after his excessive drinking with the bone-chilling monologue he recites to Orel. And when Orel, for the first time, talks back to his father, he is literally shot in the leg.
Season 3, as mentioned before, completely shatters the rose-colored lens that Orel wears, as well as the one that the audience views the show through. Nothing tries to be light-hearted anymore, not even in the slight way that season 2 did. The facade is totally shattered and we finally see the truth of Moralton. The place is, in fact, quite immoral and riddled with flaws. Every citizen struggles with their own issues within the town, ones we never see on the outside.
Just the same way, Orel himself has forgotten his previously innocent character. He is no longer naive and trusting of his father. He resents Clay and doesn’t try to make excuses for his abuse. Even when we see Orel’s previous innocence in the certain episodes that occur before the hunting trip, it feels more saddening as we are viewing it through the learned reality of Moralton.
The Role of Consequences
None of Orel’s actions have consequences other than his beating from Clay, another thing that is played off as a joke. Moralton just resets after every episode, nothing from the previous having an effect on the current. That way, the first season maintains its cartoonish perception as, unlike real life, nothing actually has consequences.
However, this slowly starts to shift as the show progresses. The end of season 1 ends with an episode that leaves everyone uncertain of the future. You can trust in every other episode that the world will forget the previous events and everything will be fine. But when the final episode ends, Orel’s parents are split and all Orel has left is his faith in God that He will make it all right.
Season 2
Season 2 begins with Orel’s parents back together again, almost as if nothing happened. However, it is clear that the events of the final episode of season 1 had its consequences. Clay and Bloberta show clear resentment for each other, and even when they act happy with each other, it is in an obviously exaggerated and performative manner. The season does continue in its previous episodic way, but it forgets the “formula” used in season 1 and starts leaning into more serious issues.
The finale of season 2 is what fully shatters the lack of consequences that was evident in the previous episodes. Orel can no longer excuse his father, or forget his abusive behaviors. He’s forced to come to the realization that his father is a bad person. This climax sets the scene for season 3 where the role of consequences completely changes.
Season 3
Season 3 adopts a serial manner of progressing the narrative. This is to say, the events of one episode and previous episodes have an effect on the story in the current episodes. This is why we can tell that the cartoon-like facade has been shattered. The hunting trip had an irreversible effect on Orel and he can no longer be the innocent child he once was. His world cannot reset, he cannot forget the actions of his father, and he cannot trust Clay anymore. That single event, which the season is centered on, is the one that finally has consequences and finally brings us to reality.
The “Moral” of Moral Orel
What Moral Orel is, essentially, is a critique on American Christianity. It is set in the 1960s-70s “nuclear family” aesthetic to show how culture hides its flaws with a pretty disguise. That is exactly what the nuclear family was—a “perfect” model for people to follow that ignores the deep-rooted cultural issues that come along with it.
Religious Dogmatism
It criticizes the dogmatic nature of Christianity in many of these households. Like in the episode about Tommy, we see that the religion must remain unquestioned. If you do hold a differing opinion, you are socially isolated as Tommy was. This dogmatism goes as far as to have discriminations within denominations of Christianity itself. It’s a running joke throughout the show that Moralton hates Catholics despite them being Christian as well.
In episode 8 of season 2, Orel’s family meets Christina’s family who just moved next door. They are both devout Christians and initially love each other. However, when reciting prayers at the dinner table, the differences make them realize they come from different denominations. The two families insult each other just over that and forbid their children from engaging with each other. This just further highlights the dogmatic nature of American Christianity, one which Moral Orel critiques.
Hypocrisy and Uncaring
The show also highlights the hypocrisy and lack of care these heavily religious communities have. They are heavily restrictive about sex as it is a taboo topic, with Stephanie’s shop being the only sex shop in town. Despite placing these restrictions as well-practiced Christians, too many of them seem sex-crazed. When sex workers came to town, they were never out of work and Reverend Putty makes it obvious he is desperate to sleep with someone every other episode.
They also don’t adhere to their values out of care. When Orel was buying crack, no one cared that the child was becoming addicted to drugs; they only cared that they didn’t want him to learn “slang.” Clay didn’t care about the fact that he regularly beat his kid or that he shot him in the leg; he only cared if someone noticed it as a fault of his. On that same note, Bloberta and Clay hate each other but stay together to appear as a proper Christian family, not because they actually are one.
Broken
But most importantly, Moral Orel is meant to show the imperfect nature of these communities, families, and people, even if they put on a “perfect” face. Orel’s family presents themselves as a picture-perfect one. Even Orel buys into the lie for quite a while, looking up to Clay with such admiration. Once Orel saw Clay’s true colors, his innocence was shattered and the perfect family image was broken for him, permanently.
However, Clay was a broken man too. His mother, who irresponsibly spoiled Clay, died of a heart attack due to her own bad parenting of Clay. Clay’s father resented him for having “killed” his mother, repeatedly telling him that Clay was not even worth his attention. From then on, Clay craved his father’s attention, even if it was a beating. Later on in his life, he was coerced by Bloberta into marriage, leaving him bound to a family he never even wanted. He abused Orel because he was abused before. In the same way, Bloberta remained emotionally neglectful to her family because her parents and siblings always neglected her. She was always excluded, whether with families or friends, and the constant isolation was what led her to forcing Clay into a marriage with her. She didn’t even want it—she just had nothing else to show for herself.
Of course, Clay and Bloberta aren’t only examples. Moral Orel shows numerous examples of this “brokenness” caused by toxic households communities, specifically American Christian ones. It’s meant to represent the experience of being in a space that pretends to be good when it isn’t and doesn’t allow any other perception. It’s the understanding of this cycle of abuse that forms from an unstable community. It shows that a broken culture creates broken people, all up until it is fixed.
It Can Be Fixed
Moral Orel doesn’t remain as a dark satire. It doesn’t show you all the brokenness without a light at the end of the tunnel. Even after all that Orel went through, he still ends up living a great life. He starts a family with Christina, the young girl from that other family in season 2 episode 8. We see Orel like this in the end, with his wife and kids celebrating Christmas happily. And unlike what you might think, Orel is still Christian. He still has a relationship with God and still follows the Christian traditions that he holds dear. Orel broke the cycle of abuse that he faced in his American Christian household, but he didn’t let go of the beliefs he claims as his own.
You can come away from Moral Orel thinking it is an attack on religion, but the truth is that it is not. Moral Orel doesn’t aim to antagonize religion and those who practice it. It does not want to you come away hating Christianity. It wants to show the complexities and toxicities within Christian fundamentalism, especially in the US, and how it creates cycles of abuse. It wants to expose the reality that many American Christian are unwilling to recognize. And most of all, it wants to show that accepting those realities is rejecting something important to you. Leaving an abusive past doesn’t mean leaving behind beliefs you’ve adopted as your own; it means shifting the culture you create around it to a culture that wasn’t there before.
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