In the late nineties, Daria burst onto screens, a cartoon in which its eponymous heroine seemed to embody the cynicism of the decade with all her dry wit and misanthropic tendencies. When I began watching the show I wasn’t sure if it actually had anything to say beyond this simplistic setup. To my pleasant surprise, the best episodes of the show dissected the glass half empty nihilism, leaving some memorable episodes behind that have cemented Daria as a quirky cult classic.
Arts ‘N Crass (Season 2, Episode 1)
When Jane and Daria enter a poster into an art contest, their powerful message meets resistance from the school. Doing what Daria often does best, the episode delivers a punchy message under a veneer of dark humour, delighting in the revelation that Daria’s stark honesty holds more weight and meaning than the toxic positivity that her teachers wish to uphold. In seeming to reject unity, Daria has in fact tapped into a much deeper means to achieving it than the status quo maintaining adults.
Ill (Season 2, Episode 9)
Daria wakes up with a mysterious rash and for the first time in her life becomes self conscious about her appearance. This episode was mostly unremarkable for me until we see Daria start to question what it could mean for her understanding of herself if she actually cares about her appearance now.
The episode seems reluctant to fully embrace the grey of character facets, concluding with Daria ultimately determining her behaviour was a brief lapse in judgement, but it’s nonetheless an interesting moment in her character arc.
See Jane Run (Season 2, Episode 11)
Jane earns Daria’s confusion and disdain when she decides to join the track team. Jane pushes back against Daria’s ‘anti joiner’ attitude, forcing Daria to reassess the merits of applying blanket negativity to sport. It’s a nice developmental moment for their friendship and for Daria’s often black and white judgements of the world around her.
Is it fall yet? (First Daria feature film)
The first feature length Daria experience, this tale unpacks the tensions Daria experiences with Jane and others as she begins dating Jane’s former paramour Tom.
In the only overtly queer moment of the show, Jane is noticed by another girl at art camp and the moment is handled much more progressively and kindly than I imagine many other nineties shows did at the time, with the character in question even using the word ‘bisexual’ as a self identifier. Kudos, Daria!
Boxing Daria (Season 5, episode 13)
The most outstanding episode of Daria (in my humble opinion) is its final one (preceding a concluding film). Daria is triggered when an empty cardboard box comes into her life, leading her to recall a childhood memory in which she felt like a burden to her parents.
Arguably the deepest the show has ever gotten, Boxing Daria looks at childhood trauma with sympathy, and could certainly be read with an autistic lens as Daria examines a painful moment in which she felt that behaving differently than other kids was causing her parents pain. Daria’s parents reassure her that she misinterpreted the argument she overheard them have when she was young and it’s a wonderfully affirming character moment. Quinn also returns the box to Daria after it disappears, cementing the notion that even though Daria’s family don’t always understand her, they love her and accept her as she is.
Is it college yet? (Second Daria feature film)
The closing feature film to Daria, this tale covers Daria considering her college options, and falling out with Jane who seems reluctant to consider art college. It’s an enjoyable subversion of their usual relationship to see Daria be the one to criticise Jane’s shutting down.
It’s also notable for a great Quinn storyline as the younger Morgendorffer starts work at a restaurant and has to contend with a cool but reckless coworker. It’s the most mature we ever see Quinn behave, making it a shame she never got more moments to shine. Quinn is arguably as cynical as Daria in her own way, so it’s refreshing to see her own walls come down in an attempt to genuinely help another.
Daria unpacks its trademark cynicism in a variety of delightful ways, including many episodes I haven’t included here. If you fancy a fun trip down 90s nostalgia lane, why not take a step into its sick, sad world?
Otaku Brit (^.^) 