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After six months of waiting, I had built up quite high
expectations for season three of DARIA. It is not fair to say I had
*unreasonable* expectations, because, afterall, why should I not expect
season three to be every bit as good as the second half of season two?
Sadly, this has not been the case. The first four episodes have been
uneven at best, and at worst, downright awful.
This seasons, DARIA has lurched haltingly from the innovative
novelty of the characters bursting into song: �DARIA!� (I still have
lingering ambivalence as to the concept of a musical Daria. On the one
hand, I applaud the producers willing to take a risk�but my gut
reaction tells me that ultimately it was a silly idea); to the outright
failure of: �DEPTH TAKES A HOLIDAY.� (Yes, Virginia, I get the lame pun
of the title) . . . With the other two episodes falling somewhere
in-between
�THROUGH A LENS DARKLY� is the only episode so far this season
that I truly liked. The only episode worthy to be ranked with some of
the best episodes of season two. What makes TALD the best of the four,
is that it focused on Daria and her struggles with her perfectionist
ideals and the reality of her own fallibility. This was a morality
play. Daria has to confront the intractable situation that her
perfectly idealized moral principles do not always translate to the real
world. Aunt Amy has a nice cameo, and there was some good
mother-daughter conversation between Helen and Daria reminiscent of
�WRITE WHERE IT HURTS.� Overall, a strong episode.
�THE OLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL� was a one trick pony. The writers
relied too heavily on the on the premise that Daria�s monotone voice
drove nursing home residents into fits of depression. While Brittany�s
irksome squeak, and Kevin�s puerile stupidity are not only more
desirable, but further perpetuate the myth that to be attractive and
popular is an end-all in itself. Funny? I wouldn�t give it more than a
�mildly amusing.� The fashion club sub-plot on the other hand went
along way to redeem this otherwise weak episode. I really caught myself
snickering at their bombastic, selfish, snobbish antics, culminating in
the laugh-out-loud presentation to Ms. Li of the go-go boots and belly
chain. Now that was funny!
Worse by far this year, undoubtedly the worst episode of Daria
ever conceived is: �DEPTH TAKES A HOLLIDAY.� The episode possessed
neither pathos, humor, nor Dariaesque cynicism that is the cartoon�s
halmark. Quinn once again had nothing to do except wail and
lament about the possibility of Jake and Helen having another baby.
(Even though this was a trivial sub-plot, the potential for Quinn�s
ousting as the baby of the family was singularly the most interesting
event)�Helen and Jake are reduced to lust crazed parodies of themselves
(yeah, yeah, parents having sex, very funny). So, we learn Daria has a
full blown school-girl crush on Trent. We knew that already.
Well, no sense in beating a dead horse. Its enough to say that
season three has thus far turned into a major disappointment.�S. Mc Allister