Specific Incidents of Martin Blyndeff's Negative Actions
Neglecting Molly During the Museum Field Trip (Museum Arc):
As a chaperone for Molly’s school trip to the Sweet Jazz City Museum, Martin fails to supervise the children properly, allowing them to mishandle artifacts and even joining their dogpile to collect them.
He leaves the museum without realizing Molly is missing, prioritizing his personal belongings (keys, wallet, phone) over ensuring his daughter’s safety.
He takes Molly’s phone to play loud video games, ignoring her discomfort and overwhelming her with his behavior.
Forcing Molly to Work Night Shifts (Prison of Plastic and General Behavior):
Martin consistently delegates his responsibilities as the owner of the Blyndeff Toy Emporium to his 12-year-old daughter, Molly, forcing her to work night shifts at the store despite her protests.
He ignores her complaints about having worked the previous two nights and needing to complete homework, justifying it by claiming he’s “punched his parent card.”
This overwork contributes to Molly’s malnourishment, underweight condition, and emotional burnout, as she shoulders the family’s financial and operational burdens.
Breaking Lorelai’s Creations Without Regard (Prison of Plastic):
Martin casually destroys Lorelai’s creations in her dream bubbles, justifying it by saying they’ll disappear anyway and are merely aesthetic, disregarding Lorelai’s emotional attachment to them.
This shows a lack of consideration for Lorelai’s feelings, despite appearing to favor her over Molly.
Forgetting to Lock the House Door (General Behavior):
Martin’s forgetfulness extends to basic responsibilities like locking the house door, indicating a broader pattern of negligence that endangers his family’s safety.
Purchasing Extravagant Items Despite Financial Struggles (Past Incident):
Martin buys a giant kiddy pool and expensive pool toys, despite the family’s financial difficulties after Calliope’s death, and fails to pay the water bill, rendering the purchase useless.
This reckless spending exacerbates the family’s poverty, forcing Molly to bear the consequences of his financial irresponsibility.
Casual Reaction to Calliope’s Death (Prison of Plastic):
Martin displays a disturbing lack of emotional response to his wife Calliope’s death, which unsettles Lorelai, who wonders if he has forgotten her mother entirely.
His dissonant serenity while discussing serious topics, such as his daughters’ emotional states or Giovanni’s threats, further highlights his detachment.
Losing Lorelai’s Amulet (Prison of Plastic):
Martin loses an amulet given to him by Lorelai to protect him in her dream bubbles, demonstrating his carelessness and inability to handle even small responsibilities.
Ignoring Molly’s Well-Being in Favor of a Diorama (Prison of Plastic):
When Giovanni threatens to steal “the most valuable thing” from the store, Martin assumes he means a castle diorama, indicating he values it more than his daughter Molly.
General Patterns of Negative Behavior
Parental Neglect:
Martin is largely absent from home, leaving Molly to manage the toy store and household responsibilities alone.
His neglect contributes to Molly’s physical and emotional deterioration, including malnourishment and burnout, as she takes on adult responsibilities at age 12.
He fails to recognize or address Lorelai’s self-destructive isolation in her dream bubbles, enabling her unhealthy behavior.
Emotional Abuse (Unintentional but Impactful):
By foisting responsibilities onto Molly, Martin causes her significant stress and emotional exhaustion, bordering on abuse through neglect.
His dismissive attitude toward Lorelai’s creations and feelings shows a lack of emotional support, even for the daughter he appears to favor.
Manchild Behavior:
Martin’s immaturity is evident in his obsession with playing mobile games, making loud noises, and failing to take his parental or professional duties seriously.
His behavior embarrasses Molly in public settings, such as during the museum trip or at restaurants, drawing unwanted attention to her.
Irresponsibility as a Parent and Store Owner:
Martin refuses to work shifts at the Blyndeff Toy Emporium, leaving Molly to cover for him and Lorelai, despite the store’s financial struggles.
His incompetence in managing adult responsibilities, such as taxes, contributes to the family’s precarious financial situation.
Favoritism Toward Lorelai:
Martin consistently sides with Lorelai in arguments, enabling her bratty and irresponsible behavior while ignoring Molly’s needs.
However, even Lorelai suffers from his selfishness, as he disregards her emotional attachment to her creations.
Selfishness and Indifference:
Martin’s actions prioritize his own comfort and desires, showing little concern for how they affect others, including his daughters.
He raids Lorelai’s dream bubbles for inspiration and breaks her creations without remorse, focusing only on his own interests.
Hated by All:
Martin is universally disliked by teachers, parents, and even his own children due to his irresponsible and selfish behavior.
Teachers draw lots to avoid dealing with him at PTA meetings, and Naven, a teacher, has called child protection services on him at least once, though no action was taken because Molly was still attending school and being minimally fed.
Giovanni, a character with some redeeming qualities, declares Martin his “greatest nemesis” and hits him with a bat, reflecting the extent of Martin’s negative impact.
Enabling Lorelai’s Negative Behavior:
Martin allows Lorelai to indulge in her dream worlds without questioning the psychological implications, contributing to her isolation and emotional issues.
Klutziness:
Martin frequently breaks things, requiring Molly to develop sewing skills to repair the damage, further adding to her responsibilities.
Consequences of Martin’s Actions
Molly’s Disownment: By Prison of Plastic, Molly has effectively given up on having a relationship with Martin, choosing not to mend fences with him as she does with Lorelai. Her amusement at Giovanni hitting Martin suggests she no longer views him as a parental figure.
Lorelai’s Disillusionment: Even Lorelai, who initially seems closer to Martin, is shocked by his casual attitude toward their mother’s death and his disregard for her creations, indicating a strained relationship.
Giovanni’s Confrontation: Martin receives direct karma when Giovanni calls him out for his neglectful behavior and hits him with a bat, with Molly showing little concern for her father’s well-being.
Social Isolation: Martin’s antics make him the “short straw” among teachers and parents, and his interactions with others, like Naven, are marked by frustration or disdain.
Notes
No Explicit Crimes: Martin’s actions do not include explicit legal and usual crimes (e.g., theft, violence), but his neglect and irresponsibility could potentially warrant intervention from child protection services, as implied by Naven’s actions.
Context of Calliope’s Death: Martin’s behavior reportedly worsened after his wife Calliope’s death in a house fire two years prior, as her workaholic nature balanced his irresponsibility. However, this does not excuse his current neglect, as he fails to adapt to his role as a single parent.
Non-Canon Incidents: In non-canon content like “That Beautiful Sound Cover” and “Molly has had ENOUGH,” Martin’s irresponsibility is further highlighted, such as demanding Molly work instead of addressing responsibilities himself and prompting Molly to rant about his lack of gratitude.
Summary
Martin Blyndeff’s “crimes” and negative behaviors in Epithet Erased revolve around his extreme neglect, selfishness, and irresponsibility as a parent and store owner. His actions—ranging from forgetting Molly at the museum to forcing her to work night shifts and disregarding Lorelai’s feelings—create significant emotional and physical harm for his daughters. His manchild tendencies, favoritism, and indifference to others’ feelings make him a universally disliked character, culminating in Molly’s implied disownment of him and Giovanni’s physical confrontation. While not malicious, Martin’s apathy and failure to fulfill his parental duties have severe consequences for his family and reputation.
(Major dif. with other bumbling dads like richard from tawog and homer (pre-jerk seasons) from simpsons is they try to be good parents and want to help, but fail due to comedy or stupidity on their parts but try to make amends, Martin just seems not to CARE at all.)
