Daria: Difference between revisions

** Glenn Eichler lampshaded this in a note that's included in the DVD release.

* [[Cluster F-Bomb]]: Not quite F-bombs, but something similar from the musical episode "Daria!", when Jake is trying to make it home through heavy traffic:

'''Very Moral Family:''' [[Hypocritical Humor|We hope that you die!]] }}

* [[Comically Missing the Point]]: During a family trip to an Psychotherapy Spa (not a real spa) Jake loses his temper at Helen and accuses her of only pretending to be a perfect mother when in reality she'd sooner prefer [[Parental Neglect|losing herself in her work]]. This causes Helen to come to the realization that she may actually be a horrible mother, running from the room, with Daria and Jake following her. When the therapist asks Quinn what she thinks of all this, she simply quips: "[[Mood Whiplash|You'd probabaly get more business if you just offered facials.]]"

* [[Dumb Blonde]]: Brittany.

* [[Dysfunctional Family]]: The Morgendorffers have their friction, but compared to Jane's completely screwed up family - who (among other faults) has left her and her barely older brother to fend for themselves - they're [[The Brady Bunch]]. In fact, Lawndale could be renamed [[Dysfunction Junction]] with very little effort.

** There's also Brittany's family. In fact, Brittany's family even defines this trope in "Groped By An Angel".

** Similarly, Jodie's father, in her words, thinks he's Dr Martin Luther King Jnr. and both of her parents are too driven to success to respect her feelings and freedom of choice.

** According to "A Tree Grows in Lawndale" Kevin is apparently the only talented quarterback in the school.

* [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]]: Pierce Me has the following gem.

'''Axel:''' "It's not uvula." }}

** Kevin delivers an excellent - if unintentional - insult during a break up with Brittany:

** This beautiful blink-and-you-miss-it line from Jake to Kevin:

** One of Ms. Li's credit alteregos is clearly a prostitute.

** From "The Old and the Beautiful":

'''Mr Demartino''' "A statement one day no doubt, also made by your mother." }}

* [[Girlish Pigtails]]: Brittany. Could also apply to Stacy if you count twin braids as pigtails.

* [[Girl Posse]]: The Fashion Club.

'''Tiffany:''' But, we do that all day for free. That's why everyone likes us. }}

* [[The Glasses Gotta Go]]: "Through a Lens Darkly".

* [[Hollywood Heart Attack]]: Jake

* [[Hollywood Pudgy]]: In "Fat Like Me" when Sandi puts on a few pounds after breaking her leg, the rest of the fashion club is immediately horrified by her slightly chubby status. Of course, Sandi brought it on herself by instituting a weight limit just before the accident.

* [[Homeschooled Kids]]: Ted.

* [[Hot for Student]]: From the episode "Lucky Strike".

* [[I Need a Freaking Drink]]: Helen says this (without the freaking) moments after arriving at her niece's wedding.

** Mr. DeMartino chugging nearly a full hip flask of liquor on a paintball excursion. Hilariously, this was literally seconds after rejecting an offer of a drink from its owner (Jake).

''(DeMartino starts gulping down like there's no tomorrow)'' }}

** Then there was the time Jake chugged a whole Martini pitcher when Aunt Rita came through the door.

* [[Karmic Death]]: The aforementioned Tommy Sherman, killed by the collapsible goalpost being dedicated to him and his monstrous ego. Ironically, the collapsible goalpost was built as a ''safety measure'' due to Sherman's history of head injuries from ramming into goalposts. Of course, such a safety feature works better when the goalpost isn't still in a heavy wooden crate with sharp edges.

* [[Keep Circulating the Tapes]]: Even though MTV released the entire series uncut and uncensored, a lot of purists are still trying to get the episodes via tape-trading and torrent downloading, as the DVD version has a lot of the soundtrack replaced with generic music. Quoting the DVD's insert:

::Both the stand-alone DVD release of "Is It College Yet?" and the version on the full series set is cut and censored. The original master had music that wasn't licensed for DVD, and MTV lost the audio edit points that would allow re-integration of the clipped material into a releasable product. The extra material was included in re-airings of the movie on The N in exchange for censored content; The N had the rights to the original music.

* [[Kick the Dog]]: Used [[In-Universe|in universe]] in "Gifted" when Daria assures Quinn she shouldn't be scared of the town's "mass murderers, serial killers, torturers, cannibals... puppy kickers."

* [[Lame Comeback]]: Kevin and Brittany get into one of their weekly arguments; before stalking off, Britney snaps at him.

'''Kevin:''' "...You think I don't know what that means? I know what that means!" <ref>He doesn't know that that means.</ref> }}

* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: Jodie feels pressure, being the perfect role model for all the black kids in school - and she then points out that there aren't any black kids except for her and Mack. (There are a few black students as background characters.) In "Life in the Past Lane" when Jane's new boyfriend means a new retro style, she says "This was so much easier when I only had one outfit."

* [[Nobody Touches the Hair]]: In "Life in the Past Lane", Jane falls for Nathan, a guy with fantastic dress sense, who turns out to be an aficionado of 1950s and '60s fashion. When the two cut the rug at a speakeasy-themed club, she runs her fingers through his... pomade. He freaks out, and runs to the men's room to fix his do.

* [[No Kill Like Overkill]]: Daria's dream sequence in "Murder She Snored" featured Kevin being poisoned by Jane, shot with an arrow by Brittany, clubbed by Mack, kicked by Ms. Barch, and strangled and stashed away by Mr. DeMartino after he was dead.

* [[Noodle People]]: A lot of the female character designs, particularly the Fashion Club. Possibly [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshaded]] with the magazine "Waif"

* [[No Social Skills]]: Ted. He was homeschooled and does it show. He didn't even know what pizza was before Daria took him out.

** Also Quinn's poem in ''Quinn the Brain''. "The greasy fry, it cannot lie, it's truth is written on my thigh."

* [[Paintball Episode]]: "The Daria Hunter".

'''Daria''': I can't shoot my own mother. Not with ''paint'', anyway. }}

* [[Parental Substitute]]: Helen treated Trent like her own son while he was staying with the Morgandorfers.

* [[Party Scheduling Gambit]]: [[Alpha Bitch|Sandi]] ropes Quinn into volunteering for the Dance Committee, only to leave her hanging when she rejects her ideas. In response, Quinn passes off the responsbilities to Daria and Jane while Sandi [[Start My Own|attempts a party of her own]].

* [[Perky Goth]]: Brittany Taylor in the episode: ''Ill''. Jane Lane mentions about Brittany the next day to Daria.

'''Jane''': No, there was too much of it. Any idea what caused this so-called rash? }}

* [[Pimped-Out Dress]]:

* [[Power of Love]]: Parodied in the episode "A Tree Grows in Lawndale" where Kevin walks without his crutches because of the love he and Brittany shared - or the "law" saying that cheerleaders could only date football players.

* [[Precision F-Strike|Precision B Strike:]] Daria to Jane, though the jury's out on how serious she was being.

* [[Promotion to Parent]]: Inverted, as ''Jane'' seems to be the responsible one in the Lane household instead of her older brother Trent (even - or ''especially'' - when all of the "Wandering Lanes" come back home, which is ''very'' rarely).

** The official website describes Casa Lane as the place "where Jane and Trent were raised. By each other."

** People mispronouncing Daria's name.

* [[Running Gagged]]: For most of the series, Quinn denies Daria is her sister, and says she's her cousin. However, as she grew and received [[Character Development]], she started sticking up for Daria more. Four and a half seasons in, Quinn is open about the relationship with her sister. This conversation from "Lucky Strike" sums it up:

'''Tiffany''': We were just being polite about it. }}

* [[Sadist Teacher]]: Mrs. Barch, and Mr. Demartino.

* [[Ted Baxter]]: Ms. Li is self-aggrandizing, dishonest, callous, cares only about improving her image, is often foolish, and treats students like livestock. Naturally, she believes herself to be a wonderful principal. Not to mention Upchuck, who thinks he's God's gift to women.

* [[Tempting Fate]]: Happened once when the class is on a hiking trip.

'''Daria''': [[Lampshade Hanging|Surprise.]] }}

* [[Their First Time]]: Subverted; Daria makes a big deal about having her "first time" with the more experienced Tom, but backs down at the last minute and has to deal with the fallout.

** "Boxing Daria" gives the above episode a run for its money.

* [[What Could Have Been]]: Although the creative team ran out of ideas by then, consider this exchange in ''Is It College Yet?'':

'''Daria:''' Hmm. That the students are shockingly ignorant, the professors self-centered and corrupt, and the entire system geared solely to the pursuit of funding? }}

* [[What Measure Is a Non-Cute?]]: Quinn's crusade to protect the ''cute'' animals.

* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Andrea's reaction to Quinn trying to get sponsors for her plastic surgery:

* [[Where Are They Now? Epilogue]]: A montage of images of the cast during the finale's end credits that...well, essentially serves the same purpose as the usual credit montages; i.e. putting the characters in ironic situations. Presumably non-canon, unless you can seriously buy Daria and Jane becoming perky morning talk show hosts in the future. Maybe if you replace "perky" with [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]]. However, Daria fan fiction often likes to deal with Stacy being a stock car racer.

* [[Where the Hell Is Springfield?]]: Lawndale is never given a specific location. While the general consensus among fandom seems to be that it is located in Maryland ([[Word of God|the creator says this too]], but also brings up Pennsylvania as a possibility), that doesn't quite explain how it can be day-trip distance away from deserts AND snowy mountains.

* [[Word Salad Lyrics]]: The lyrics in pretty much all Mystik Spiral songs make little to no sense.

** In "Speedtrapped," Daria reads a song Trent's been working on:

* [[Workaholic]]: Helen is an ''extremely'' career driven parent that can be easily distracted by her job over her family. However, she's also frequently a voice of reason for her daughters and often spends a great deal of time babysitting her neurotic husband.

* [[Write Who You Know]]: Daria's assignment in "Write Where It Hurts".

* [[You Need to Get Laid]]: For the first three seasons of the show, Jane's go-to impulse regarding Daria (and she always volunteered her brother, Trent!)