List of Moral Orel Characters - The Puppingtons - Clay Puppington

Clay Puppington

Clay is Orel's strict father who tries to keep his home in line with a 1950s style of living. This masks the fact that Clay is an abusive alcoholic who hates his job as mayor of Moralton, his marriage, and his father.

As a child, Clay was the only surviving child of his parents, as his mother's drinking, smoking and fun-loving lifestyle (including riding roller coasters, jumping on a trampoline, and horseback riding) caused her to miscarry ten of Clay's unborn siblings before he was born (largely because Clay's mother spent all of her pregnancy with Clay praying for his safety). Clay's mother was a religious zealot, who spoiled Clay rotten and instructed him in the various "lost commandments" of Moses. This created tension with Clay's father, who was outright neglected by his wife in favor of his son, to the point that he was forced to eat his son's leftovers. Clay's father did try to remain a part of his life and often warned Clay of his mother's heart condition. Clay unintentionally changed life forever when he faked his own death as a prank on his mother, causing her to have a fatal heart attack. Clay's father (who was not deeply religious) never forgave Clay for his part in his mother's death and emotionally shunned his son, ultimately telling him that he's "not even worth it" upon an initial refrain from slapping him. This deeply affected Clay, causing him to seek out his father's abuse as a means to gain any sort of emotional response and validation. The two formed a casual hatred towards each other and blaming each other for the death of Clay's mother. His love for his mother would develop into an Oedipus Complex many years later, shown in "Nesting." His father gives his gun to Clay saying he is ending the male Puppington tradition of passing along the gun to one's first born son, because it is tainted with blood. Not wanting to feel responsible for his mother's death, Clay says he'll keep the tradition going (see below).

When Clay was in his early twenties, he was much similar to Orel, shown to be a rather mild figure who wanted to spend his days studying the Bible and drinking apple juice, showing he had a chance to have a happy life. While attending a wedding, Clay met Bloberta Hymentact. Bloberta asked about his family, Clay said "my parents are dead," not telling her the truth about his father Arthur being alive. The two went to the wedding reception together, where Bloberta introduced Clay to liquor. She believed that alcohol relaxed people for the better (mainly because that's what it had done to her father), and even used a religious justification ("Jesus drank") in order to get him to drink. Alcohol caused a massive switch in Clay's personality, turning him into a womanizer and drunken partier and ultimately caused Bloberta to punch him unconscious in order to keep him from flirting with other women. Afterwords, Bloberta lied to Clay, telling him that he passed out and that she looked after him while he was unconscious. She then pressed him to marry her, citing that he needs someone like her to "help" him. Clay agreed, but by this point the damage was done as Clay was now a full-blown alcoholic who spent most of his wedding flirting with other women, getting drunk, and ultimately getting arrested after the wedding for driving under the influence.

Clay largely hates his family, not remembering his children's names or caring when one of his children (Shapey) is briefly switched with another child (Block). This is taken to an extreme in the episode "Numb" when he assumes Shapey and Block are a liquor-induced hallucination. He is rather misogynistic, believing that women differ from men in the ability to fulfill themselves solely through tending to their husbands. He later reveals that it sexually arouses him to watch her do such chores, ultimately leading him to partake in voyeuristic swinger-style housekeeping. He is close friends with Coach Daniel Stopframe, who secretly lusts after Clay and the two constantly border on a homoerotic relationship. It has been shown that Stopframe is Clay's chief enabler as far as feeding his dependency on liquor and went as far as to seduce and impregnate Bloberta in order to be near him. The series creators have stated (in the introduction skits during season 3) that Clay is not actually a homosexual: similar to how he drowns his emotional problems with alcoholism, Clay is a sexual deviant, and his affair with Coach Stopframe just happens to be the current kink he's fixated on (i.e. it could just as easily have been swinging, bondage, etc.).

He will often bring Orel into his study to discuss various misdeeds Orel often does after dealing out "a good belting" to the boy. The lessons usually have little to do with the actual damage he caused, usually focusing on "the lesser of two evils". For example, when confronting Orel for raising the dead, Clay is more concerned with the fact that Orel created naked zombies (by removing their clothes prior to resurrecting them) than for actually creating zombies. Also, when Orel develops an unintentional addiction to crack cocaine, he is punished by Clay for speaking slang rather than smoking it. "Nesting" however, reveals that Orel has become completely indifferent to his father's threats.

He also has a collection of firearms in his study, including a Heckler & Koch PSG1 sniper rifle and what is revealed in "Nature Pt.1" to be an extensive arsenal. During a mostly unsuccessful camping trip with Orel, a drunk Clay rants violently about how awful his life is and then accidentally shoots Orel in the leg but denies any responsibility. He sinks even lower when, in "Honor", it is revealed that he continues to blame Orel for the injury, telling anyone who asked that it had happened because his son was either clumsy or had gotten in the way.

While Clay tries to maintain the facade that his life is perfectly happy, he is ultimately a pathetic, cruel, self-pitying, misogynistic, emotionally immature and self-centered man who no longer cares for anyone but himself. He rants harshly about life and relationships and he feels that he's never in control of his own life. He is ill-equipped to deal with life's problems and takes out his anger and frustration on his family, friends, and the town. Clay often complains about his "stinking dead end job" and being "buried in paperwork". In the penultimate episode, it is revealed, even to Orel's surprise, that Clay is actually the Mayor of Moralton. On a document in his office his full name is shown to be Mayor Clayton Middleinitial Puppington.

In "Honor" Clay finally (though indirectly) admits his feelings for Coach Stopframe, in front of his wife, and children. Stopframe, however, coldly refuses him, saying it's "too late" and Clay leaves dejected and defeated. A picture of him and Bloberta both frowning is seen on the wall in Orel's home in the final scene, a stark contrast to Orel and Christina.

In "Beforel Orel" Clay was shown to have little confidence to talk to Orel about anything and tried avoided talking to him at all times. He hated the idea of Bloberta being pregnant with Shapey (not knowing he wasn't his). Through most of the time, he's seen whining about having another child to take care of. Near the end, he talks with for the first time with his father, Arthur. During their talk, its seen how Arthur's rejection has affected Clay and for a moment Arthur may show regret. The moment is gone quick as Clay refuses to reconcile with his father and forbids him from seeing Orel. It is hinted Clay may actually miss his father as he looked regretfully as Arthur left.

He is voiced by Scott Adsit.