Cartoon Corner- Daria (Season 5)

Originally posted at the DL May 2015

Yeah this is my favorite season.  The hatemail from Daria fandom will be arriving any day I'm sure.



So each season sectioned off a particular part of Daria's own character arc.  1 establishes her clash against societal expectation, 2 expands her exposure to the world at large, 3 has her doubting her own motives and hypocrisy, and 4 the world and her closest friends actually challenging her on above.  So after shuffling through an angst period in the first movie, season 5 is largely about Daria just... giving life a fair shake.  Being Daria she will pace back and forth on the "Do Something" precipice, and really this is Tom's function in the show (aside from being a gender flipped satellite love interest, which is cute and I do appreciate it).  Since he's an outsider to the cast, while still being largely trusted by Daria, he can be the voice that says "no, seriously, give it a shot, the worst that happens is you're sorta embarrassed."  And then she gets really mad at him for a while then admits she was being a doofus and life goes on.  A similar running theme exists for most of the cast; it's okay to give a damn and try.

This of course means that Helen was right all along, because apparently she's got the superpower of actually holding two full on conversations at the same time.

It doesn't get the best episode nod, but this write-up does have to make specific mention of Boxing Daria.  Fittingly it's only the very last episode that reveals Daria's Secret Origins, because it is only at this moment, after the entire series of her character arc, that we can actually appreciate it properly.  And more importantly, that Daria herself can; she was wrong about everything.  That life was worth giving as many tries as it took because eventually something would take and living without those things was hardly living at all.

This is how we know it's fictional.
I kid.

Best Episode: Lucky Strike.  This one has the major resolution of Quinn's story arc, so that's huge points there.  A lot of my favorite gags for the series are in this particular episode as well (like every word from Li and DeMartino's mouths for starters).  More than that though, much like Pinch Sitter way back in Season 1, this episode is one of those unqualified wins for Daria.  I mean, Jeffy (I think) managed an original thought.  That's a hell of an accomplishment.

Weakest Episode: Sappy Anniversary.  A lot of my comments on Is It Fall Yet?  apply here.  I get the concept, it advances the story arc, but god it can be tedious to sit through 20 minutes that SHOULD have been resolved with the exchange "I feel like you take me for granted" "Howso?"  "Well we never really do anything special or celebrate anything" "I guess that's fair.  What should we do then?"  Of course I'm sure I've met grown ass men and women who couldn't have that conversation, but sometimes verisimilitude is a bitch y'know?

Rating: 8/10.  Smooth all the way down.  Ayup.