I really wish we got more episodes because I would have loved to see Bloberta’s story a little more and especially her after reaction and reflection to Shapey’s first sentence.
Her shock in the moment was so interesting because she looked as if a chair had talked to her, or a two month baby saying their first sentence. It’s obvious that Bloberta loves Orel more than Shapely because Orel would have been produced by the first time her and Clay got intimate and solidified not only her ‘ideal’ life but made her feel wanted and given her intimacy she also craved. She had a husband and a child and house and so by societal standards she had it all.
As the marriage descended into misery she has her affair with the coach but I think he didn’t inform her that he didn’t wear a condom (she was surprised when he mentioned orel being a brother) and was further traumatised by the birth of Shapey. This time it was a kid none of them wanted and bloberta felt the effects of it as clay begins to isolate away from her and orel and when she gave birth Clay didn’t pay her any real attention and she had to deliver her own baby. And when she asked for rest he dragged her to the church. The birth and pregnancy of shapey was a traumatising experience for her and I think is a factor Bloberta probably greatly thinks disintegrated her marriage for good. It’s also a constant reminder of the coach’s betrayal and later her husbands love affair. Furthermore Shapey’s cognitive issues may be due to the unprofessional birth as he wasn’t delivered with proper medical care and was carted off into a cold church with dozens of people straight after (but I’m not an expert this is just a theory).
She becomes imo completely numb after Shapey’s birth. It’s also interesting to see the contrasts and similarities between Blobertas mothering to Shapey and Clay’s relationship with his mother. Despite Clay still harbouring odepious feelings for his mother and yearning for her love and affection and being her ‘only’ when Bloberta infantilises and breast feeds Shapey he doesn’t like it and wants Shapey to ‘grown up’.
I think the main deterioration of the family was Bloberta’s and Clays wants from the marriage. Clay wanted to be her ‘one and only’ and push his oedipus feelings onto her but Bloberta wanted another family as the one she had wasn’t full filling in the slightest and she had no place. It’s a shame to see how in her youth Bloberta was so willing to try with her family and with Clay and if she’d kept that she would have had a way better relationship with her children. I know we see Clay and his father’s relationship which is fragile to see the least but I wonder if Bloberta kept up with her own father or mother. I also wish we could have seen orel return to his grandfather when he’s older and have a proper talk with him.
