My Thoughts About Episode #407 (SPOILER)

I'll have to watch this a couple times to get the full impact, but for now here are my intitial impressions:

SPOILER WARNING:

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 Ok, here we go.........

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- It was nice to see Ann Bernstein writing a different kind of episode than a Daria/Trent sexual tension piece.Not that I hate those;but she's written some other good stuff, see The Invitation and Pinch Sitter. This is right up there with them in my opinion.

- I kind of feel like the influence of Tom is rubbing off on Jane. She was definately annoyed when Daria said no to the offer to go bowling with her and Tom. And it seemed like Daria hesitated before saying no. She had such a good time in the last episode, yet she couldn't let go of her earlier reluctance.

- I thought one of the most moving scenes thus far in this series was Daria/Jake's private thoughts on the plane.If we didn't think Daria loves her Father we do now. The idea that she sees him as a "Hero" just got me in the heart. And Jake's awareness of her daughter's loneliness gives him a dimension we haven't seen before.

- Quinn's/Sandi's dream sequence. I'll let better minds than mine figure that one. Suffice to say I thought it seemed more natural to think of Sandi doing that; Quinn's seemed forced.

- Poor Helen. When it comes to relaxing with her daughters, she's like a fish out of water. That makeover Sandi gave her was a fright.

- The Landons are less likable than they were in the F-Word. Nice to see some marital strains there. Is anyone on this series happily married?

- Sandi and her condition. I actually felt bad for her laying on that bed all alone. I dunno, the Fashion Club seemed more pitiful this time around. Do they actually connect with anyone other than themselves? Even the three J's seemed to be tired around them.

Well, that's about it. Oh yeah, I'd say with the exception of "Anti-Social Climbers" the first half of the fourth season has been exceedingly well done. We've got some story lines to think about and they actually are using secondary characters better. I can't wait for the second half.

Jeff M.

"JMorris830" wrote in message news:[email]...

here

some

The disagreement over Mrs. Landon working was alluded to in "Gifted."

What exactly was her condition, anyway?

done.

secondary

I didn't mind ASC at all. Other than that I agree.

Jeg7777 wrote:

Not wanting to sleep on the floor.:) Though I'm sure it sounds more like "back problem from freak lip gloss accident" when said out loud.

Len

In article ,

With Sandi being Sandi, it could be "Oh I'll humiliate Quinn, by making her sleep on the floor even in her own house, after all I am president of the fassion club" (just imagine Sandi, saying that in her head, it fits IMHO).

No me neither.

Phill.

In article ,

Totally agree here, before ILAP, Daria would've taken any invitation from Jane to do somethingnce a, Daria's still unsure what to do around them, especially if Tom is in the picture, Jane has to know something happened at the parade, see the look of concern after Daria has turned her offer down again.

He's not as oblivious as we make him ou to be, he just hasn't followed through on these observations.

Even that one was good for a filler type ep. I personlly liked all of them so far, none ranking lower than a B- for me. I can't wait to see how they follow up on all the story arcs they've presented us with.

A.J.

JMorris said:

I agree. Look ... if Jake was really the total idiot he's sometimes made out to be, how could he possibly have won Helen or fathered Daria? He's not stupid ... he's got serious psychological problems, stemming from his father's cruelty.

He doesn't know how to get close to his daughters because his father never gave him any example of how to be a father. He's terrified of their feminity (he was horrified when he thought Daria was telling him her bra size), and if you notice throughout the series is constantly worried that they're doing something decadent (not really a plausible fear in Daria's case, and only moderately plausible in Quinn's). He knows he's failed as a father (or thinks he has), and it makes him miserable.

He'd like to help Daria, but the problem is that he has no idea how to help himself.

I think the Landon marriage is *mostly* happy. Did you notice, btw, that Mrs. Landon obviously likes Daria? Maybe Jodie's been saying good things about her ...

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

On 15 Apr 2000 19:01:33 GMT, [email] (JMorris830) wrote:

<snip>

Ehhh...not IMO. We know they're both highly competitive...and besides, it gave the whole scene a nice symetry to it, ya know? ;)

All five of the females were a sight for sore eyes...

Is anyone in real life happily married? There's always going to be the squables and problems...(coming from a divorced household, and there's been signs of stress at my friends households from the moment I bothered opening my eyes and ears, but they've so far worked out thankfully - though I have no idea how things are now since I haven't seen 'em in a year.)

Well, other than the fact that it was the overused field trip plotline, I found it enjoyable...it was a filler ep, but not painfully so ;)

Ditto. *Man* that's a long time to wait...

Damon Orca on #Stars!

In article , Damon Domjan wrote:

Richie and I are....then again, we're non-breeders. I really do suspect that having kids changes everything for the worse in a relationship. Then again, if everyone agreed with me on this the species Homo Sapiens Sapiens would be extinct...

--.\\<-H--

In article , [email] says...

Yes. My wife and I will vouch for being happily married.

a.j.

On Sat, 15 Apr 2000 21:36:51 GMT, Damon Domjan wrote:

I think marriage is not about being happy, it's about being less unhappy. MSB

---- They couldn't conquer the world. Now they're out to corrupt our kids! Dirty Drawings from Deutschland...Next on

JMorris830 wrote:

Not to me. They weren't dreams, but nightmares. Quinn was dreaming that Sandi chopped off her hair (which is sensible, since Quinn knows that Sandi is out to get her). Sandi was dreaming that Quinn chopped off her hair (which is also sensible, if somewhat paranoid, since Quinn is the most likely of the Fashion Club to try to knock Sandi out as top dog). So, both nightmares stem back to Sandi seeing Quinn as The Enemy.

Len

In article ,

but for now here

series was

Daria loves her

got me in the

him a dimension

Jake is definitely my favorite character on the show (besides Daria, that is). An episode can be a complete flop, and Jake will still say something totally off the wall to give the ep some worth. (I wouldn't have liked "Daria!" at all if it wasn't for Jake's "Damnit!" song.) It's nice to see that Daria really does care about her dad, and it's equally good to see that Jake is sensitive to Daria's problems. Daria made a good point in the hotel room when she said that they were probably close enough that they didn't need to make small talk.

In article ,

There's more Jake-ishness in me than I'd care to admit, so it was nice to see an episode where he came across as semi-competent, or at least showed more clearly the reasons behind his madness. Of course, there's rough roads ahead, it seems, with the marriage, but the important thing was this show gave us some good evidence that there's mutual caring between Daria and Jake. I personally can't see myself getting into a relationship with a Helen-type anyway.

In article , [email] says... <big ol' snip>

Jake is the *one* character on the show that I can *really* relate to.

Been there, done that, still there.

And for that I thank the writers profusely.

Been married to one for ten years. Watching the show is sometimes *eerily* familiar.

On 15 Apr 2000 19:01:33 GMT, [email] (JMorris830) wrote:

Actually, Michele turned out to be slightly more likeable here than she's ever been, though she's still quick to misinterpret anything and everything people say and do (and her quick bond with Daria may prove interesting in upcoming episodes; it's certainly good fanfic fodder). Andrew, however, is turning out to be a first-class schmuck, your stereotypical "oily used-car salesman" type who was lucky enough to make his way into the major leagues.

Martin
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Martin J. Pollard said:

I have some sympathy for Michele here; she's obviously not a "stereotypical" black woman, and she grew up in an age when the stereotypes were believed in a LOT more seriously than they are today. She really needs to grow past this, though; her constant paranoia about peoples' meanings are the equivalent of Jake's obsession with *his* past.

I think she realizes, perhaps from stuff that Jodie has told her, that Daria really likes Jodie for *who she is herself* rather than in an attempt to prove her "open-mindedness" or to take advantage of Jodie's popularity or status. Even though Michele is largely the one who has pushed Jodie to be so popular, maybe she appreciates that Daria likes Michele for her personality. Considering how sweet, smart, and bitingly funny Jodie *really* is, it's difficult to believe that her *own mother* hasn't noticed this or that most people don't "get" her.

Look at who he was trying to impress, though. Jake was acting like an equal dork around that guy. At least Andrew didn't wind up getting into a balloon with him, in bad weather.

(Once again, Daria wound up being the one to say that the "emperor had no clothes", and in the process freed the German balloonist from his unhealthy subjection to the billionaire. Yay!)

:)

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

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Question: Was that Terry Berry Barlow supposed to be a Tony Robbins-type? (If so, I would not be motivated by a pompous ass who couldn't even get my name right.) Or is he like another one of the other late-night infomercial types who's always trying to dupe the public into trying out their get-rich quick, glorified Ponzi schemes?

I will probably have more comments on this ep (& the rest of the S4 eps thus far) later on. My only other comment on #407: "I am not a hoppy thing!" -- ROTFLMAO, two days later! [You go, Arno -- can't wait to see him as a recurring character sometime in, oh, Season 7 {never too early to start campaigning for it!} ;) ]

Chirping through the night,

Cricket

"Cricket" wrote in message news:[email]...

had no

unhealthy

Robbins-type? (If

name

infomercial types

quick,

I suspect TBB is a composite. I've always thought "Pizza Forest", introduced of course in "Esteemsters," was modeled after Nolan Bushnell and Chuck E. Cheese. And the balloon thing I thought might be connected to Richard Branson or someone like him. There are probably other entrepreneur references as well that don't come immediately to mind. Not really a satire aimed at any of these people but drawing elements from each to create a character. I think TBB was not intended to portray a motivational speaker but rather a entrepreneur/adventurer--who turns out to be not as heroic as his PR suggests, and we have the dental records to prove it.

BTW, I think Arno (the balloonist) is Danish, not German: he said something like, " Oh Denmark, how I have failed you," when he expressed his anger for having to "wet nurse a whiney millionaire" instead of trying to be the first to go around the world in a hot air balloon.

And, also, BTW, the CNN reporter Arno was referring to was BERNARD Shaw. George Bernie (sic) Shaw was the dude who wrote the play "Pygmalion" (which later became the musical "My Fair Lady").

OK, I'll shut up now & go to bed.

Cricket