Second Look: Daria ‘Esteemers’/’The Invitation’ – Realizing Your Actuality

‘Esteemers’ (aired 3/3/1997)

Back when MTV embraced the ‘alternative’ crowd (and was still a music channel), they took pride in airing shows aimed at capturing a counter-culture audience. Daria – a spin-off of the nerdy, smart high school companion of Beavis and Butthead on their own show – was MTV giving the creative middle finger to the tacky, sugar-coated high school shows of the era – marking the beginning of a renaissance in quality, thoughtful ‘alternative’ high school television continued by Freaks and Geeks and Clone High two years later. 

When we’re first introduced to the Morgendorffer family, father Jake is driving Daria and her airhead sister Quinn to their fist day at Lawndale High (having moved from Beavis and Butthead‘s Highland, after uranium was found in the town’s water supply). They almost immediately establish the dynamic between the two sisters, as Quinn jumps out of the car and has friends immediately (“Hi… you’re cool”), while Daria watches on and sarcastically tells her father that she’ll make sure the transition is smooth for her sister (showing us that Daria’s a little bit smarter and snider than everyone around her, operating on a slightly higher plane of intelligence).

It’s also a terrific introduction to Jake, who always was a favorite character of mine on the show. He’s a nice guy who takes care of his family, but he’s often oblivious to his daughter’s intelligence, and when she’s just toying with him. In the first scene alone, Daria and Quinn repeatedly turn up the radio while he’s talking, which he hardly even notices. And after her wise crack about her sister’s “difficult period of adjustment'”, he praises Daria: “That’s my girl! Wait a minute…” We won’t meet the workaholic Morgendorffer mother until later, but that opening sequence really does a great job establishes the core family dynamics: Daria’s a wiseass, Quinn’s popular but dumb (and also always tries to tell people Daria isn’t her sister), and the father’s a well-meaning dumbass.

The rest of the character introductions are a bit of a mixed bag – but the first of them is arguably the best. Mr. Anthony DeMartino (the history teacher) is another personal favorite, embodying all the over-stressed, somewhat rejected nature anybody who attended public high school had at least one of. in DeMartino, it expresses itself in a physical tic that causes him to shout or twitch at random times, complete with comically bulging eyes for comedic effort. He’s also one of those bitter teachers, berating the jock and the cheerleader (Kevin and Brittany, the show’s established couple) for being idiots, and labeling newcomer Daria as a showoff when she tries to prevent everyone from getting other homework.

There are others that work – Mr. O’Neill (the Esteem teacher) and Daria’s mother Helen – but the big misstep in the pilot is how they introduce Jane, a character who’d morph into the character we all remember over time. Her artistic talents are non-existent in the pilot (though her and Daria do exchange drawings in Esteem class), and she keeps failing Esteem class so she can feel “special” (a feeling that would be negated by her artistic talent, spending a lot of time obsessing over her reputation and artistic integrity). It’s also hard to get a grip on the Lanes, without at least the presence of Trent (another favorite of mine, and a person who gives Daria’s character some needed emotional depth missing in this pilot) – but most of these issues would start being addressed in the second episode (and are common with most any pilot), so it’s more of a note than a serious complaint.

There’s a lot of obvious high school satire in the pilot, but it all works, mostly because of the sharp, well-defined protagonist, and the absurdities added to normal high school tropes (like Mr. O’ Neill’s character, for example) to separate Lawndale’s satirical setting a bit from the other high school shows it’s making fun of. For a relatively light pilot (in terms of thematic material, or character arcs), ‘Esteemers’ is a quiet, but amusing entry into Daria’s mind, and the world around her.

Other thought/observations:

– a little bit of housekeeping to begin: for those wondering how well I know this show (the most common question I get): I was between the ages of 10-13 when Daria first aired, so I was just starting to get into watching stuff on TV. I often caught episodes of Daria when they ran marathons on the weekends, but never followed the show religiously, nor watched either of the TV films. Watching the pilot before writing this was the first time I’d watched an episode in about 15 years.

– as for the second most common question I receive after starting these Second Looks: I’d say it’s about 70/30 that I’ll tackle the entire series (66 episodes and two movies), but for now, the only thing I can confirm right now is that I’m writing about the first season.

– i love crudely animated shows… Daria’s earliest episodes feel like they were created on old pieces of paper on a shoestring budget. Love it.

– Jane says to Daria while discussing what happens when the Esteem classes separate by gender: “a room full of boys with a male teacher?” both together: “Nocturnal emissions.”

– no Fashion Club, Joey/Jeffie/Jamie, Upchuck, Trent, Mack or Jodie in the pilot does make the population of the school (in terms of characters) a little sparse. It doesn’t quite feel like the Lawndale High we’d grow to know and love.

‘The Invitation’ (aired 3/10/97)

When it comes to high school shows, it’s almost guaranteed the first or second episode will involve a part of some sort. When it comes to establishing and exploring characters, there’s no better way to do so then to throw them all into one location for an episode, and let their interactions do most of the talking. And that’s exactly what ‘The Invitation’ is, broadening the scope of its cast while presenting us with a very simplistic look at high school hierarchies.

Brittany’s having a party (is it for her birthday or because her parents are away? Kevin can’t remember), and decides to invite Daria in order to make sure there aren’t too many hot girls at one party. The most interesting thing about Daria actually attending the party isn’t her (she accepts with the normal amount of snark we’d expect), it’s Jane, whose secret inner desire to be cool peeks its head to the surface (as does her artistic ability). She agrees to go with Daria under the guise of sketching some people (“There’s bound to be plenty of people posing,” Daria dryly convinces her), but there’s a tinge of wanting to fit in with Jane, especially when she repeats word for word Quinn’s sentiments: “just because people are cliquey and snotty is no reason not to like them,” to which Daria retorts “or not to hate them.”

There are a lot of other characters introduced, from Upchuck (who insists being the social director of the party, handing out tours of Brittany’s mansion) to Joey, Jeffy and Jamie (the trio always trying to date Quinn), and Mack, the not-so-stupid football player (and obligatory black character, along with his sister). There’s also a sighting of the Fashion Club, who made a short appearance in the pilot (here, they’re discussing the various levels of popularity each person in their school possesses).

If ‘The Invitation’ accomplishes anything (outside of just being an amusing gathering of all its characters), it’s really finding a contrast between Jane and Daria, whose similar styles of dress and speech in the pilot make them almost mirrors of each other. Jane has a little more social ambition than Jane, and it shows in her longer bits of dialogue throughout this episode, and noticeable difference in philosophy on social integration with the ‘normies’. As we’ll see later in the series, Jane’s desire to be an individual artist and a popular presence in the school gives her a nice internal dichotomy, similar to Daria’s own struggles later on.

Like the pilot, ‘The Invitation’ rides heavy on high school tropes, and doesn’t quite get beyond simple parody to contain any distinct perspective on what a weird, uncomfortable situation a high school party is. But it does do a solid job bringing some more characters into the fold, even as it repeats the basic framework of the previous episode (replace the high school with the party, and it’s another episode of Daria observing social dynamics, while simultaneously torturing her little sister).

Other thoughts/observations:

– the art teacher is impressed with Daria’s drawing: “You really created the illusion of depth.” Daria replies “I’m thinking of going into politics.” it’s one of the first really sharp, directed jokes on the show, the humor mostly relegated to easy high school jokes in the first two episodes.

– we also meet Trent, a guitarist who has a “problem with authority.” Daria’s crush on him isn’t made explicit yet, though.

– Jane’s impression of Daria is great: “It won’t work” she tells Daria, “my face is too expressive.”

– Kevin thinks the key to a great party is having the best hair.

– Brittany’s afraid that in remedial art, left handed people are forced to write right-handed. Problem is she’s right-handed.

– Daria tries to explain perspective to Brittany: “think of something that’s far away.” Brittany response: “Like the weekend?”

– Quinn: “I hate when the bottoms of the trays are wet.” Daria: “that which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

Note: these reviews will publish weekly on Tuesday afternoons – some unexpected deadlines delayed this first review. Hope you enjoy!

‘Esteemers’ – B

‘The Invitation’ – B+