I mostly just lurk, but I'm strangely compelled tonight. No spoilers, just some theoughts.
The first thought, two words Kaa
Boom
As I was watching, I started trying to imagine Beavis & Butthead ever doing an episode like this, then thought, heck, imagine any other cartoon doing an ep like this, then thought, cartoon?, try to imagine one of the teen soaps like Dawson's or Felicity doing an ep this good.
William George Furguson said:
SPOILERS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Most "teen soaps" couldn't do an episode this powerful because their characters, despite or perhaps _because_ of all their overacted angst, don't really come off as being anything but shallow, spoiled hedonists without a single serious thought or meaningful emotion. When characters constantly fall in and out of "love" for no discernable reason and with no noticable long-term effects on their personalities, it's difficult to take any of their alleged "feelings" very seriously.
This show's different. We _know_ that for Jane to open up enough to a guy to have a boyfriend was a major step; we saw changes in her personality resulting from it. We know that her breakup was traumatic, we're seeing it damage her friendship with Jane. We know that whatever Daria decides to do, it will have an impact on her life. It _won't_ all be "resolved" by the end of an episode, or even two or three: whatever happens will have continuing effects.
Do you realize that some of the emotional currents in the last few episodes were actually foreshadowed from the very first season of Daria? (*) I don't know if the writers had it worked out even in general that far in advance, but it's obvious that they paid attention to what had come before, and worked very hard to make sure that characters _stayed_ in character, while nonetheless developing. (**) Which is much, _much_, MUCH harder to do on series television than you might imagine.
(*) Example: Jane displayed her impulsiveness, naivete, and desire for acceptance in the very second episode, "Invitations." This foreshadowed that, at some point in the future, Jane was likely to make a Big Mistake romantically or socially in general. I saw this, but I didn't expect the writers to make use of this. I was "pleasantly" surprised in that sense. (Not that I really _wanted_ to see Jane hurt; this episode was rather heart-rending for any Jane fan).
(**) Example: Daria is much more comfortable expressing her emotions, including love and even romantic love, than she was when we first met her. But this happened _gradually_, she didn't do one of those comic book morphs from "tomboy" to "siren" that's usually accompanied by having the character's breasts grow to the size of her head. And she at no point stepped out of character; it was the sort of transformation that happens naturally to a young woman as she grows up.
_Quinn_ and the Fashion Club are the characters on Daria who are most similar to those on a mainstream teenage show. On _most_ such shows, the _best_ we could hope for would be that the story would center on someone as bright and interesting as, say, Jodie. Daria would be her "gloomy brain friend", Jane her "weird arty friend."
The more common thing, of course, would be to have the show center on Kevin and Brittany. <shudder>
_Daria_ is the most excellent sitcom since _Roseanne_. In fact, it may even be better.
Sincerely Yours, Jordan
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It's not _exactly_ a "teen soap", but there is the Willow/Tara relationship on "Buffy". I was quite impressed with the scenes in "New Moon Rising" in which Willow comes to terms with the fact that she has fallen in love with another girl. And then there's the subdued and tasteful way that Joss has handled the entire relationship. No "Ellen the Vampire Slayer" there.