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Red episode names indicate favorites.
| 101 - Esteemsters |
Liked it...boldy introduced the charcters and set up the basic tenets of the series.
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| 102 - The Invitation |
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| 103 - College Bored |
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| 104 - Cafe Disaffecto |
An interesting premise, Andrea speaks, and we meet up with Mrs. Johansen for the first time. Not bad, but there've been better.
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| 105 - Malled |
Well, it was okay, but a bit lower-key than I would've thought the Mall of the Millennium would bring out in Daria and Jane. But I liked the encounter between Daria and Quinn... (I've been to the Mall of America, by the way. Three times, or was it four? Either way, I enjoyed it. |
| 106 - This Year's Model |
The weaker episode, but one of the ones that throws the Daria / Quinn difference right on the table. Besides, we get to see Daria's room, I think for the first time... (I don't think I've picked one of the Season One episodes as a favorite. Might've if they weren't ranked by Episode Number, but, as I've said before, I might not have stuck with watching the show if it had stayed in Season One mode.) |
| 107 - The Lab Brat |
An all-right episode, solidifying the "Kevin is an idiot" bit.
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| 108 - Pinch Sitter |
The first of the Season One episodes to be a contender for the top spot. It had Daria babysitting the Gupty children, Quinn getting dumped for pre-planning a dumping, and Daria and Jane and their Fractured Fairy Tales. Besides, who could forget the last song?
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| 109 - Too Cute |
I can eliminate this one right off---because it's one of the ones I don't have on tape. I *think* I've seen it...but the memory of maybe seeing it *once* isn't the same as watching it over and over again. Abstain.
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| 110 - The Big House |
This one I *definitely* haven't seen, unlike "Too Cute" a couple of numbers back. (Naturally I've read the transcript at "Outpost Daria," but it's not the same thing.) So I can drop it right now and concentrate on the other four.
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| 111 - Road Worrier |
A good one. We get to see Daria wear something other than her usual outfit. We see her make a real connection with Trent (maybe not the connection some hope for, but, still, something.) And the ultimate resolution of the Alternapalooza plot is a wonder to behold.
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| 112 - The Teachings of Don Jake |
Good episode. Nothing like watching one's entire family freak out to
really break up a camping trip.
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| 113 - The Misery Chick |
A. k. a. "The Death of Tommy Sherman." Considerable revelation about Daria's standings with her associates and their opinion of her. Character revelations and learned lessons abound. A top episode, for me probably the best of Season One.
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| 201 - Arts 'N Crass |
I liked the taking of a typical high school event---a poster contest in art class---and taking it to the extreme limit, Daria style...
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| 202 - The Daria Hunter |
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| 203 - Quinn the Brain |
"Quinn the Brain" showed that Daria could give Quinn a run for her money if she was truly motivated...and that Quinn could do the same for Daria.
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| 204 - I Don't |
One of the best. The inner workings of the Barksdale family are explored at length---and a lot of fun. Extra added attraction: the jeweler who casts doubt on the relationship between Kevin and Mack.
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| 205 - That was Then, This is Dumb |
I thought it was funny all around. I liked the scenes where Jake and Helen worry over losing their values, then wind up corrupting Willow and Coyote. I liked the foursome's foray into the world of swap meets and drive-in sales. A winner. (I've marked April 1st, 2007 on my calender.) |
| 206 - Monster |
A good episode. Quinn's "pores" monologue is priceless. And we find out that Daria (a) has a conscience, and (b) cares for Quinn.
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| 207 - The New Kid |
A lotta fun, but weakens some towards the end. Besides, Barch did beat up DeMartino...
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| 208 - Gifted |
Another fun one, but, for me, the "B" plot outweighed the "A" plot. Daria and Jodie and their experiences at Grove Hills were a blast, but I really enjoyed Quinn and her "foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests" experience.
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| 209 - Ill |
Now, this was fun. Daria subject to psychosomatic (or is it psychosomantic with an "m"?) rashes. Daria doesn't run to Jane or even Helen and / or Jake. Quinn tries to help. Jane can't keep a secret. A top episode. |
| 210 - Fair Enough |
Funny. Contains the only significant Daria / Jane / Stacy encounter. We learn Jamie's last name. Besides, you get to see Upchuck in his Court Jester outfit.
And Brittany has something of a brain within her skull. Certainly she can run rings around Kevin. |
| 211 - See Jane Run |
Another good one. Just because Jane and Daria are friends doesn't mean they won't fight over something...even if that something is overtly Jane's sleazy involvement in the track team, but under all that is the issue of "guys."
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| 212 - Pierce Me |
Fine episode.
Trent's attempt to communicate with Daria by phone was fantastic...as was Jane's
reaction when she hit redial. Then all the fun of Dega Street...and the way
getting a birthday present for Jane involved piercing Daria's belly
button...
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| 213 - Write Where It Hurts |
More character revelation. And we learn something of what Daria would like out of life. The downside being that we learn that, deep down, Daria may just be an ordinary teenager afterall. I'd put this last, for that, and for the Jane Austen parody..."last" only in relation to the other 13's not the series as a whole... |
| 301 - Through A Lens Darkly |
One of those ones that defined the central character for me...think how different things would look if Daria didn't get upset about losing her glasses...
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| 302 - The Old And The Beautiful |
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| 303 - Depth Takes A Holiday |
I liked the Spirits of the Holidays in "Depth Takes a Holiday," (must've, 'cause I used St. Pat's in another fanfic). They certainly seemed smarter than most of the people 'round Lawndale, even the ones in the band. And then there was "Soccer riot!"
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| 304 - Daria Dance Party |
Another fun episode. Jane's tribute to Jackson Pollock (I had to look him up to check the spelling.) "My head hurts." The Fashion Club gets a comeuppance. On the downside, Daria and Jane indulge in the least kind behavior I can recall them engaging in...dumping those guys just because they find they're related to Upchuck. |
| 305 - The Lost Girls |
I thought this one was a lot funnier than most people apparently did. I liked Daria being sarcastic and Val just not getting it. I liked Jane's prompting for a trip to New York. I liked Daria's cracks about Val's age. (Last time I bought booze, I was carded. I was 39 at the time.) |
306 - It Happened One Nut |
Another good episode. Daria's adventures in the workplace are priceless. Trent and Jesse and their utter involvement in songwriting and nut-gathering in the mall is fantastic. And the way Jane got Daria out of her job---without, I believe, ever letting Daria know she did---was great.
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| 307 - Daria! |
There's a lotta dislike for this episode around these parts, but I'm fonder of it than most. Although the premise does raise the possibility that, after this episode, at any moment, any of the characters might break out in song...
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| 308 - Lane Miserables |
The best, maybe the best overall. The wandering Lanes all return home at once, causing the overflow (Jane, and later Trent) to drift to the Morgendorffers, where they become the son and daughter Jake and Helen never had. Deals with so many issues it's hard to single out just one. Oh, yeah, maybe Quinn's "Doesn't anybody want to hear what ungodly hour I got in?" line.
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| 309 - Jake of Hearts |
Jake's heart finally betrays him and he takes to his bed. Quinn and Helen alter their behavior because of it. Grandma Morgendorffer comes to take care of Jake. Daria, the voice of sanity in this episode (at least), returns things to right and normal, despite the yammering of two brainless DJs at school. I liked the part in the hospital, where the doctor asks if anything might be causing Jake stress. I've always thought that, as far as stress goes, Helen, Quinn, and Daria would be known as "carriers." Another top episode. |
| 310 - Speedtrapped |
Another funny one. We learn that the rest of Mystic Spiral make Trent look like a genius. We explore the seamier side of law enforcement. We see that Quinn prefers to ditch her friends in the Fashion Club to go gallivanting off with Daria. And Daria develops a taste for country music, besides.
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| 311 - The Lawndale File |
I liked it. Artie's appearance was a blast. And the surprise on the faces of Daria and Jane at the school rally was a sight to behold.
Then there were the lines from Tiffany: "But if that girl were an Atomic Communist, wouldn't she have a more interesting outfit?" Followed immediately by Stacy's "You're scaring me, Tiffany!" |
| 312 - Just Add Water |
Good, but probably the least
of the bunch. (Contrived situation, mostly.) But I liked Helen and Ms. Li's
high-stakes poker game. (Helen would've won it, only she didn't.) And Mr.
DeMartino wandering around trying to sell his watch was worth
it.
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| 313 - Jane's Addition |
The fulcrum on which the series rests: the Jump-the-Shark point for some, but certainly the basis for all that came after. More character revelations abound. We meet Tom for the first time. We learn that Trent is, once and for all, a slacker. We learn that Daria-and-Jane are not an indivisible unit, that their friendship can be shaken if not broken. |
| 401 - Partner's Complaint |
First one I actually saw when it first aired. I liked Daria being cranky and angry with Jane---but not wrong about what Jodie did...
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| 402 - Antisocial Climbers |
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| 403 - A Tree Grows In Lawndale |
"A Tree Grows in Lawndale" actually had Kevin take off his football uniform---anything that managed that feat is okay in my book. Wasn't that the one that had the new football player, who couldn't get anybody to play by his rules? And the final shot, just as fantastic as anything in "Depth Takes a Holiday"...
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| 404 - Murder, She Snored |
The pits. The worst episode I've seen. A dream sequence, adding up to nothing. Still, it does establish that, subconsciously at least, Daria expects everybody to betray her--even Jane.
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| 405 - The 'F' Word |
Best scene overall: The first sight of Mr. O'Neill's apartment, and Jane's reaction to it. (Daria did mispronounce "hydrocephalic.") |
| 406 - I Loathe A Parade |
Probably the most crucial episode in terms of the Daria / Jane / Tom triangle. That Daria would hook up with Tom seemed less than inevitable at this point. (We've thrashed this out, a lot, over the years.) But what hit hard was the punchline of it: that Daria was utterly miserable watching Tom and Jane, and that Tom knew it.
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| 407 - Of Human Bonding |
The "Daria and Jake" part was lesser, but the "Fashion Club and Helen" part more than made up for it. (Besides, I got a fanfic idea from it.)
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| 408 - Psycho Therapy |
Probably the weakest, but anything that had "JaneCam" couldn't be all bad. See Jane Floss!
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| 409 - Mart Of Darkness |
I liked this one, though the main plot was a little contrived (after all, how often do you see Daria lounging around with her boots off? And couldn't Quinn just ask her for a shoelace?) But it was a lot of fun, seeing the various characters *behave* down at the discount warehouse. The picnic scenes were funny, too. We got to see Kevin's parents, and discover the problem didn't begin with him. And Andrea got dialog...what more can somebody ask for?
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| 410 - Legends Of The Mall |
Weaker, but each tale did tell us something about what the narrator thought. We learn that Stacy (narrator of "Rattling Girl") thinks Sandi is ultimately an evil influence. We learn that Trent (narrator of "Metalmouth") thinks DeMartino wasn't much of a teacher. We learn that Jane (narrator of "The House of Bad Grades") thinks Daria gets her way by interfering with others getting their way. Besides, we get to see a woman who might or might not be Upchuck's mother. And we learn Trent's car catches on fire often enough to not be a big deal when it does. And we get to see the cast wear older fashions a season before "Life in the Past Lane." |
| 411 - Groped By An Angel |
Somewhat lesser than the others, but still a lot of fun. After all, Mystik Spiral do debut a new song here. And the scene after the party, between Daria and Quinn...well, I think we might be seeing another emergence of smart Quinn and caring Daria here...
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| 412 - Fire! |
You could say this was the first of a
two-parter with "Dye! Dye! My Darling," since it all leads one into another. So
many things to touch on, like Quinn and the Fashion Club monopolizing hotel
services, the sight of Penny Lane's room, all the way down to the deteriorating
relationship between Jane and Tom, the growing one between Daria and Tom, and
the fast-deteriorating one between Daria and Jane.
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413 - Dye! Dye! My Darling |
Another fulcrum. We remove Daria from the "never been kissed" category. We learn that Daria, Jane, and Tom can behave in ways as petty and obnoxious as anybody. We learn that Daria can be honest, even though that honesty risks her friendship with Jane. We learn, to our surpise, that Helen *will* make time for Daria. *And* we learn that Daria *may* embark on a relationship with Tom. We don't actually see it start beyond The Kiss (perhaps the major flaw in the series), but that relationship has begun by the time "Is It Fall Yet?" opens. |
| MOVIE - Is it Fall Yet? |
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| 501 - Fizz Ed |
Not one of my favorites...but any episode that has Ms. Li running around with an ax has something going for it...
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| 502 - Sappy Anniversary |
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| 503 - Fat Like Me |
"Fat Like Me" showed so much of the relationships between the Fashion Clubbers...that when Sandi was removed from events, the others related to each other as friends...that Quinn does think of herself as Sandi's friend, and that Sandi seems surprised by it...that Stacy has a brain...and that somebody could push Stacy too far. (I also liked it because I partially anticipated part of the plot in one of my fanfics.)
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| 504 - Camp Fear |
I liked it, but it's no "I Don't.
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| 505 - The Story of D |
Somewhat weaker---not a real clunker---largely about motivation. Someone of Daria's age and experience---and attitude---shouldn't have been so bummed out by her story's fate. The Fashion Club subplot was a lot of fun, though. It does say that they're so insecure about their opinions that they bend when confronted by "authority." (i. e. "Waif" magazine.) (I must've received a hundred rejections by the time I was Daria's age. Right now, a long time further on, I realize they were doing me a favor. The stuff I was writing then was just awful.) |
| 506 - Lucky Strike |
Yet another classic episode. Mr. DeMartino and Ms. Li arguing over the contract shows both to great effect. Trent and Mr. O'Neill composing a strike song together---also great. Hiring a pedophile as a replacement teacher---skirting with potential disaster, but it was really funny. And then there's Quinn's crucial moment: when she finally states, in public, that Daria is her sister. The first time around, I missed Sandi's gasp, because I gasped, too... |
| 507 - Art Burn |
Pretty good. And we get to meet up with some of the Wandering Lanes again...
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| 508 - One J at a Time |
No, maybe this was the weakest. Well, it did have Jake, Tom, and Jeffy experiencing male bondage---bonding!
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| 509 - Life in the Past Lane |
I liked this one, too, but the B plot (Upchuck's magic act, assisted by the lovely Stacy) stole the show. All through the season, it seems Stacy has been gathering some strength of character (remember the end of "Art Burn"?), and this one just capped it. Besides, seeing Jane wear something other than those clothes she usually wears was a lot of fun, too. |
| 510 - Aunt Nauseam |
A fun episode, another visit with the bickering Barksdale sisters. Even Aunt Amy joins in. And we learn that Stacy's shoulders are asymmetrical... |
| 511 - Prize Fighters |
Again, somewhat lesser. I would've thought there'd've been more on Daria's conflict on trying to do the scholarly equivalent of "dressing for success," but instead, the episode went off on a tangent about how sleazy the scholarship actually was. But Daria, Jodie, and Upchuck each taking a different tack while fighting it out for the scholarship was great... But I think it does lay some groundwork for "Is It College Yet?" |
| 512 - My Night at Daria's |
Had its moments. Handled the would-be event with some
sensitivity. Confirmed beyond any doubt that Quinn is a blabbermouth. Daria's
revenge was sweet, too.
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| 513 - Boxing Daria |
Since only the yet-to-premiere movie remains beyond this point (unless MTV decides it wants more "Daria" somewhere down the road deep in an unforeseeable future...hope, hope...), we can't be sure how much events in this will effect events in Daria's life. But we see that Daria realizes much of her own life as "the misery chick" is of her own doing. *And* we find that her friendship with Jane is stronger than ever. |
| MOVIE - Is it College Yet? |
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