And here I thought I left all that religion behind in high school...
Alright. I know I haven't posted in a month. I know I should probably talk about something more substantial than I'm going to. And I know that you know that I'm going to skip past all that and post music.
So let's cut to the chase, shall we?
Moral Orel is a claymation show that ran on Adult Swim for three seasons, and, I feel, was pretty damn under-appreciated. It follows the life of Orel Puppington (whose name is not even close to being the silliest on the show), a 12 year old boy who lives in Moralton, a very (self) righteous Christian town in the Midwest. The entire show could best be described as a cross between Davey and Goliath and South Park; it started out as a pretty harsh satire of fundamental Christianity*, and moved into even darker territory as the show progressed. Orel, like everyone else in town, is very religious, and tries to apply what he learns every Sunday morning to his life...unfortunately, since he takes everything literally, this usually ends up having disastrous consequences.
*DISCLAIMER: While the show is pretty anti-fundimentalism, it's not actually anti-religion; Orel, the main character, may screw up constantly due to his literal interpretations of everything, but he's the show's hero, and could probably be called the truest Christian character shown. As for me, I'm not Christian, but I certainly don't mean to offend anyone with this thing. It's just music, folks!
On the one hand, Moral Orel is a funny claymation show that satirizes fundamentalists by showing a town full of people who manipulate religion to serve their own selfish purposes and live without compassion or logic. On the other hand, it's also a show about how everyone, even those we might otherwise deem horrible and selfish, has their fears and their passions and their baggage.
But mostly, it's about Orel, and his learning those little life lessons that come along with growing up: that you have to think for yourself, that not everyone in the world will think or live as you do, that as much as you may want them to be, your parents aren't perfect, and that, no matter how hard it might be, you have to keep living, day to day, and try to do what's right.
No(t) Children - A Moral Orel FST
Fairy Tales Don't Have Happy Endings - Pushing Daisies OST
(instrumental)
Welcome to the home of the Puppingtons, the perfect godfearing suburbanite family...or at least, that's how Orel sees them. Clay's a hardworking dad who enjoys a glass of scotch when he comes home...and during dinner, and after dinner, and while he's locked away in his study, contemplating how he hates his life. His mom's a homemaker who loves a clean house (more than her own children); his brother's a spunky and rambunctious kid who's never been told "no"...ever.
My Beige Bear - Jonathan Coulton
When it's dark and it's cold
I reach out for my beige bear
Beige bear says that some monkeys might just be lonely
Beige bear says that no monkeys WANT to be bad
Orel's got this little problem: he wants so desperately to be good, to do right by God, but he's just so BAD at it. Every time he tries to do good, it just seems to go wrong.
Musicbox - Regina Spektor
Life inside the music box ain't easy.
The mallets hit the gears are always turning,
and everyone inside the mechanism is yearning to get out.
And whenever Orel does something wrong, his dad's right there to give him a good belting to straighten him out. Which was okay for a while...
Dad's Breakdown - Psapp
I once wrote the reasons for having the nervous breakdown I was proposing to indulge in in one column. The reasons for not having one were to go in the opposite column.
...until he slowly comes the the realization that his father may not be the wonderful man Orel thought he was. In fact, he might not be a good man at all.
Our Last Days As Children - Explosions in the Sky
(instrumental)
And finally, it all breaks down. While out on a hunting trip, Clay, in a drunken fit, accidentally shoots his son in the leg...and then blames it on Orel himself.
Carry That Weight - The Beatles
I never give you my pillow
I only send you my invitations
And in the middle of the celebrations
I break down
Boy, you gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
How many of us can actually pin down the moment our childhood was over? The moment that we realized there were things we were going to have to carry with us for the rest of our lives?
No Children - The Mountain Goats
I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way
"Why did you marry Dad?"
"Oh, well...why not?"
"Well, it's just that, when he drinks, he changes..."
"Oh, he doesn't change, Orel. That's just his true nature coming out."
"Huh. 'Nature'..."
(and I do know this song was in the show, but it's just so good.)
He Doesn't Love You - Sarah McLeod
You wanna be saved
Well, don't be naive
It's your choice if you wanna leave, you know...
'Cause he loves himself
But he doesn't love you
So Orel makes a choice: why prolong a relationship when you suspect it'll only hurt you in the future? Why talk to a man who doesn't care about you, even if that man happens to be your own father?
Spiritual - Trocadero
Jesus, make me whole again
Can you undo what's undone?
As he has always done in the past, Orel turns to his faith for support...but they say that, as children, we base our idea of god on our parents. A tricky situation indeed.
Firefly - Margot Wagner
Go, go, go, you firefly
You've got your own wings
It's time you took to flight
But then a funny thing happens. In their own inept way, the citizens of Moralton help Orel realize that even when you have nothing, there's always a little hope.
Lullaby for a Stormy Night - Vienna Teng
And I hope that you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Everything's fine in the morning
The rain will be gone in the morning
But I'll still be here in the morning
And Orel comes to understand that even in the darkest times, his faith can still be strong; no matter where he is or how he prays, his god will be with him.
No More Running Away - Air Traffic
We're out of luck this time,
We've fallen apart,
We're out of luck this time,
No more running away
And finally, Orel accepts that his family isn't perfect: his father can be cruel, and his mother sometimes cares more for appearances than for her own children...but that doesn't necessarily mean he himself is doomed to be like them.
Prayer for St. Francis - Sarah McLachlan
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
And even if his parents don't want it, Orel realizes it is always within his power to reach out to them, to help, to understand, to care, even if they never accept it.
Little Wonders - Rob Thomas
Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulders,
Don't you know the hardest part is over
Let it in, let your clarity define you
In the end, we will only just remember how it feels
...
It's the heart that really matters
Growing up is hard. It comes along with lessons that we have to learn first hand, things that are painful and awful and drag us down if we're not careful. But unlike some others, Orel takes what he's learned and puts it toward becoming something his parents couldn't dream of:
A loving father.
A caring husband.
A person of faith
His own man.
And isn't that what growing up is all about?
The End. I mean, Amen.
...Nah, who am I kidding? The End. (full zip)
Hope you enjoy! Comments are love, but not necessary!
If you're interested, you can find all my other FSTs here.
So let's cut to the chase, shall we?
Moral Orel is a claymation show that ran on Adult Swim for three seasons, and, I feel, was pretty damn under-appreciated. It follows the life of Orel Puppington (whose name is not even close to being the silliest on the show), a 12 year old boy who lives in Moralton, a very (self) righteous Christian town in the Midwest. The entire show could best be described as a cross between Davey and Goliath and South Park; it started out as a pretty harsh satire of fundamental Christianity*, and moved into even darker territory as the show progressed. Orel, like everyone else in town, is very religious, and tries to apply what he learns every Sunday morning to his life...unfortunately, since he takes everything literally, this usually ends up having disastrous consequences.
*DISCLAIMER: While the show is pretty anti-fundimentalism, it's not actually anti-religion; Orel, the main character, may screw up constantly due to his literal interpretations of everything, but he's the show's hero, and could probably be called the truest Christian character shown. As for me, I'm not Christian, but I certainly don't mean to offend anyone with this thing. It's just music, folks!
On the one hand, Moral Orel is a funny claymation show that satirizes fundamentalists by showing a town full of people who manipulate religion to serve their own selfish purposes and live without compassion or logic. On the other hand, it's also a show about how everyone, even those we might otherwise deem horrible and selfish, has their fears and their passions and their baggage.
But mostly, it's about Orel, and his learning those little life lessons that come along with growing up: that you have to think for yourself, that not everyone in the world will think or live as you do, that as much as you may want them to be, your parents aren't perfect, and that, no matter how hard it might be, you have to keep living, day to day, and try to do what's right.
No(t) Children - A Moral Orel FST
Fairy Tales Don't Have Happy Endings - Pushing Daisies OST
(instrumental)
Welcome to the home of the Puppingtons, the perfect godfearing suburbanite family...or at least, that's how Orel sees them. Clay's a hardworking dad who enjoys a glass of scotch when he comes home...and during dinner, and after dinner, and while he's locked away in his study, contemplating how he hates his life. His mom's a homemaker who loves a clean house (more than her own children); his brother's a spunky and rambunctious kid who's never been told "no"...ever.
My Beige Bear - Jonathan Coulton
When it's dark and it's cold
I reach out for my beige bear
Beige bear says that some monkeys might just be lonely
Beige bear says that no monkeys WANT to be bad
Orel's got this little problem: he wants so desperately to be good, to do right by God, but he's just so BAD at it. Every time he tries to do good, it just seems to go wrong.
Musicbox - Regina Spektor
Life inside the music box ain't easy.
The mallets hit the gears are always turning,
and everyone inside the mechanism is yearning to get out.
And whenever Orel does something wrong, his dad's right there to give him a good belting to straighten him out. Which was okay for a while...
Dad's Breakdown - Psapp
I once wrote the reasons for having the nervous breakdown I was proposing to indulge in in one column. The reasons for not having one were to go in the opposite column.
...until he slowly comes the the realization that his father may not be the wonderful man Orel thought he was. In fact, he might not be a good man at all.
Our Last Days As Children - Explosions in the Sky
(instrumental)
And finally, it all breaks down. While out on a hunting trip, Clay, in a drunken fit, accidentally shoots his son in the leg...and then blames it on Orel himself.
Carry That Weight - The Beatles
I never give you my pillow
I only send you my invitations
And in the middle of the celebrations
I break down
Boy, you gonna carry that weight
Carry that weight a long time
How many of us can actually pin down the moment our childhood was over? The moment that we realized there were things we were going to have to carry with us for the rest of our lives?
No Children - The Mountain Goats
I hope you blink before I do
Yeah I hope I never get sober
And I hope when you think of me years down the line
You can't find one good thing to say
And I'd hope that if I found the strength to walk out
You'd stay the hell out of my way
"Why did you marry Dad?"
"Oh, well...why not?"
"Well, it's just that, when he drinks, he changes..."
"Oh, he doesn't change, Orel. That's just his true nature coming out."
"Huh. 'Nature'..."
(and I do know this song was in the show, but it's just so good.)
He Doesn't Love You - Sarah McLeod
You wanna be saved
Well, don't be naive
It's your choice if you wanna leave, you know...
'Cause he loves himself
But he doesn't love you
So Orel makes a choice: why prolong a relationship when you suspect it'll only hurt you in the future? Why talk to a man who doesn't care about you, even if that man happens to be your own father?
Spiritual - Trocadero
Jesus, make me whole again
Can you undo what's undone?
As he has always done in the past, Orel turns to his faith for support...but they say that, as children, we base our idea of god on our parents. A tricky situation indeed.
Firefly - Margot Wagner
Go, go, go, you firefly
You've got your own wings
It's time you took to flight
But then a funny thing happens. In their own inept way, the citizens of Moralton help Orel realize that even when you have nothing, there's always a little hope.
Lullaby for a Stormy Night - Vienna Teng
And I hope that you'll know
That nature is so
This same rain that draws you near me
Falls on rivers and land
And forests and sand
Makes the beautiful world that you see
In the morning
Everything's fine in the morning
The rain will be gone in the morning
But I'll still be here in the morning
And Orel comes to understand that even in the darkest times, his faith can still be strong; no matter where he is or how he prays, his god will be with him.
No More Running Away - Air Traffic
We're out of luck this time,
We've fallen apart,
We're out of luck this time,
No more running away
And finally, Orel accepts that his family isn't perfect: his father can be cruel, and his mother sometimes cares more for appearances than for her own children...but that doesn't necessarily mean he himself is doomed to be like them.
Prayer for St. Francis - Sarah McLachlan
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
And even if his parents don't want it, Orel realizes it is always within his power to reach out to them, to help, to understand, to care, even if they never accept it.
Little Wonders - Rob Thomas
Let it go,
Let it roll right off your shoulders,
Don't you know the hardest part is over
Let it in, let your clarity define you
In the end, we will only just remember how it feels
...
It's the heart that really matters
Growing up is hard. It comes along with lessons that we have to learn first hand, things that are painful and awful and drag us down if we're not careful. But unlike some others, Orel takes what he's learned and puts it toward becoming something his parents couldn't dream of:
A loving father.
A caring husband.
A person of faith
His own man.
And isn't that what growing up is all about?
The End. I mean, Amen.
...Nah, who am I kidding? The End. (full zip)
Hope you enjoy! Comments are love, but not necessary!
If you're interested, you can find all my other FSTs here.