Daria - General Discussion

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run.

[WendyCR72]

Wow, a Daria forum. Yay! I loved this show. Daria was so deadpan and so cynical, and I loved that the show, even as a cartoon, was smart and really showed some truths about high school politics and just the usual growing up stuff.

 

Even harder still to believe is this spun off from Beavis and Butthead which, while admittedly funny sometimes, was as stupid as they come!

[Kalliste]

I used to get compared with Daria in school. I think people weren't able to differentiate between not having emotions/feelings and not caring.

[Kalliste]

Jake is one of my favourites.. oh poor Jake.

 

I think one of my favourite moments was him and Trent singing Manly. And well, all the playing with mashed potatoes was good too.

[mattie0808]

Let's get this going...

 

Mr. DeMartino: While we continue our discussion of CULTS, can anyone give me another example of a group using cohesive techniques such as peer pressure, chanting, and SOCIAL ISOLATION to achieve control over its members? Brittany?
Brittany: Cheerleading?
Mr. DeMartino: Ah Brittany, sometimes despite a complete lack of INSIGHT, you stumble upon an interesting answer

 

Daria (to Quinn): Sometimes your shallowness is so thorough, it's almost like depth.

 

Jake: You're nothing but a... A DAMN RADIO WITH DOORS!
Daria: No, Dad and his inner child are playing in the driveway.
Quinn: But he's supposed to pick us up at the mall.
Daria: He's discussing that with the car right now. But the car seems to be saying you're taking the bus.

[mattie0808]

The one in the title gets me because we have a glimpse of a knife floating up from a kitchen table, hovering in mid-air, and then chasing a woman out of the room. Fantastic.

 

"A vision of Christ in a half-eaten candy bar? Talk about my sweet lord! The Immaculate Confection, next on Sick, Sad World."

 

"When these ballerinas work out at the bar, they work out at the bar. Tanked in a Tutu, when Sick, Sad World returns."

 

"Meet the fly-fishing pathologist who uses human organs as bait. A Liver Runs Through it, next on Sick, Sad World."

[Princess Sparkle]

Mr DeMartino would always crack me up when he was yelling at Kevin:

 

Mr. DeMartino: Kevin, do you know what war was fought over manifest destiny?
Kevin: Umm... the Vietnam War?
Mr. DeMartino: That came a little later, Kevin. About a hundred YEARS later. A lot of people died in that war, Kevin. I think we OWE IT TO THEM to at LEAST get the CENTURY right.

 

 

I have to pare down my favorite Daria quotes, but I'll leave my favorite Helen rant to Ms. Li:

 

All right Ms. Li, let me make sure I have this straight. You took my daughter's poster from her, altered its content, exhibited it against her will and are now threatening discipline because you claim she defaced her own property which you admit to stealing?

 

[Petunia13]

It was your other daughter. The one who's not a pip.

[Princess Sparkle]

I loved his entire breakdown on trying to find out what "edgy" meant in the Val episode.  

 

And "Why don't they just put Marmaduke to sleep??" always cracks me up.

[WendyCR72]

Poor Jake. He tried like hell but always seemed to come up just a bit short. Although I love his rants and cluelessness, I oddly loved him in the last episode of the series, of which the title will not come to me. But it was when Daria had some subconscious memories return all because of a refrigerator box, and the fighting her parents did about her when she was small.

 

At the end, Jake, Helen, and Daria finally talked and Jake had this short speech about being Daria's dad and things being "part of the deal" (I recall that line, anyway - have to dig out the DVDs and watch again some time! Or there's Hulu!) and he was surprisingly low-key and insightful. Of course, Helen had to step on his foot before he got off into a tangent, but for the most part, it was a great speech from Jake!  :-)

 

Showing even Jake Morgendorffer had moments of reflection and insight, however fleeting. LOL! But you know he loved his family and it made him endearing - most of the time, anyway!

[mattie0808]

Do people think these girls (or any combination of the four) stayed long-term friends? Beyond college? I don't mean that the entirety of all their friendships were meaningless, but I feel like they had all grown beyond each other -- especially Quinn and Stacy -- and were also tired of each other and of who they felt they had to be around each other. Probably would have fun following each other on Facebook and seeing each other at the reunions, but I have a hard time seeing more than that... Thoughts?

[WendyCR72]

Well, I don't think Quinn and Sandi were ever really friends, anyway, so no loss if they drifted away from each other. Ditto Tiffany. I can't get a handle on Quinn and Stacey, though. It's actually kind of ironic and sad. These were the "popular" girls, yet they had no real friends...

[Kalliste]

I like to think that maybe Quinn and Stacey became less shallow people and started a real friendship after school. It always seemed like Stacey didn't belong in the Fashion Club anyway and was there because she was pretty and Sandi could control her.

 

Sandi I think probably would lose contact with them all and maybe, one day, realise she isn't a very nice person. @mattie0808 I think it's funny you mention the facebook and reunion stuff.. I feel like they would definitely be friends on facebook but mostly just to try and outdo each other at life.

[GenY]

One of my favorite Jake episodes was when he got the job at the Start-up company. Him drinking the Kamboucha (which he didn't like) tea was funny, missing out on the stock options and subsequently not fitting in with the cool hip youngin's made for a great episode.

[ShadowSixx]

Sandy: Why don't we ask an average person. Look there's that girl you know, let's ask her. Hello...Quinn's cousin or something.

 

Mrs. Manson: Now, Dora, let's see if you can make up a story as vivid as your sister's.
Daria: It's Daria.
Mrs. Manson: I'm sorry... Daria. What do you see in the picture, Dara?
Daria: Um... a herd of beautiful wild ponies running free across the plains.
Mrs. Manson: Uh, there aren't any ponies. It's two people.
Daria: Last time I took one of these tests they told me they were clouds. They said they could be whatever I wanted.
Mrs. Manson: That's a different test, dear. In this test, they're people and you tell me what they're discussing.
Daria: Oh... I see. All right, then. It's a guy and a girl and they're discussing... a herd of beautiful wild ponies running free across the plains.

 

Woman #1: What a pretty voice she has. Do you think?
Woman #2: Oh, yes. She sounds just like Frances did when she was younger.
Woman #3: I always did have a lovely voice.
Brittany: Thanks!
Woman #2: And I looked just like you, dear.
Brittany: Eep!

[mattie0808]

Oh, I forgot one of my all-time favorites...

 

Quinn: So you see, when you contribute to my surgery, it's like we're all sharing my surgery. We're making a statement about solidarity.
Andrea: Solidarity?
Quinn: You know, sisterhood is powerful.
Andrea: Aren't you even a *little* worried that there might be a Hell?

[Brn2bwild]

Love Daria, but Jake is one of my least favorite characters.  People claim he tries hard, but I don't see it.  If anything, he seems to go out of his way to avoid getting involved in his daughters' lives.  Then when he doesn't try, people claim it's because he's been so beaten down by his father/Ellenbogen/Helen/whoever.  No matter what he does, to a large portion of fans, he never looks bad and it's never his fault.  Personally, I find him to be whiny and passive aggressive and possibly worst of all, not funny. 

[Brn2bwild]

Not a monster by any means, but it's weird that her character seemed to take a step backward in Season Four, before rebounding in "Is It Fall Yet?".  Like they needed to make her extra shallow so that her brain breakthrough was more meaningful.

[mattie0808]

^^^Thanks! (I made the request for this forum, I truly LOVE Daria.)

[dcalley]

Waxing Episodic: 'Daria' grows up in 'Boxing Daria'

MTV's best show of the late '90s soared in its last regular episode.
By Louis Virtel | Friday, Apr 24, 2015 2:35 PM

 

It's been a long time since I've watched the last seasons of the show and I'm always sad to see it end, but this kind of makes me look forward to the next time I watch.

Edited April 24, 2015 by dcalley

[Eneya]

I always hope there will be a webseries of some sort.

Agh... hope.

[ErinW]

I loved "Boxing Daria." That was exactly how I felt when I was graduating high school, too. After wanting so long to get out of that high school crowd and culture, the feeling of, "wait wait wait, maybe I'm not ready!"

[RodLu]

<===== one of those Male "Darias".....

XD

[CocoaGoddess]

Even though I own the DVD box set, I've been DVRing the show and marathon watching every weekend.

 

I got a sense of dread when Tom finally showed up. What a terrible, terrible drag on the show he was, I'd almost forgotten how much I hated him. 

[WendyCR72]

<smallest voice ever> I sort of liked Tom. < /smallest voice ever >

 

I mean, I liked the Jane/Daria friendship, but Tom shook it up and tested it. Since it prevailed (and seemed realistic for teen girls, even outcast teen girls like Jane and Daria!), I didn't mind Tom and don't think he was inherently malicious.

 

I will admit he could be preachy.

[Arcadiasw]

Daria is on MTV Classics, formerly known as VH1 Classics, Mondays at 10 for an hour.

[VCRTracking]

Daria exclusive: See what Daria and her friends look like today!

[WendyCR72]

This was so cool!

[Brn2bwild]

Remember Daria? MTV Wants to Bring Her Back

 

Quote

The network on Thursday announced it is bringing back "Daria" in the form of a new series, tentatively titled "Daria & Jodie."

The new show, written by "Inside Amy Schumer" scribe Grace Edwards, will focus on Daria Morgendorffer and her friend Jodie Landon.

"These two smart young women take on the world, with their signature satirical voice while deconstructing popular culture, social classes, gender and race," according to a description provided by MTV.

The show's revival is part of a larger strategy to develop new series and find ways to bring back iconic properties from the network's 35-year history, work that will be done via MTV Studios, a new unit announced Thursday.

[WendyCR72]

This may make me a bad fan, but nooooooooo. The original series was close to perfect, IMO. Reboots always seem to end up tainting the original show. Sigh.

Why not just re-run the '97 series?

[Brn2bwild]

I think it could work if done right.  Having a writer for The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt at the helm is a step in the right direction.  Plus it's nice to have a woman as the lead writer for a show about women.  Here is some more about it:

Quote

When you say you're developing new and reimagined iconic series for franchises for SVOD and linear partners, what does that mean? Are you talking about MTV and Viacom launching an SVOD platform for originals, or are you talking about selling this to a third party, like Amazon, Apple, Hulu or Netflix?

The latter. We want to create great stories and let this IP live on. We have one of the largest youth libraries. In the first 30 years [of MTV] nobody was making cable content, so we had to make it ourselves. We're in the luxurious position of having owned most of our IP.  So much of our history has been about looking forward and not looking back. But the world has changed and so much growth is happening for everybody, from Marvel and ABC to NBC, through reimaginations of amazing IP. We stopped and thought that we were leaving something behind that is way more valuable than we realized. Once we started talking to people, they got really excited about how important these characters and franchises were to them. Daria was a good example. We brought on Grace Edwards as the writer and she is a huge fan of Daria. The story she wants to tell of Dariais different, it's about Daria and Jodie and two close friends taking on the world today and what's happening in our culture at large. It's less about the monetization and more about telling great stories. Of course, we're going to make money but it's about taking this IP and bring it into the future and doing these shows on platforms where audiences make the most sense. 

Edited June 24, 2018 by Brn2bwild

[WendyCR72]

I have nothing against Jodie, but she and Daria were never close friends, as someone said above. Where is Jane in all of this?

[Brn2bwild]

12 minutes ago, WendyCR72 said:

I have nothing against Jodie, but she and Daria were never close friends, as someone said above. Where is Jane in all of this?

There's a lot we don't know yet.  It might just be called "Daria" by the end, but feature Jodie more.  I doubt they would dump Jane, unless this takes place when they're adults and Jane is living somewhere else.

[Eneya]

On 6/22/2018 at 11:37 AM, nosleepforme said:

I find it odd that they want to center this new series on Daria and Jodie, because let's get real here, Jodie was also a fairly flat character, with not a lot of dimension to her. I think there was one episode in the original series where she mentions the pressure of being the model minority and I feel like that's most of what her character was about and the voice actress was not particularly strong. Hell, Daria and Jodie were not even friends in the original series, more like acquaintances.

 

Still, I loved Daria, and I don't think it has to be a bad thing to reboot the show for a 2018 climate. If they do it right, it could work. 

I loved Jodie. She was fleshed out in a few subsequent episodes, if I recall correctly.
I want to see a promo, trailer or something more before I jump on the wagon however.

[HeySandyStrange]

On 6/24/2018 at 2:56 PM, Brn2bwild said:

There's a lot we don't know yet.  It might just be called "Daria" by the end, but feature Jodie more.  I doubt they would dump Jane, unless this takes place when they're adults and Jane is living somewhere else.

From what I've read the show is being called a "reinvention" of the original series, which I take to mean it will be set in high school and meant to appeal to the younger audience MTV always aims for. I don't know how I feel about that; I would prefer them to follow Daria and Jane as thirty-somethings, dealing with the culture and climate now with their same, but more mature, outlook. 

I don't at all mind for Jodie to be more fleshed out and front and center, though. She always intrigued me for all the relatively little we saw of her over the original series. I do want Jane in there as a part of the friend group, though, or it just won't quite be the Daria I know and love.

[Trini]

And I'm assuming that they are aiming for the audience that watched the original, so I'm thinking that it will most likely be Daria as a thirty-something.

I kinda like the idea of a revival, but the show was a product of it's time, so it may not work as well today. In particular, I think that snarky, sarcastic, outsider characters are more prevalent nowadays, so it wouldn't be the same.

[JAYJAY1979]

Daria and Jodie weren't close friends.. but I think they were equals intellectually and had a mutual respect for one another.  The Gifted episode especially showed how Jodie wish she was a little more like Daria and Daria admitted she wished she was a little more like Jodie.  

[WendyCR72]

Apparently, Jodie has been upgraded and Daria downgraded. Jodie Landon is having her own spinoff show, voiced by Tracee Ellis Ross, although former Lawndale High characters will appear.

[piccadilly83]

On 6/13/2019 at 2:43 PM, WendyCR72 said:

Apparently, Jodie has been upgraded and Daria downgraded. Jodie Landon is having her own spinoff show, voiced by Tracee Ellis Ross, although former Lawndale High characters will appear.

Why aren’t TPTB using the original actress who played the part?

[WendyCR72]

5 minutes ago, piccadilly83 said:

Why aren’t TPTB using the original actress who played the part?

I read elsewhere that Jessica Cydnee Jackson is now a speech therapist or speech pathologist or whatever in NYC these days.

[Tenshinhan]

18 minutes ago, piccadilly83 said:

Why aren’t TPTB using the original actress who played the part?

Also it's been twenty years, I doubt they would consider the original actress.  Especially since this is supposed to be more of a reimagining/reinvention.

[LadyChaos]

I wouldn't be surprised if the Daria spin off ends up on HULU.  

 

In other thoughts: I've always had this head canon that Trent had feelings for Daria, but chose never to act on it because he knew he wouldn't be good for her and would just drag her down.

Anyone else think that?

[WendyCR72]

On 1/10/2020 at 7:30 PM, LadyChaos said:

I wouldn't be surprised if the Daria spin off ends up on HULU.  

It will be on Comedy Central. As will a just-announced revival of Beavis and Butthead.

[MisterGlass]

I decided that a pandemic was a good time to revisit Daria.  I watched it start to finish on Hulu.  I was surprised how many episodes I missed in the original run.  It was interesting to see the ones that I loved and the ones that were new to me side by side.  Tom was a big part in the episodes that I didn't see originally.  He's a bit of a miss for me - not much character outside of being a challenge/foil for the mains.  However, he doesn't take away from my affection for the series.

The re-watch deepened my respect for the show.  It's quality over five seasons remained quite high.  It was a comfort to me in uncertain times, and is again.

Looking up show background, I was shocked to see how much of the voice work was done by Wendy Hoopes (Jane, Helen, Quinn) and Marc Thompson (Kevin, Mr. DeMartino, Mr. O'Neil, occasionally Upchuck).  They did a great job, as did the rest of the cast.

Finally, a quote from Jane that must find excuses to use: "You're a twisted little cruller, ain't you?"

[Brn2bwild]

On 7/5/2020 at 7:49 PM, MisterGlass said:

I decided that a pandemic was a good time to revisit Daria.  I watched it start to finish on Hulu.  I was surprised how many episodes I missed in the original run.  It was interesting to see the ones that I loved and the ones that were new to me side by side.  Tom was a big part in the episodes that I didn't see originally.  He's a bit of a miss for me - not much character outside of being a challenge/foil for the mains.  However, he doesn't take away from my affection for the series.

The re-watch deepened my respect for the show.  It's quality over five seasons remained quite high.  It was a comfort to me in uncertain times, and is again.

Looking up show background, I was shocked to see how much of the voice work was done by Wendy Hoopes (Jane, Helen, Quinn) and Marc Thompson (Kevin, Mr. DeMartino, Mr. O'Neil, occasionally Upchuck).  They did a great job, as did the rest of the cast.

Finally, a quote from Jane that must find excuses to use: "You're a twisted little cruller, ain't you?"

I tried watching on Hulu, but it looked as though they didn't have Is It Fall Yet? or Is It College Yet?.  The former you definitely need in order to figure out what's going on in Season Five.

I used to be a super fan of Daria, and still enjoy it a lot.  There are a few things about it that bug me, though.  The first is their portrayal of popular people -- while I could see some being as sweet and dopey as Brittany, or as oblivious as Kevin, I feel like they missed the boat on portraying how nasty and bullying popular people can be.  And how the wider school system can often cater to them.  Sandi Griffin might have been a good choice to portray that type of person, but she was never shown as having significant power over her classmates.

The second is the portrayal of Daria's parents.  Some of this is influenced by my dealings with the '90s/2000s fandom (male-dominated, surprisingly).  They treated Jake like a poor sad flower being constantly trodden by his horrible overbearing wife.  Personally I hated Jake and thought he was mostly useless, though I don't know if I would have felt so strongly about him if he hadn't been so, so loved by male fans who projected their own woes onto him.  The show seems more neutral toward Jake and generally portrays Helen as sharp, but even the show can't resist flogging the stereotype of "overdriven, ambitious woman who neglects her family for her own needs," which was a thing in the '80s and '90s.  (Helen's Hillary Clinton hair was no coincidence.)  Today, Helen's work wouldn't be as big a deal, and I think Jake's neglect would either not be as prevalent, or would be called out more.

Finally, the animation has not aged well.  The Season Three animation was pretty good, but it looked awful in Season One and Season Four.  Season Four, they were trying to get the hang of computer animation, and they left in a lot of kinks.  In Partner's Complaint, for instance, there is a scene where Jodie looks like she's floating as she walks.  

[Hiyo]

Personally, I thought it was refreshing that they didn’t give us the cliched Bully/mean girl power duo who ruled the school and made life miserable for the non-populars.

 

[MisterGlass]

9 hours ago, Brn2bwild said:

I feel like they missed the boat on portraying how nasty and bullying popular people can be.  And how the wider school system can often cater to them.  Sandi Griffin might have been a good choice to portray that type of person, but she was never shown as having significant power over her classmates.

The second is the portrayal of Daria's parents.  Some of this is influenced by my dealings with the '90s/2000s fandom (male-dominated, surprisingly).  They treated Jake like a poor sad flower being constantly trodden by his horrible overbearing wife. 

Sandi's definitely a bully and a tyrant to the members of the fashion club at least.

It's interesting to hear that was the fandom experience; I wasn't online much then.  I wouldn't have guessed that the fandom skewed male.  It doesn't shock me that that's how people interpreted Jake.  Watching it now it seems like Jake is a disappointed boomer who can't keep up with the speed at which his family moves.  Usually he's his own worst enemy.  Helen's working mother stereotype wears a bit thin, but at the same time she does have some very good parenting moments across the series.

[JAYJAY1979]

I felt Jake was a man full of regret, that he wanted to be a good person..but had no idea how to do so.  While I viewed Helen and Daria's interplay to be fascinating..almost like a chess game.

I also likes how the characters kind of evolved in subtle ways especially Quinn.  Boxing Daria was my favorite episode showing how much Daria relied on Jane, how supportive Quinn was, and how both parents understood and loved Daria for who she was.

[zenithwit]

I miss this show 😞

[WendyCR72]

1 hour ago, zenithwit said:

I miss this show 😞

There is a YT account called Daria Fan Channel, that posts clips of the show.