Greetings,
So, high school. Yeah. It could be good, or bad, or both. I'm not certain where I was during those years, but I do know who I was - Daria. You guys know Daria, right? Daria, from the show Daria? Well, I was a lot like her in high school. Brown hair, glasses (occasionally), kinda snarky, kinda smart, and I had a crazy (but fun) history teacher. I did have more clothes, and possibly more friends, though the jury is still out on that one, but, at my core, I and Ms. Morgendorffer were quite alike. It's no wonder I was such a fan of this show. Of course, it didn't hurt that it was well written, had great characters and was downright hilarious. Still, I bet there are a few of you who don't know much about Daria. Well, let me give you a quick synopsis. If you want more, there is a book about the show you can get. I have it; I love it. Or just be patient for me to write a full on retrospective of my own. It may happen someday.
Daria was a show about Daria Morgendorffer. She was a high school student with a workaholic mother, Helen, an insecure, moody father, Jake, and a vapid, younger sister, Quinn. She did manage to get herself one great, best friend named Jane Lane, who stands by her through the insanity at home and at Lawndale High, with all their apathetic classmates and out of touch teachers. Basically, Daria doesn't really fit in, no matter where she goes, but she's perfectly fine with that. She is an intellectual with a deadpan sense of humor that almost no one understands. Most people peg her as being kind of miserable, but I always got the impression that, despite her surroundings, she was okay with who she was. I think being able to feel that way about yourself should be more than enough for any youngster. It was certainly enough for me, so, therefore, I was a fan of Daria, the character and the show. And that brings us to the task at hand, my top ten list of Daria episodes. This was a hard one, because I don't think there were any episodes that I truly didn't like. Obviously, I liked some more than others, but there were so many great ones. I did my best.
Now I'm pretty sure this is a list that anyone can read and enjoy, but, as usual, fans will get it more. I don't think I'll be giving spoilers, so, if you haven't seen the show, this should give you a good taste of what to expect. For the fans, I say relish in the joy and possible nostalgia of this list. Many good memories here. And let me also give shout outs to the two movies that were made, Is It Fall Yet? and Is It College Yet?. While I don't consider them technical episodes and can't include them on this list, they were very good, as well. Now off we go.
#10. "Write Where It Hurts" (Season 2) - One of Daria's talents is that of writing. Her English teacher, Mr. O'Neil, gives her an assignment to write a story featuring people in her life. After trying to dream up a load of fantasy sequences, she decides to just write how she wishes things could be in reality. It's one of the episodes where she slightly lets her guard down and shows that drop of emotion she is constantly trying to dry up.
#9. "Lane Miserable" (Season 3) - At this point in the show, we had heard much about Jane's family, her brothers and sisters and their idiosyncrasies, though we had only ever met her brother, Trent. In this installment, they all come home for one reason or another, and we find out that everything Jane ever said about them was true. Very true.
#8. "Through a Lens Darkly" (Season 3) - In case it isn't obvious, Daria is not a teenager ruled by the way she looks. At all. So when her mother, Helen, suggests she get contact lenses in order to give her better peripheral vision for her driving, a good suggestion since she almost runs over a dog, Daria is hesitant. She does not see this as a logical suggestion, but as a way for her mother to turn her into something she's not. Specifically, someone who cares too much about outward appearance. This is one episode where Daria contemplates swallowing her pride and realizing that trying too hard to not care may not be a good thing either. And we also get a little cameo from her fantastic Aunt Amy, with a great reason as to why she should just get the lenses.
#7. "The Story of D" (Season 5) - As I mentioned, Daria is a writer. Here, she decides to send one of her stories to a magazine for publication. While waiting for an answer, and after she gets it, we see Daria displaying hints of insecurity that she rarely shows. This, once again, lets us see that she is more than we may think as a character. And I love these ones where we get to see her from different angles and with more dimensions.
#6. "Dye, Dye, My Darling" (Season 4) - I actually don't want to give away too much about this episode. Let's just say it is a very pivotal one in the series. It delves deeply into the friendship of Daria and Jane, showing that, even as solid as it has been, it still can have some cracks. This makes it seem much more realistic, and not just for a cartoon. Very well done.
#5. "Legends of the Mall" (Season 4) - I'd call this one of the most creative episodes. While Quinn and the Fashion Club get lost as they walk home, and Daria, Jane, Trent and Jake go searching for them, some scary stories are told within the groups. Three, to be exact. They actually have a feel of urban legends, so if you like that, and if you like them a little funny, you'll probably get a kick out of this one.
#4. "Road Worrier" (Season 1) - I love a good road trip, and we get one here. There's a big concert happening called Alternapalooza. Why is it called that? Because it was the 90's. What else would you call it? Whilst Quinn, the Fashion Club and assorted popular kids head to it, Daria decides to go as well, with Jane, Trent and Trent's band member, Jesse. A lot of this episode focuses on Daria's crush on Trent, something that was a recurring theme in the show. I think this may be the first one where we really get to see what lies beneath with Daria, again, something that we end up getting to see occasionally throughout the series.
#3. "Monster" (Season 2) - Daria and Jane decide to make a video all about Quinn for a school project, in the hopes, of course, of showing how incredibly shallow she is. They certainly get a boat load of ammunition, but will Daria's conscience, the one she claims not to have, get the better of her? Maybe. All I know is that I love watching Quinn get mad, because they zoomed the camera, therefore, exposing her pores, the ones she claims are cute and tiny. Don't we all want those kind of pores? Don't we all?
#2. "Boxing Daria" (Season 5) - Apart from the aforementioned Is It College Yet? movie, this is the final, official episode of Daria. I found that many shows have difficulty making final episodes for a lot of reasons. This one, however, was very well done. As many hints as we had gotten over the years about what's really going on with Daria, this episode certainly tells a lot, even heading back into her childhood. With doing an episode like this on a show like this, many mistakes could have been made, but I absolutely love the way they handled every aspect of it. I always liked when they could pepper some drama and even real life into the show. And they always did a great job.
#1. "Cafe Disaffecto" (Season 1) - So the cafe in Lawndale has been burglarized, and the students have been tasked with going door to door, selling items to raise money for a new cafe. Even Daria and Jane. Yes, Daria and Jane . . . going door to door . . . Girl Scout style. Well, after some, let's say, interesting things happen, Daria is, then, forced to "perform" at the opening night of the new cafe. And that's it. That's what happens. I know it may not seem like much, but just trust me. Now this is one about which I can't really go into detail, because you must see it. It's that kind of episode, and it's that good.
And so, there you have the best of Daria, in my opinion. You know, I don't watch much TV these days, mostly, because I don't feel like a lot of it is well written or well made. Ironically, Daria, a cartoon, was just that. I really do miss this show, and I'm hoping for some kind of a comeback. Perhaps, we can have a live action version of it, or the movie that's been talked about for years. Either way, I know a lot of us would love more Daria. In the meantime, though, I suppose we will have to enjoy our reruns and DVDs. And we certainly do.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
