Mike's Delayed Reaction Review "Ill"
MDRR 209 (2-22) "It's my birthday, my b b birthday!"
Trent Watch- This is the first time we get to see all of Mystik Spiral (I figured that one of them would be bald). It also wasn't that surprising that Trent was one of the causes of Daria's mystery illness (he does produce anxiety for Daria, after all [anyone that doesn't know this hasn't been watching]). Even though part of the cause was predictable, it didn't take away from the story.
Super Rash- What was the cause of that mysterious illness? A burger? A dirty night club? Drugs? Anxiety? Well it could have been any or all of these things but I've never seen (or heard of) any rash that comes and goes that quickly. I guess I can accept it, though, since it would be hard to wait too long for something like this to develop naturally (it would take at least two or three episodes just for it to start to emerge, this is an animated program, not a soap opera.
Running Gags of the Week- Anyone who is familiar with me may know that I'm not a big fan of repeated jokes in an episode. However, I think that they were handled quite well here. Mrs. Sullivan provided us with a vivid dream sequence where Daria thought she was dead, and I for one didn't expect to see her alive. Brittany's hair was... never mind that now! The running gags as a whole flowed well in the story and didn't fell like an afterthought. They didn't seem tacked on and I guess that's good.
Jake's Road Rage- If the man has a heart attack; it will be sooner than later. I have to say that Jake's scenes made this episode for me, I laughed out loud at almost everything Jake did (he's living up to the "flying off the handle" description), especially his mad rush to the hospital and watching the drug tape.
Drug Dealers- Maybe it was Brittany's brain that dripped onto Jane's shoes. Her first deal with Daria was out of the fear that she would tell Kevin about Jerry and Terry. The second deal was much more sinister since Brittany didn't know she was making a deal "until it was made" (Jane didn't even remember why they made their deal). Her strategic intelligence, as seen in "The Daria Hunter," was short lived- I don't see her mastering hostage negotiations any time soon.
Dealed- No, Daria is not on drugs. She isn't happy vibrant or involved either. Is she not well adjusted? Possibly, but right now this is the best way for her to deal with everything around her. Will she change? Probably, because everyone does. But this is what works for her now.
Even though this episode was somewhat fast paced, it flowed together nicely. It showed to me that Daria has some friends or at least people who care about what happens to her (see the scene where everyone is in Daria's hospital room, I know it was "Saved By the Bell"-ish, but it was touching). Some of them may be misguided, but they do care. "Ill" is one of the best episodes of the second season, and I give it a big fat A.
Daria as a Whole (Bad Pun Alert)- The clock in the Morgendorffer's kitchen still is missing its hands, I guess no one had the time (oooh) to fix it. This could also be a continuity check since most of the time (oooh) the clock is hand-less. Maybe it's not really a clock.
Mike Quinn I can be reached through e-mail at: [email]