MTV bringing back Daria

[Russell]

CNN



I couldn't find the intro on youtube, but I did find this:

(I'm still waiting for a Mystik Spiral album. )

 

[Mother]

I loved Jodie and I'm ecstatic about her promotion to protagonist status. That being said, I want Jane up there too. Actually, I'd watch a Jodie and Jane show. I liked Daria, but found that her success was mostly due to the excellent foils that elevated her presence.

I'm going to watch the fuck out of this Daria reboot even though I'm quite convinced it's likely to read like an afterschool special on performative wokeness.

 

[Ghost X]

It was an excellent show. Think it captured the mood of the era, and doesn't need to be brought back. But hey, guess we'll see what they do with it. I'll throw this in the cash grab nostalgia folder for now .

 

[Mother]

^Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[Russell]

The only time the original run of the show got political it was in a general sense.
Such as *Daria Nerd* season 4 episode 1 'Partners Complaint':

Loan Officer - Very wise decision. Well, I'll tell you what. It's a fascinating idea, and very impressive presentation. But two girls still in high school with no business experience? You're what we call "high-risk applicants." I really don't think the bank will give you a loan. Unless, Daria, you want to ask your father to cosign for it.

Daria - I don't think I can do that. He's already had one heart attack.

Loan Officer - Oh, well, then... I'm sorry.

Jodie - What about my father?

Loan Officer - What about him? Does he know anything about business?

Jodie - He helped me put together this proposal that you claimed was so impressive.

Loan Officer - Your father's not Andrew Landon, is he?

Jodie - That's him.

Loan Officer - The folding coffee cup guy?

Jodie - Yes, that's my dad.

Loan Officer - Well, then, Jodie, you've got business savvy in your blood. Why don't I run your plan by my boss and see what he thinks? Maybe we can work something out.

Jodie - Why? You don't give loans to high-risk applicants, unless maybe you're hoping you'll get a little business from their fathers.

Loan Officer - Now, Jodie...

Jodie - My father's the same high-risk color that I am, you know. (storms out)

Daria - Well, I guess that makes me the outside person.

(outside)

(Daria runs to catch up with Jodie)

Daria - Easy there, speedy.

Jodie - The nerve of that idiot! Listening to my business plan and all my answers to his questions, then asking if your father would cosign the loan. Why? Because you're the right color.

Daria - At least you called him on it.

Jodie - All I want is to be judged on my own merits, you know?

Daria - Maybe they won't be so stupid at the next bank.

Jodie - Maybe, maybe not.

(at the second bank)

Loan Officer - Hi, girls. I understand you're looking to start up a brand-new business. Tell me all about it.

Jodie - Yes, we're very excited about our idea, and we've put together a comprehensive business plan with the help of my father, Andrew Landon.

Loan Officer - Oh! The folding coffee cup guy?

(Jodie smiles, Daria frowns)

Later

Jodie - Uh-huh. Why don't you tell me what you think happened?

Daria - Okey-doke. What I think happened is: you went to one bank and a loan officer dismissed you on the basis of your youth and possibly your race, until he found out who your father was, at which point he started kissing your butt, you called him a hypocrite, and we walked out.

Jodie - That's right.

Daria - Only to go into a second bank where the first words out of your mouth were your father's name.

Jodie - What are you getting at, Daria?

Daria - Well, which was more hypocritical: the first guy's changing his tune when he found out who your father was, or you making sure the second guy knew who your father was before he formed an opinion?

Jodie - Are you calling me a hypocrite?

Daria - No, I'm just saying...

Jodie - Hey, our assignment was to get a loan, not save the world. We were supposed to approach an adult financial situation like adults and that's exactly what I did. I used the resources at my disposal to get the loan -- my dad's name. And if I happened to depart from your black-and-white world of ethics -- no pun intended...

Daria - None taken.

Jodie - ...and wandered into a gray area, then too bad. Maybe the first guy was a racist, maybe not. Maybe I was right. Maybe I overreacted. Hey, you wouldn't be working with me if you weren't fighting with Jane. Does that make you a racist?

Daria - Don't be ridiculous.

Jodie - Don't tell me what's ethical and what's not. I approached it like a smart businessperson and I got the loan.

Daria - Fair enough.

Jodie - Are we done here?

Daria - Oh, yeah, we're done.

Jodie was a pragmatist, Daria wanted to stick to the principle of "the world shouldn't be this way". If the new show is like that then I'm hopeful, but if every show is a about (as BforB eloquently put it) "afterschool special on performative wokeness" then I'm worried.

 

[Mother]

^Partners Complaint is such a great episode! I'd have to disagree with you about it being the only time the show got political though; all art is inherently political, and Daria was probably one of the most staunchly political, in that the writers positioned their social stance rather clearly, shows of its time. What made it so good is that it didn't have to explicitly explain itself to get its message across. It also wasn't trendy to make social commentary the way it is now, which is why the reboot is at such high risk of coming off as contrived.

I definitely would like to see the dynamic between them as you described though, it makes me giddy just thinking about it.

 

[looneymoon]

oblig excitement, clock the flair

I think they're gonna have to skew the writing a bit. Daria was a satire on of adolescence/pop culture in the 90s... which is different now. Does Daria have a tumblr? What's Jane's instagram like? What is the traffic for Mystik Spiral's soundcloud?

The adaptation to modernity maybe jarring, but I am interested in seeing where it goes.

 

[Russell]

I'd have to disagree with you about it being the only time the show got political though;

You're right; I phased that wrong.
I should have wrote "When the original run of the show got political it was in a general sense."

"Partners Complaint" dealt with racism and peoples perceptions in a way that still makes it relevant today, despite the show being very much in the 90s.

My worry is the new show will deal with a Trump policy specifically or a Trump tweet or whatevers going off in the news that week and in a few years will look very dated. I've no objection to the new show tackling social issues but I think it would work better in a broad way.

(Off on a tangent: I've enjoyed the new series of Will & Grace but they did to many Trump jokes. Half the characters on that show are gay and they deal with gay issues so yeah its gonna get political and that's fine. But why laser focus on Trump so much? I like comedy so I can escape the horrors of the world, not be reminded of them.)

 

[Russell]

Yeah I got myself the boxset off Amazon:

26 hours of Daria, all 5 seasons & both tv movies. It was £60 when it first came out, got it for £35, glad I waited.

BRB gonna binge watch.

 

[looneymoon]

doesn't have the original music tho

 

[Russell]

doesn't have the original music tho

^ I know, but I'll take what I can get. Loving it so far.

I'd forgotten about Mr Demartino:

 

[leadmyskeptic]

I've got to be direct

If I'm wrong please correct

You're standing on my neck?

You're standing on my...neck.