| Orel Puppington | |
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 "God be praised!" | |
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Gender |
Male |
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Hair |
Brown
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Orel Puppington is the main protagonist and titular character of the series. He is Clay and Bloberta Puppington's son, as weIl as Shapey's older maternal half brother.
Personality[]
Orel is patient, curious and unconditionally nice, all rare traits in Moralton. He tends to wear his big heart proudly on his sleeve, like when he exclaims "Golly!" or "Hot dog!" when excited. Orel's ultimate goals are to follow God's will and do the right thing, although these may clash at times or lead to catastrophic results. Nevertheless, his good nature rubs off on characters like Reverend Putty and Stephanie.
For most of the show, his defining fault is naivete. Many episodes are fueled by him being manipulated or misled by his elders, most apparent when he tries to apply Reverend Putty's sermons to comical extremes (such as raising the dead because they're "wasting" God's gift of life). While he eventually learns why everyone is miserable in his town and to not take everything at face value, he still tries to be the best person he can.
It takes a lot for someone to get on Orel's bad side; Clay only manages to after two seasons' worth of abuse, culminating in him shooting Orel in the leg.
Orel has his fair share of hobbies. One of his favorites is stop motion animation: at the end of most episodes, Orel makes a short film that reflects what he learned starring Biblical heroes. He was also one of Coach Stopframe's best runners, a star prayer for his elementary school, accomplished in multiple other sports, and a Pious Scout. In addition to these skills, Orel possesses several unusual ones as the plot demands, such as necromancy, hand-to-hand combat proficiency, package delivery and running businesses.
History[]
When he was a toddler, Orel had blind trust in everyone and everything. While his grandfather tried to raise him as a rational young lad for a bit, Ms. Censordoll tried to "scare Orel sacred" into blindly following God. Both of these approaches worked to some extent: Orel grew into a devout Christian, but he would try to apply rational thinking to what he learned at church. As the show progressed, Orel's beliefs expanded past the town's rigid doctrine; in "Praying," he practices Buddhist meditation, and in "Holy Visage," he goes against what he thinks is God's will for the sake of healing Dr. Chosenberg.
Orel's actions had a ripple effect on many characters. Reverend Putty, for example, was selfish and desperate for love until Orel taught him how to be grateful for what he had. When Orel bonded with Coach Stopframe in "Honor," the man realized that he was better off without Clay.
At first, Orel either couldn't fully comprehend why the adults of Moralton would do horrible things to him (such as putting down his dog, or taking Christina away from him for minute differences in faith) or believed any justification Clay left him. After a disastrous hunting trip, wherein he severely damaged his leg and limped for the rest of his life because of Clay, he started to understand why his father and the rest of town acts like they do.
It's implied in the series finale that Orel lives as a happy and mature parent, married to Christina, without ditching his religion. He also stays in Moralton in order to make it a better place.
During his childhood, Orel sang a hit song from Crooning Jesus and made a short film.
Orel as an adult
Relationships[]
Clay Puppington
Orel used to consider his father as a wise and noble man. In reality, Clay ignored Orel until he caused trouble, where he would spank and lecture the kid to correct his behavior. These spiels were often contradictory or cynical, such as when he tells Orel that all love eventually fades. Even though Orel still respected Clay before the hunting trip, he was well-aware of his rampant drinking and the beatings endured in his study.
Orel's respect for his old man shattered in "Nature," as he realized that Clay was a miserable and selfish bully. The two wouldn't talk to each other much for six months afterward. Still, Orel felt guilty that he couldn't honor Clay during Christmas. After a fun-filled Christmas with Coach Stopframe, he taught Orel that Clay made who he is, and that was worth honoring in a way. A picture of him on Orel's wall at the end of the series implies that he acknowledges Clay in some capacity.
Bloberta Puppington
Bloberta and Orel have little in common. Most of Blobs' interactions with him stem from her desire to look like a good mother rather than any interest in her son. Outside of that, she's indifferent to whatever Orel does or what others do to him. While Orel respects her, he knows that she's unhappy with her family, including him.
After Bloberta learned what happened on the hunting trip, she gave Orel a bit more attention. The most genuine concern she showed about Orel was in "Honor," where she thought Orel should be in the family choir. It's implied that Orel still remembers her in the episode's flash-forward.
Shapey Puppington
Although Shapey can get on his nerves, Orel still loves him and wants him to be safe (a hard task when his parents give Shapey an abundance of power tools). When they were very young, Orel almost sacrificed Shapey at an altar, thinking that God would intervene. In "The Best Christmas Ever," he thought Shapey was the second coming of Christ and treated him as such. Orel eventually gave his figurines and stop motion camera to Shapey and Block for Christmas in "Honor," and it's implied that he still cares about him years later.
Arthur Puppington
Arthur is Orel's paternal grandfather and one of Orel's few good influences. He taught Orel about rational thinking when the kid was suddenly dropped off at his house, both to counteract Moralton's aggro brainwashing and atone for how he raised Clay. After Orel told everyone about nature and questioned the existence of God, he was forbidden from seeing his grandpa.
If the show continued, Arthur would have stayed at the Puppington residence to ride out a terminal illness. He would give advice to Orel until his death, which would deeply upset the kid.
When the Posabules moved away in "The Lord's Prayer", they accidentally left Block with the Puppingtons. Orel treated Block as he would Shapey, and is the only person who can tell them apart other than his father (who simply doesn't care). "Honor" implies that he still cared about the guy.
Christina Posabule
Christina is Orel's childhood crush and eventual wife. They were initially forbidden from seeing each other because they said their prayers differently, but this didn't stop them from going to the Arm's Length Dance during the events of "Closeface." In "Honor," they would have 2 children and a pet dog.
Coach Stopframe
Coach Stopframe considered Orel one of his best runners. Sometimes, he used Orel as a way to check up on Clay, or in "Satan," as a sacrificial lamb to win Clay's heart. Orel didn't understand why he did these things until "Honor," where the two bond during Christmas while dealing with their feelings about Clay.
Doughy is Orel's best friend, usually accompanying Orel in his misadventures no matter how scared he gets. Although Doughy's usually content and carefree, Orel is the only person who notices Doughy's rocky relationship with his parents. Doughy's need for good parents can sometimes end up hurting his buddy, as he manipulates him in "Trigger."
Reverend Putty
He delivers sermons at Orel's church. Orel respects him dearly, paying close attention to his sermons and always willing to meet him after hours. Despite Putty getting annoyed by him at times, Orel helps him see the bright side of things and do his best for the congregation.
Stephanie Foamwire-Putty
Stephanie is one of few characters that tries to guide Orel in the right direction. In most of her episodes, she's seen giving advice to Orel and letting him clean up her shop. Orel looks up to her because she's unconditionally nice to him, viewing her as a maternal figure
Joe Secondopinionson
Despite Joe picking on or hitting him, Orel considers Joe a friend and pities him. He spent time with Joe during "Maturity" committing crimes in a misguided sense of loyalty.
Appearances[]
Season One[]
- All episodes
Season Two[]
- All episodes
Season Three[]
- All episodes, to varying degrees
- In "Alone," Orel's voice is heard and he appears on a newspaper trimming.
Other[]
- "Beforel Orel: Trust"
- He appears in four promos for "Beforel Orel: Trust."
- Orel makes a surprise appearance during a Mary Shelley's Frankenhole marathon to announce the special.
- He pretends that he's a washed-up actor, riding out the rest of his life after losing his job.
- Young Orel asks what two goats are doing to each other.
- The "lost episode" promo reuses several shots of him.
- He talks before and after the "Rev. Putty Sermons" shorts and raises his hand in "Necrophilia."
- "Abstinence:" He talks to Doughy throughout the episode.
- "Raped:" Orel delivers Ms. Sculptham's ring at her wedding.
- "Narcissism:" Orel and Stephanie help Rev. Putty talk to Florence.
Trivia[]
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This section contains speculation. Please keep this in mind as you read it. |
- Orel must be 13 at the end of the series, as he celebrates his 12th birthday in "Maturity," followed by the two Christmas episodes (implying a full year has passed during this stretch).
- Orel's name means "light of God" in Hebrew.
- According to Dino Stamatopoulos, Orel wears blue throughout the series to symbolize his innocence. A blue crane follows him in "Nature" to similar effect.
- Some episode synopses on Adult Swim and Amazon erroneously referred to him as "Moral."
- In Season 3, Orel's voice gets a bit deeper. This is due to him maturing after Nature Part 2.
Gallery[]
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