From 2005-2008, Adult Swim aired the stop-motion black comedy: Moral Orel, created by Emmy-winning writer, Dino Stamatopoulos. It's not one of those shows that you hear too much about any more, which is a real shame because across its three season run, Moral Orel managed to be one of the smartest, most heartfelt, exquisite shows on television, and still remains one of the strongest in Adult Swim's catalogue. It has been nearly sixteen years since the finale of Moral Orel, so let's look back at this near-forgotten masterpiece.
In my nineteen years, I have seen my fair share of adult animation. I have vivid memories of sitting on the couch with my brother at 13 years old, binging seasons 1-2 of Rick and Morty. I can't think of how many times I have turned to South Park when the going got tough, and I still consider Bojack Horseman to be one of the greatest shows of all time. Upon starting the series, I didn't expect Moral Orel to be much different than the rest, but I was wrong.
Moral Orel centers around the 12 year old, Orel Puppington, who lives in the fictional town of Moralton, Statesota. Orel, the entire town of Moralton is strictly fundamentalist Protestant, which is where most of the show's comedy stems from, being a satire of White Anglo Saxon Protestants (WASPs), their extremist principles, and how a naive 12 year old would misinterpret them. It includes a stellar supporting cast of characters such as Orel's parents, Clay and Bloberta, his best friend, Doughey, Reverend Putty, and many others who all add to the sheer hilarity of the show. Over the course of the show's three seasons, we see Orel resurrect the dead, get addicted to crack, bathe in virgin blood, and impregnate the town's women with a pastry bag, all in the name of being a good Christian and gross misinterpretation of advice. As well as being a Christian satire, it also frequently dives into absurdist, dark comedy.
It's no secret that Moral Orel had a troubled run during its time on the air. The show was originally intended to have five seasons, rather than end after just three and be rebranded from Moral Orel to Moralton, focusing on different reoccurring characters rather than just Orel. For the first two seasons, the show was a run-of-the-mill black comedy, a bold satire of religious fundamentalism, but it slowly began to change into a psychological drama. And while this may have been the reason the show got cancelled, I truly believe it is Moral Orel's greatest strength.
Moral Orel is a cautionary tale, a show destroyed by what made it so special. The first two seasons were an average adult comedy, up until the last two episodes entitled: "Nature Part 1" and "Nature Part 2". In these two episodes we see Orel and his father Clay go on a hunting trip in the woods to bond. Up until this point in the show, Clay's alcoholism had been played for laughs, but for the first time, we see how it negatively affects his son. He is seen with a highball in his hand throughout the entire first episode, which contributes to his rage when he sees that Orel would rather play with the animals he comes across than shoot them with a rifle. Later that night, they get into a screaming match, leading to Clay accidentally shooting Orel in the leg before blacking out. Orel lies awake in pain throughout the night, eventually shooting a bear that attempts to raid their campsite. When his father wakes up, Orel tells Clay that he was actually the one who shot the bear, a clear indicator that Orel no longer cares whether his Dad is proud of him or not. When the two arrive home, Orel lays in bed with his leg in a cast and solemnly asks his mother why she ever married his father, to which she replies: "well, why not?"
These weren't just regular episodes, they single handedly changed the entire tone of the show from that moment forward, from then on, Moral Orel was never the same, it was better. The characters of Moralton no longer had their flaws and vices played for just laughs, the show was now sincerely playing with themes of trauma, infidelity, religious guilt, and abuse. In fact, for most of the episodes, Orel isn't even the main character, the audience gets the chance to explore other characters that were merely used for background or comic relief. We learn about the tragic backstory of Orel's parents, Clay and Bloberta and how his father was pretty much tricked into marriage after only one day because Bloberta was desperate to be a wife like every other woman in town. We learn about the school nurse, Nurse Bendy and her history of sexual trauma and watching her child be taken away, leading to her partaking in age regression where she acts out her fantasy of being a good mother using stuffed animals. We also learn more about Clay Puppington's affair with Coach Stopframe, something you were initially meant to laugh at, but by the last episode, your heart simply breaks for them. It's genuinely shocking how dark and sinister the show can get at times, especially considering its comical roots. It can be quite uncomfortable at times to see these once smiling, funny characters deal with their own personal struggles, but the 13 episodes of Season 3 add a much needed layer of humanity to the show that made me love it even more.
While Season 3 might have explored the lives and demons of Moralton's other citizens, the main star of the show will always be the titular character, Orel. Orel, as a character serves as a cautionary tale about indoctrination, specifically in the realm of Christianity. I was raised in a religion that the citizens of Moralton hilariously dubbed evil, Catholicism, and I remember feeling stifled and confused by my time in the church. Growing up the grandchild of a former Catholic priest, I would say my prayers every night before bed, acted shocked when people in my 2nd grade class told me they didn't believe in God, and had an extravagant first Communion party at age 7. But as I grew up I became the kind of kid who would only attend church on Sundays because my mom promised me a bag of jellybeans from CVS afterwards. When I was 11, I was sent to a Christian bible camp, and by the end of that summer I was a fully blossomed Atheist, an identity I still hold today. It is for these reasons, that I can't help but see a bit of myself in Orel. He grew up in a town where religion encapsulated every aspect of daily life, and every one of his actions was motivated by a strong faith in God, however misled it may have been. As the series progresses, we see Orel slowly begin to lose his faith despite his best efforts. It's a story that millions around the globe can relate to, regardless of whichever religion they may practice.
Losing touch with your lifelong faith is a painful, and at times frightening time in one's life. You begin to question everything you were ever taught, there's a real sense of betrayal, hopelessness, and isolation, all of which Moral Orel captures perfectly. The show not only showcases a struggle with faith but also conformity, and how much our environment can dictate how we turn out in life. It's a program that practically forces the audience to reflect on how they were raised, and how many of their past values are still held dear.
In recent years Moral Orel has become all too real in the United States. Things that were once played for laughs on a late night cartoon are now on full display in our streets, on the internet, and in our governing bodies. The border separating church and state is growing thinner and thinner with each passing day. Moral Orel is an incredible work of art that placed a mirror in front of the American viewers who watched it, but it is up to us now to keep it a work of fiction.
I, along with thousands of others still mourn the loss of Adult Swim's cancelled masterpiece, and due to licensing issues, it is very unlikely we will ever see its return to our screens. But for the three seasons it was on the air, Moral Orel taught us about extremism, compliance, and made us all take a closer look at our inner selves. I will forever be grateful for Dino Stamatopoulos' creation, and I cannot possibly recommend this show enough. Please, this November, help us keep Moral Orel a work of fiction.