Mike's Delayed Reaction Review-#409 (4-48), "Mart of Darkness"

Mike's Delayed Reaction Review-#409 (4-48), "Mart of Darkness"

Spoilers Space for #409 (If you don't want to know, then don't scroll!)

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Mike's Delayed Reaction Review-"Mart of Darkness"

MDRR #409 (4-48) - This'll be short and sweet

Contrivance #1 - That would be Daria not wearing her boots. If she had them on, Quinn would have never been able to take her bootlace and there wouldn't be any need to go get a new one.

I Wish I Never Met Them - I'll agree with Miss Barch and say that I didn't really like the Thompsons either. They seemed a little dumb and very petty. And it's not hard to see how Kevin decided that football is his top priority. Actually, it's a wonder he's turned out as good as he has - at least he seems pleasant.

Contrivance #2 - That would be the lack of barbecue sauce. If they had some, Kevin would have never been sent to get it and he and Brittany would have never gotten lost while looking for it.

The Honeymoon is Over - It seems that Jane and Tom are way past the part of the relationship where they can't ever get mad at each other (TMI: which is only theoretical in my world). It seems that all they've been doing lately is fighting but it either one of them to blame? Jane seems to like having conflict, and sometimes goes out of her way to create some of it. She's not doing anything big to start fights with Tom, they're more like "sins of omission" (like the gummy-bears here and Jane-cam in Psycho Therapy).

Contrivance #3 - That would be Jesse and Trent, who just happened to be going to PayDay, giving Tom the opportunity to tag along.

He Fell Off the Cheese Log into the Grease River - Mr. DeMartino has gone so insane that Miss Li won't even let him eat anything in front of anyone. It's justified, considering that he couldn't stay away from those cheese logs. As for the cheese logs, the lady at that free sample stand didn't mind lying to people to get them to try one. Finally, as for Mr. DeMartino and Mrs. Johansen's little competition, well, I can't think about what happened there, not right now.

Contrivance #4 - That would be Quinn running out of sunscreen, which made the Fashion Club go to out (not so) favorite megastore.

Chase of the Bigger Outcast - I think Daria and Jane possibly found a new ally in Andrea. The comment I'd like to make about this new found lessening of hostilities, is that the three of them finally looked past any preconceived notions they had about each other. Daria and Jane saw Andrea as a planet further out in the high school solar system - the Pluto to their Neptune. Where Andrea saw Daria and Jane as the pseudo-outcasts who complain a lot but don't really have it that bad. Now, they seem to be closer to being on the same page.

Contrivance #5 - That would be Mr. DeMartino's final act of insanity that caused the power to go out and, in effect, trap all the people in the store that were brought there by all of the other contrivances.

This episode was kind of like one of those bulk stores - there are a lot of oversized, debatably under priced products that aren't that interesting or even useful. There were so many things going on that it was hard to get settled in with any one of them. Also it felt like whomever was driving this vehicle needed a roadmap, nothing really had any direction and everything was going around in circles.

Grade: B-

Daria as a Whole #1, Alter-Ego of the Week - I'll go with Speed Skater Quinn

Daria as a Whole #2, It Starting to Get to Me - The problems with this episode are endemic of the problems with the whole season. There was too many "Daria Cliches," like Stacy not showing any backbone, Kevin and Brittany being dumb (and overexposed), etc. Also, there have been far too many gratuitous reference to and appearances by very peripheral characters (Mrs. Johansen has been in two episodes in a row). So far, the good in each episode has far outshined these problems (thus the relatively high grades), but if these things keep showing up, and there's nothing to suggest that they won't, the episodes better be good, very good, otherwise.

Copyright � 2000 Mike Quinn [All Rights Reserved]. "Daria" and all related characters are � 1997-2000 MTV Networks, Inc.

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Mike Quinn [email]

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Michael J. Quinn said:

Well, if you think about it, those boots are pretty heavy. I would imagine that Daria takes them off from time to time, beyond bed and tub.

Yep.

Kevin's still pretty young and innocent, and life's pretty much always gone his way.

Well, it strikes me as quite plausible that the Thompsons would screw up planning their barbecue, in some manner.

Yes.

I'd blame Jane. I like her, but she's not socially adept.

Jane is unused to the compromises one has to make to have friends, let alone a lover.

Not really that contrived: we've seen that Trent likes Tom. Though it seems like Tom is starting to get sick of Trent ... or is it that Trent acts stupid around Jesse, and Jesse simply _is_ abysmally dumb? Tom was getting downright pissed towards the end of the episode, obviously biting back a lot of anger and sarcasm in order to avoid fighting with Jane's brother and Jane's brother's best friend.

Indeed, it was the episode's running gag.

"Sulfuric acid? Sure!"

Why not? Quinn's not the world's best planner, and the Fashion Club _generally_ does stupid things.

If any of the three follow up on this, yes ...

I don't actually think that there was any previous _hostility_; more like Daria and Jane saw no particular reason to talk to Andrea, and Andrea was afraid to talk to them.

"The horror ... the horror ..."

:)

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

On 11 Jul 2000 06:59:16 GMT, [email] (Jordan S. Bassior) wrote:

True, but this is (I think) the first time we've seen her relaxing without them. Every other time (in her room and at Jane's), she's wearing them. Now, you're right in that she'd have to take them off at *some* point, but again, that's why seeing her without them in this ep is a "contrivance." :-)

Except that it's O'Neill who screwed up, not the Thompsons. O'Neill was the one in charge of bringing the food (which Ms. Li subsequently wrote off on h/e/r/ the school's taxes). Remember when Mr. Thompson shouted, "Who's the idiot who forgot to bring the barbequeue sauce?" O'Neill was walking towards the grill, then quickly turned and walked away in fear.

In article ,

imagine that

Exactly, maybe I should clarify - I'm using "contrivance" as something that we haven't usually seen that was put in for the sole purpose of getting as many main characters as possible to that store. I *know* that Daria has to take her boots off sometimes, it's just that she usually doesn't.

Tell me about it. Daria, Jane, Brittany, Kevin, Sandi, Stacy, Tiffany, Quinn, Mrs. Johanson, Trent, Tom, Jesse, Mr. DeMartino, and Andrea. You'd think they would have run into each other a little more than they did. Fourteen (mostly) main characters, and hardly any interaction. Then again, it *is* a big store...

Martin Pollard said:

Conventions of animation. The production team has lots of stock footage of Daria's body moving in various postures with the boots. They have to make a specific effort to show her with the boots off. Same reason why _all_ the characters tend to be shown wearing the same clothes most of the time.

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

In article ,

This is a contrivance, remember, she did even wear the boots under the bridesmaid dress in "I Dont". If she wears them there why not always, save for bed and bathtimes?

As said below it was O'Neill, who forgot the BBQ sauce, nothing the Thompsons did. Not necessarily a contrivance, though.

Agreed with all. Jane is just not adept yet in social situations, especially those of a possible romantic relationship.

Contrived. Tom could've just asked for directions from Trent or just followed him up to Payday and went looking for Jane on his own.

"Do you want them to include Mercury?":-)

Yes. but for someone who so highly values her appearance, and carries a backpack full of skin creams and such (see "Ill") it would seem unlikely that she would forget something of that vital importance to her. Contrived.

Not really contrived, it is totally possible to trip over a cord running away from someone, though mr D's behavior to that point leaves much to be desired.

Agreed with the grade of B-. Average ep. withaverage performance, so it gets a near average grade.

A.J.

Cheese said:

(SPOILERS)

Realistically, for the same reason that Quinn probably wasn't _really_ always wearing the same half-shirt for the whole first and second seasons.

He was being overly polite, trying hard to get along with Jane's brother. His reaction to Trent and Jesse doesn't bode well for the relationship. Especially since he probably at least subconsciously blames Jane for him being in the situation.

It makes you wonder just how dumb the lady at the food cart was, or just what was _really_ in those cheese logs.

(Incidentally, calling them "Lincoln" cheese logs was a gag; "Lincoln logs" are a type of children's building blocks that one uses to build log cabins. They're made of WOOD, and cheap foods are often heavily cut with sawdust).

Sincerely Yours, Jordan

wrote:

I wonder if maybe Trent was keeping Tom pre-occupied until Jane could work things out on her own. He could have made an effort if he really felt having Tom and Jane together would help the situation. But you're right about Tom not getting along with Trent. We know from "Jane's Addition" that he doesn't view him as responsible or having a future in music. And if those opinions carry over to Jane....

Jeff M.

In article , [email] (Jordan S. Bassior) wrote:

logs" are

They're

A GAG. Literally. EEW, sawdust!!!

--.\\<-H--

Michelle Klein-Hass said:

Heh-heh-heh :)

Sincerely Yours, Jordan