| The Best Christmas Ever | |||||||||||||||
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| Season 1, Episode 10 | |||||||||||||||
| #1 | |||||||||||||||
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| Air date |
December 13th 2005 | ||||||||||||||
| Written by |
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| Directed by |
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| Episode Guide | |||||||||||||||
| Previous Maturity |
Next God's Image | ||||||||||||||
| Season Guide | |||||||||||||||
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"The Best Christmas Ever" is Moral Orel's first season finale, as well as the series' premier in airing order. After Reverend Putty teaches Orel that Jesus will one day return to the earth, he believes that his younger brother, Shapey, is the second coming of Christ. Orel's parents plan for their divorce, however, and this Christmas looks set to be an unhappy one.
Plot[]
On Christmas Eve, Puppingtons drive their car to the church, seemingly gleefully singing a pizza advertisement song. This facade is somehow broken once Shapey kicks Orel in the face and Bloberta doesn’t care for anything except for Shapey to stop screaming.
In church, Reverend Putty gives the sermon about the fact that Jesus was born only to die for the sins of people and His Second Coming. Orel, deeply moved, stops by when leaving the church and has a talk with Reverend; Putty tells him that maybe Jesus has already been born again, but he’s not as nice as the last time.
At home, the family perfumes their artificial Christmas tree. While Orel is busy putting his brother to sleep, Clay and Bloberta argue in their bedroom about how Shapey’s birth wasn’t planned. The conversation reveals how they’re both unhappy in their unsuccessful marriage.
Orel is praying in his bedroom, asking God to make sure that the upcoming Christmas is „the best Christmas ever”; he also asks for Jesus, should He be already back on Earth, to come by. After going to bed, Orel realizes that if Jesus is back, he will be all alone on His own birthday, and decides to ask his dad what to do.
Coming to his parents’ bedroom door, he overhears a part of their conversation. Learning about the birth of Shapey having been unplanned, Orel concludes his brother to be the Son of God. Overjoyed, he runs to Shapey’s room and proclaims him the Second Coming of Jesus. Meanwhile, after Clay angrily demands to know the identity of Shapey’s father, Bloberta tells him she wants a divorce. Clay agrees and storms out of the room.
On Christmas morning, Orel tries to awaken his parents and tell them about Shapey being Jesus. However, Clay’s absent and Bloberta doesn’t react to Orel’s knocking on bedroom’s doors; she sits motionlessly, and a single tear escapes her eye. Failing to get his parents, Orel goes to Shapey’s room and adresses him as „Lord”, happily accepting all of his brother’s antics.
Shapey’s upset by the lack of presents underneath the Christmas tree. Remembering the pizza advertisement (which starts with a line „If our Lord were alive today, what would you give Him this Christmas?”), Orel brings his brother to the pizza place. While he’s busy buying a coupon inside, Shapey begins to destroy a manger scene nearby the church. Orel quickly concludes that means the apocalypse has begun and eagerly joins him.
Putty, seeing the entire event, calls Bloberta and she quickly arrives. Orel tells her that Clay isn’t Shapey’s father, but Bloberta responds that she does know about that; she scoffs at his remark on how Shapey’s real father is God and tells him that Clay is not there, as they’re getting a divorce. When Orel says that they cannot spend Christmas without him, Bloberta with irritation tells him to go find his „precious father” and spend Christmas with him before leaving with Shapey.
That night, Orel wanders around Moralton and sees Clay drowning his sorrows at the Forgetthy’s pub and Danielle Stopframe flirting with him. Orel sighs and remarks that this may not have been the best Christmas ever after all. He then pulls out his pocket watch and, with a shy smile, says to God that there are still two minutes left until Christmas is over, and that he has complete faith in Him. The episode ends with Orel piously staring up at the heavens, waiting for divine intervention.
Characters[]
First appearances[]
Major characters[]
Minor characters[]
- Ms. Censordoll
- Reverend Putty
- Mr. Littler (cameo)
- Leaf (poster)
- Lily (poster)
- Mr. Armature (poster)
- Florence Papermouth (cameo)
- Coach Stopframe
- Mr. Jointson (cameo)
- Dolly Forghetty (cameo)
Notes[]
Release[]
- This episode was released first for a few reasons. The series was set to premiere in December, and the creators thought that if this episode was approved by the network's Standards and Practices division, then anything would go through. This backfired: the episode concluding multiple story arcs and ending on a cliffhanger confused many viewers, who thought it may have been a practical joke, and three other episodes from the show's first season were delayed by Standards and Practices.
Running gags[]
- Intro type: "The Best Christmas Ever"
- Church sign: "Yes kids, we lied about Santa, but Jesus is for real."
Episode tie-ins[]
- Honor - Starts where this episode ends and is also set during Christmas.
- God's Image - Continues the theme of Bloberta and Clay getting a divorce, but, in the end, stay together just for appearance.
Gallery[]
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