Review: Daria: The Complete Series

“Jake of Hearts”
Original Air Date: July 21, 1999
Jake’s mom, who has judged every move he makes, comes to stay in Lawndale with the family when Jake has a heart attack. Daria must deal with a pair of DJs who broadcast from Lawndale High. The two idiots are obnoxious, but not smart enough to prepare for what Daria has in store for them.

“Speedtrapped”
Original Air Date: July 28, 1999
When Daria gets her license, she’s elated to be driving. However, one of her first major trips is to another town to bail Jane and Trent’s band, Mystik Spiral, out of jail. Quinn decides to go along, and Daria makes the mistake of entrusting her with holding the bail money.

“The Lawndale File”
Original Air Date: August 4, 1999
Jane and Daria believe that aliens have inhabited Lawndale. They realize they are in the Twilight Zone when Trent starts writing happy music, but there are plenty of indicators of aliens as Mr. DeMartino gets arrested and agents from the government show up to examine anyone looking different. Eventually, Jane and Daria are labelled atomic communists, after Mr. O’Neill runs his mouth.

“Just Add Water”
Original Air Date: August 11, 1999
To raise money for the school, Ms. Li makes all the students participate in Casino Cruise Night on a dilapidated ship. Quinn gets stood up by her date for the night. Both Mr. O’Neill and Jake are seduced by the same woman. Mr. DeMartino has gambling problems. Daria and Jane try to sleep through all of this, having stayed up for an all night marathon of Sick, Sad World.

“Jane’s Addition”
Original Air Date: August 18, 1999
Daria and Jane must do a multimedia project on the computer. Their project is hindered by Trent, who is slow to get music made for the project. In the meantime, Jane starts dating Tom. Daria is threatened by their relationship, which she feels might end her friendship with Jane.

SEASON FOUR

“Partner’s Complaint”
Original Air Date: February 25, 2000
Daria is upset that Jane spends all her time with Tom. She ends up choosing Jodie as her partner in a project for Mrs. Bennett’s class. The two decide to start a business, but are rejected from getting a bank loan because they are young and Jodie is black. Daria realizes how much she misses Jane when she gets in a fight with Jodie, who uses her father’s name to get them a loan from the bank. Jane pairs up with Brittany and the two try to buy a car, but the Car Salesman is more interested in booty with Brittany.

“Antisocial Climbers”
Original Air Date: March 3, 2000
Disaster strikes on a Lawndale High wilderness trip. Mr. O’Neill has an asthma attack, the survival gear has been replaced by Quinn’s items thanks to Joey, Jeffy and Jamie, Ms. Barch loses track of Mr. O’Neill and Mr. DeMartino falls off the edge of a cliff. This leaves Daria and Jane lost in the wilderness, while a television network tapes it all. Jake and Helen try to reignite their passion by renting a cabin in the middle of nowhere.

“A Tree Grows in Lawndale”
Original Air Date: March 10, 2000
Kevin begins to pity himself after he gets into a motorcycle accident, and is injured when he hits the Tommy Sherman Memorial Tree. This affects his ability to play as the QB and the football team makes Lawndale look like a bunch of losers when they lose every game without Kevin. Tom and Daria suggest that Kevin speak on safety to help get him out of his funk.

“Murder, She Snored”
Original Air Date: March 17, 2000
When the football team, including Kevin, all get perfect scores on the history test, Mr. DeMartino accuses them of cheating. He believes Kevin stole the test answers and threatens to fail the entire class if the person responsible doesn’t confess. Daria half-joking/half-sarcastic says she’s going to kill Kevin for making her fail. At home Daria has a dream where Kevin is murdered and it is up to Upchuck’s Angels (the Fashion Club) to prove Daria is innocent.

“The F Word”
Original Air Date: March 31, 2000
In order to achieve personal growth, students at Lawndale need to know what it is like to fail at something. Mr. O’Neill assigns them the task of failing. Daria tries to convince her parents to ground Quinn from the fashion expo, Jodie asks her uptight parents to let her relax during summer break, and Mack attempts to teach Kevin about the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government. These three fail and thus succeed at the task assigned. Jane tries to fit in by dressing like everyone else, Kevin tries to suck at sports, and Brittany talks about social issues to try to fail at being popular, but these three succeed and end up failing the assignment. Kevin gets kicked off the football team and the cheerleaders try to replace Brittany with Jane.

“I Loathe a Parade”
Original Air Date:April 7, 2000
Jake sends Daria to the drugstore for toilet paper. Unfortunately, the Lawndale High Homecoming Parade is making its way down the street and she can’t get through the crowds very well. Along the way of trying to get out, Daria runs into Tad (the kid of the conservatives she babysit), who has lost his parents, and Tom who has lost Jane. Tom and Daria finally talk and realize they like one another.

“Of Human Bonding”
Original Air Date: April 14, 2000
Daria and Jake head off to one of his business conferences. They try to bond, but have little in common. Jake tries to impress a rich business owner who wants to take him ballooning. Unfortunately, Jake is afraid of heights. Helen gets a makeover by the girls when Quinn invites the Fashion Club over for a sleepover.

“Psycho Therapy”
Original Air Date: June 28, 2000
In order for the law firm to determine if Helen is partner material she must go to a therapy spa retreat. The sessions reveal that Daria is the most well-rounded family member and that Helen is a ruthless woman who puts her career before her family. This is the perfect personality for a lawyer to have. In the meantime, Jane starts her own webshow, Jane Cam, which shows off her life, and Tom’s ass.

“Mart of Darkness”
Original Air Date: July 5, 2000
Everybody heads to the wholesale warehouse, which is like a creepy labyrinth. Daria goes with Jane to the warehouse because Jane needs gummi bears for an art project and Tom ate them and Daria needs new shoe laces because Quinn stole hers. Trent and Jessie go to purchase something and Tom goes with them to try to find Jane so he can apologize to her. Mr. DeMartino gets in a fight over free sample cheese logs, and the Fashion Club shows up to buy beauty supplies. In the meantime, Kevin’s dad has a BBQ, where he asks Mr. O’Neill to pass his son since he’s a football player.

“Legends of the Mall”
Original Air Date: July 12, 2000
When the Fashion Club gets lost, Trent, Daria, and Jane must go find them. To pass time, both groups tell ghost stories. Stacey tells a story about a girl who is obsessed with her appearance and becomes so skinny she rattles like a skeleton. Trent tells the story about a metal shop teacher who makes teeth out of steel that pick up radio waves and make him sing 80s Cyndi Lauper songs. Jane tells a story about a nerd who was trapped in a bomb shelter built by her father, who haunts the students of Lawndale High, especially those who dream of going to college.

“Groped by an Angel”
Original Air Date: July 19, 2000
Daria is skeptical when Quinn believes she has her very own guardian angel looking out for her. Brittany’s dad and stepmom throw her a party because she has managed to get an average of a C- in school.

“Fire!”
Original Air Date: July 26, 2000
Jake sets the kitchen on fire and they family has to go stay at a hotel until repairs are made. Daria stays at Jane’s house where she and Tom become closer and he becomes less interested in Jane. The two friends have problems with one another over this. Jake and Helen relax into oblivion. Quinn is courted by Bobby, who claims he is the hotel owner’s nephew, but really he is just a computer hacker.

“Dye! Dye! My Darling” August 2, 2000
Still upset over the Tom/Daria situation, Jane and Daria fight after Daria botches a dye job on Jane’s hair. The two make up, but things become tense again when Tom and Daria kiss. Coming clean with Jane, Daria is forced to face the realization that Jane doesn’t want to see her anymore.

SEASON FIVE

“Fizz Ed”
Original Air Date: February 19, 2001
With the school short on funding, Ms. Li makes a deal with a soft drink company. The company puts product placement all over the school. Daria is horrified by this, but nobody will listen to her complaints. When Ms. Li fails to make her sales quota, she’s forced to add advertising for the company on the school extra-curricular uniforms and in what students are taught.

“Sappy Anniversary”
Original Air Date: February 26, 2001
Quinn reminds Daria it is her six month anniversary with Tom. Daria begins to question her relationship with Tom when she realizes he does not go out on dates or do anything romantic with her like he did with Jane. Jake is hired by a dotcom, internet startup. He is the oldest person there and is clueless about what he actually has to do for his job.

“Fat Like Me”
Original Air Date: March 5, 2001
Sandi gains a lot of weight after being laid up with a broken leg. Unable to maintain the weight required to be in the Fashion Club, she has to resign as president, placing Quinn in charge. Sandi also convinces Quinn to quit, and the club looks like it is going to fall apart forever. In the meantime, Daria and Jane make bets on whether the club will truly crumble or not.

“Camp Fear”
Original Air Date: March 12, 2001
Daria and Quinn head back to Camp Grizzly for a reunion. This place has bad memories for Daria. Quinn still fits in, but her old crowd is reminiscent of the stuck up friends she has now. Daria’s anti-social, non-conformist attitude inspires a younger camper to stand up to the camp bully. While the girls are at camp, Helen and Jake clean the garage. Trent and Jane spend time in the words and Trent is inspired to write a new song thanks to his experience there.

“The Story of D”
Original Air Date: March 19, 2001
Helen learns the real reason her niece, Erin’s, marriage failed, which makes her keep a closer eye on Daria. Daria writes a story that she wants to submit to a magazine. Jane tells her it needs work, but Tom tells her to publish it. When it is rejected, the two have problems. The Fashion Club starts a newsletter to sell, to make money to buy a mirror, to donate to win a humanitarian award, but their newsletter predictions are all wrong.

“Lucky Strike”
Original Air Date: March 26, 2001
DeMartino leads the teachers in a strike against the school when Ms. Li fails to honor a raise in their contracts. Jane and Trent help the strikers out with Art and Music, which inspires others to join their cause. Li hires substandard substitutes, including one that hits on a student. To replace him, she hires Daria, who becomes Quinn’s teacher. When Quinn gets a high grade on a test Daria gives, Sandi confronts Quinn about her relationship with Daria.

“Art Burn”
Original Air Date: April 2, 2001
When Jane and Trent need money to fix their gazebo, which has collapsed, Jane tries to sell her artwork. Instead, she is hired to recreate famous paintings to sell. This makes her a lot of money, but she hates doing it because she finds it unoriginal and not creative. The Fashion Club tries to sue a man who made caricatures of them they did not like.

“One J at a Time”
Original Air Date: May 21, 2001
Quinn wants a steady boyfriend like Daria. She tries to pick one from Joey, Jeffy and Jamie. Daria toys with Quinn when she explains what having an exclusively steady boyfriend entails. Helen wants Daria to invite Tom over for dinner, but Daria fears Jake will embarrass them all, especially now that he is obsessed with catching squirrels who keep getting in his garbage.

“Life in the Past Lane” May 28, 2001
Jane is charmed by Nathan, who is obsessed with anything retro between the 20s and 40s. He even manages to get her to start dressing like him. However, Nathan’s obsession stems a little too deep and both Tom and Daria try to warn Jane about him. Upchuck decides to become a magician to attract girls and he does, when he convinces Stacey to be his girl and be in his magic act.

“Aunt Nauseam” June 4, 2001
Rita hires Helen to handle Erin’s divorce. The two end up fighting to the point where Jake leaves until Rita is gone. Daria tries to get Amy to mediate between her sisters, but all three start fighting. Daria and Quinn must intervene. It makes them realize they don’t want to be like their Aunts and mom and resolve to be better to one another. All the talk of divorce makes Daria uneasy around Tom. Stacey and Tiffany break fashion club rules, which states you cannot buy the same outfit. This creates HUGE problems for the club.

“Prize Fighters”
Original Air Date: June 11, 2001
Daria is egged on by her mother to apply for a scholarship. She does so by writing an essay. She wins a spot in the finals, but has to compete against Upchuck and Jodie for the prize. Jane, who has no college aspirations, feels left out. Jake mixes up his online order and ends up with excessive amounts of frankfurters being delivered.

“My Night at Daria’s”
Original Air Date: June 18, 2001
Daria and Tom fall asleep together in her room. When he wakes at 4 am, he runs out of the house, hoping no one sees him. However, he is spotted and the rumors begin to spread that the two had sex. This makes Daria start to question whether they should have sex and if it is indeed the right time.

“Boxing Daria”
Original Air Date: June 25, 2001
Daria is reminded of her childhood spent alone, when she spies a refrigerator box in her back yard. She begins to question a fight her parents had and thinks it may have been caused by her anti-social behavior in school. Daria and Jane must give a tour of Lawndale High to 8th Graders who will soon be incoming freshmen.

Storyline/Plot:
Replayability:
Voice Acting:
Directing:

Audio/Visual:
As one might expect, Daria is coming to you in full screen. This show has been off the air for a while now and the budget was never particularly huge from the looks of it, but the budget never managed in the awesomeness of the show. The colors are good, the detail is as good as one could hope for, and though it’s not pristine, the video has held up extremely well. We did not notice any compression errors or visual issues. This is probably the best quality that we could have imagined. It looks just like it did when it aired on television.

The audio is just as fabulous as the video. The dialogue is always clear and the music and effects are crisp. It’s not overly dynamic, but the sound is stable and volume toggling is never an issue. It is kind of sad that the original music couldn’t be added here, but we don’t blame the creator for making the decision to put this on the shelves in the only way that he could. Furthermore, we don’t think true fans will care that some songs were changed when the content is the same.

Visual:
Audio:

Bonus Features:
The special features for Daria: The Complete Series are all on disc eight. The special features include two movies, character profiles, the pilot, music videos, music videos countdown, pilot script, and cast interviews. Each of the features are explained below.

Movie: Is It Fall Yet? – This is the hour and twelve minute movie that focuses on Daria and the students of Lawndale during the summertime. If you’ve ever wondered what small town high school students do over the summer this should clear it up for you.

Movie: Is it College Yet? – This is the second movie, which is just slightly shorter than the first, at an hour and five minutes. This time around Daria has to make the decision about where she wants to go to college and how it will affect her relationship with Tom.

Character Profiles – This is a great feature for fans. You get a profile for each of the characters on the show along with sketches and art for that specific character.

Pilot: Sealed with a Kick – This is the original pilot, though because it’s just a pilot it is not colored and it’s not fully animated. It does feature the full sound though and certainly gives a taste of what is to come.

Music Video: Freakin’ Friends – No one does music quite like Mystik Spiral. To make sure you remember that, this animated music video of Trent and his band has been included.

Daria & Jane Top Ten Countdown – This funny feature includes Daria & Jane as they host the top ten countdown for MTV’s animated videos.

Pilot Script: Mystik Spiral Spinoff – The pilot script is available in PDF and via a DVD-Rom.

Cast Interviews – These interviews include writers, voice cast and the creators. Naturally the creators talk about getting the show off the ground and the writers discuss what it was like developing the series and giving the characters depth. The voice cast has the easy job as they get to talk about taking on the characters and the popularity of the show.

This is a great accompaniment to a wonderful series. That being said, we can’t complain about anything here. The special features have all been added to enhance the content. There are no fillers or useless special features here and that’s just how it should be.

Bonus Features:

Bottom Line:
We’ve been waiting to own this series for quite a long time. We both watched Daria when it first aired. That was back when MTV was still cool. Now, we have every episode of a series that never should have ended. If you are from our generation, or just like cynical, smart-mouthed, intelligent-minded teenagers, you need to own Daria: The Complete Series on DVD. This set is more than we expected in a Daria release. We highly recommend Daria: The Complete Series as both a series and a DVD.

Overall Rating:

Technorati Tags: Daria, MTV, Cartoons, Jane Lane, Fashion Club, Lawndale High School, Daria The Complete Series, DVD Review, TV on DVD

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