TVSquad

(S02E18)

This is an early review.

Orel [reading from the Necronomicon]: I'm gonna read from this book that's written in a different language: "bon jour, arrivederci, ooh la la, that's Italian!, ching ching ching chong, spaghetti, top o' the mornin' to ya!"

When I interviewed Moral Orel creator Dino Stamatopolous last October, he mentioned that an upcoming episode would feature a short film created by Orel himself (but actually animated by Dino*). This is that episode, and it both rewards fans of the series and takes a few shots at those who hate it.

If you're new to the series, this episode probably won't make much sense, as it refers back to previous episodes such as "God's Chef," "Waste," "Charity" and "The Lord's Greatest Gift," which dealt with inseminating women with pastry bags, pee drinking, crack smoking and naked zombies, respectively.

More than any other episode before it, I think this one really opened a window to Orel's psyche. His father is portrayed as a "puppy" because he's loyal, but he looks more like a fairy tale wolf with a gigantic muzzle and sharp fangs. Orel also deals matter of factly with the fact that his father beats him and lectures him and does little else.

I was taken out of the episode briefly when Joe took over and started making fun of Orel's movie, calling everything dumb and saying he hated it, then liked it, then hated it again. It took me a second to realize that Joe's commentary was meant to mock those who misinterpret Moral Orel, just as Orel himself misinterprets the Bible.

Doughy, voiced by Jay Johnston Scott Adsit, gives one of his best performances in this episode. His nervous, uncertain reading of Orel's script is hysterical -- he and Orel really do sound like children performing, and it adds a nice contrast to the horrible secrets they reveal about the adults in town.

On the special features of the Moral Orel DVD, there's a moment where Dino expresses his anger towards people who think Orel's name is actual "Moral." In one moment, Doughy makes that same mistake, and Orel corrects him. This episode is peppered with inside jokes like that, putting it in my top five favorite episodes so far.

*As Dino points out in the comments, he did NOT end up animating Orel's movie.