#moralorel

CW for mentions of abuse and alcoholism

Ok I went on a hiatus for way too fucking long, but I am back, time to talk about Bloberta and why I think she is very complex.

I’m starting with her first because I both have a lot to say about her, and there’s a lot to dive into with Clay, so I’m doing her first.

To make things a bit easier, I split her analysis into 2 sections: her during her childhood/before being married to Clay, and her after being married to Clay since there is a lot to discuss with both.

Childhood/pre-marriage

Taken from Season 3 episode 7 “Help”, Bloberta grew up in an abusive household. She was isolated from her family choir for being a high soprano (and they already had a soprano), it is clear from how Bloberta’s father (Raymond) talks and behaves that he is intimidated by her mother.

(In this scene where Bloberta and her father briefly talk, he is visibly anxious and looking around, which I interpret as him both struggling to connect with Bloberta emotionally as well as being worried about Ms. Hymentact overhearing him.)

There is a high chance that no one ever advocated for her (aside from her father but that was in private) which is why she is usually ignored by her family ** However, even though they have a very limited amount of screen time, I don’t think that Bloberta was the only one being abused. Aside from her father being terrified of her mother, I would argue that Bloberta’s siblings also suffer some form of abuse. Even if they are the favored children, watching Ms. Hymentact slap her youngest son for laughing at Bloberta right after praising him a few minutes ago gives the idea that they are the favored children as long as they stay in line and do what they are told. **There is a possibility that Bloberta’s siblings have been conditioned to see Bloberta as the othered family member, and that they need to play their roles and keep their mother happy or they will end up like Bloberta. **Also what is important to note is Bloberta’s older sister Modella clarifying that it wasn’t her who was off pitch, immediately feeling the need to defend herself. **Considering how little Bloberta’s father is able to express his thoughts or opinions, there is a good chance that everyone in the Hymentact household is encouraged to suppress their emotions, making people like her father emotionally unavailable. **I also mention this because Ms. Hymentact has a clear level of control over the family. All of the decisions and final says fall on her because her father is unable to advocate for himself or his children. If she gets pushback, she immediately lashes out (evidenced by her yelling at Blobertas father for giving a suggestion), so the best thing to do is to go along with what she is saying. **These characters do not get a lot of screen time so this could be argued as heavy speculation, but I wanted to mention it as one reading of the siblings.

***Another thing to note in the scene where Bloberta is in her room is that it is very messy, completely contrasting the cleanliness of the Puppington household in the present. This is probably the case because at this time, she was using alcohol as a way to cope with her living situation. If she drank, she could feel numb, and being numb is better than feeling alone.

I would argue that considering the events that occur with her and Clay before their marriage, she sees alcohol as a way for people to be able to discuss or deal with their emotions, as her dad could only express his opinions when he drank. It was a way to see his true self and be seen in the family for a brief moment, as well as relieve herself of stress.

Continuing with her struggles of being seen, Bloberta also felt ostracized from the other women in her community. Most of them were already married or getting married, which might have made her feel like time was running out and she needed to be with someone as fast as she could. She was raised in a Christian household and was probably raised to think that the only goal she should have is to be a mother and wife.

It is also clear that Bloberta does care about how she is perceived by others, considering that she and Clay decided to not get divorced because they were worried about how people would see them and wanted to keep up appearances. (mentioned in Season 2 Episode 1, "God's Image".)

She already felt unwanted by her family, and her being the only unmarried woman in Moralton proved that to her, as she was already not being included in events by Ms. Censordoll because she was still single.

Bloberta's desire to be wanted by people is translated through her constant requests and eagerness to help. To Bloberta, if she helps, then she is proving her worth and value, that she is important to have around.

When Bloberta met Clay, she probably saw this as her last opportunity to get married to someone considering how quickly she latches onto him, and just before was looking at all of the married couples in church.

From the start of their interactions, there are some red flags present which will quickly develop into the problems present in the Puppington family.

Bloberta appears to have a tendency of pushing people to do what she wants, as she strong-arms Clay into going into the reception. She might be unintentionally mimicking her mother while doing this considering how much control her mother had over the family and their decisions.

Bloberta isn’t ready to be emotionally vulnerable to anyone, as she drinks to suppress her emotions and keeps her personal opinions to herself. She sees alcohol as a way to get people to express themselves, as her father could under the influence (at least a little) and encouraged Clay to drink with the initial intention of getting him to open up.

This was probably furthered as a good thing to Bloberta when Clay mentions that she helped him get out of his shell. She was able to help someone for possibly one of the first times in her life, and she needed to want to help, to have value to somebody. And the way for Bloberta to continue having value and helping in Clays life would be to marry him. She could help, as well as not be the only unmarried woman or need to continue living with her family.

When she is briefly left alone, we see her reflection on the countertop, emphasizing her loneliness and isolation despite her attempts to help. (Bloberta probably has low self esteem as well considering what has been discussed prior.)

Despite this, it was not right for Bloberta to push marriage on Clay while he was completely intoxicated and made it clear that he had no interest. Understanding a characters motivation does not equate to justification.

Her emotionally distancing herself from Clay as soon as he does not give the desired answer and hurting him (both by hitting him and later dropping his head on the tile while she was holding him) is also important to note, as it is one of the few times in the entire series that Bloberta ever externalizes her emotions. (especially externalizing it via violence)

**(Possibly manipulation/emotional abuse that she may have mimicked based on how her father and mother were)

In the scene of her caring for Clay, she gives herself this type of martyr title, that its because of her that Clay was ok even though she was the one who hurt him. In this case, the marriage is posed as the thing that can be done as a type of repayment for Bloberta’s help. The way she poses her help is that it is the only thing that Clay needs or can rely on, highlighting her own importance. Along with this, she phrases the offer in this tone of “I have done everything for you” which puts more pressure on Clay to agree to marriage.

When Bloberta begins to develop her habit of cleaning, it is another form of her attempts to help as well as suppress her emotions. If she cleans, she is helping, and can also emotionally distance herself from what is going on, making the situation easier to deal with. (I would also argue its somewhere to put her anger, as she begins to look at filth with disgust after seeing Clay drunk, and takes that anger out on the bar grime before hitting Clay.)