Otherwise, my advice is: stand firm for what you believe in, until and unless logic and experience prove you wrong; remember, when the emperor looks naked, the emperor is naked; the truth and a lie are not "sort of the same thing"; and there's no aspect, no facet, no moment of life that can't be improved with pizza. Thank you.
*Daria's Graduation Speech, "Is It College Yet?"*
Daria Morgendorffer is a sarcastic, cynical, sensitive, and intelligent teenager with razor-sharp wit and a strong distaste for superficiality. She's basically an accurate representation of teenagers who *weren't* trying to be Quinn wannabes.
Daria is 14-15 during "Beavis and Butt-Head" and 16-18 during her own series (as Jane confirms she's 17 in Season Three's episode "*Lane Miserables*").
Physically, Daria has auburn hair down to her shoulders, brown eyes, and thick, black, bottle-cap-esque glasses. Her usual attire consists of a dark green jacket (with an orange shirt underneath), a black pleated skirt, and a pair of badass Doc Martens. Her wardrobe does change occasionally, such as in "*Road Worrier*", "*Quinn the Brain*", "*I Don't*", "*Antisocial Climbers*", "*Fizz Ed*", "*Sappy Anniversary*", and "*Sarcastathon 3000*" (featured as intros on certain Daria DVDs).
My parents made me join the school paper. The paper made me fashion reporter because I'm a girl. I hate fashion!!! There's no fashion in this town! I want to be an enquiring photographer.
*Daria, "Sporting Goods".*
Daria was a major part of *Beavis and Butt-Head*. While she wasn't romantically interested in them, she tolerated the duo more than most. Both Beavis and Butt-Head are outcasts much like Daria herself, though they lack empathy or intellect and have a chaotic, often abusive friendship dynamic.
Daria often manipulated their obliviousness for amusement (science projects, misunderstanding debts during walkathons), but surprisingly, she showed occasional acts of kindness too (e.g., explaining how to plant seeds or the meaning of Christmas through Marvel comics). Despite this, she never truly cared for them, as she admits in "*Beavis and Butt-Head Are Dead*": “Well... I guess it's kind of sad that they're dead and all, but it's not like they had bright futures ahead of them.”
Beavis often annoyed Daria more than Butt-Head, who respected her slightly more. In "*Citizen Butt-Head*", Butt-Head calls her “cool” but still steals the mic she was using to ask President Clinton a question. In "*The Butt Files*" (a book), Butt-Head fantasizes about Daria in a dominatrix outfit, hinting at romantic feelings.
Jane Lane is Daria's best friend and the person she trusts most. The duo met in the self-esteem class run by Mr. O'Neill in "*Esteemsters*."
Their hangouts consist of them regularly eating pizza at Pizza King, Daria reading a book on Jane's bed while she paints, watching "*Sick, Sad World*" together, and exchanging witticisms together.
Daria and Jane have a very close and treasured dynamic. They confide in each other in nearly everything.
In "*The Misery Chick*," after Tommy Sherman dies and everyone goes to Daria and says “it really makes you think,” Daria angrily rants to Jane on the phone about how while yes, he is dead and it's sad, it wasn't like he was nice to anybody. Jane then tells her, “Boy, Daria, nothing gets through to you, does it?”
In "*See Jane Run*," Jane joins the track team, much to Daria's dismay. Our sarcastic siren is obviously upset about this, even to the point of her beginning to talk to herself. Maybe even jealous. This decision causes another rift in their friendship, though brief, similarly to Season One's finale.
In "*Jane's Addition*," Jane begins going out with a guy named Tom Sloane, who belongs to one of the richest families in Lawndale. Daria is not even trying to mask her jealousy and accuses him of trying to take Daria away from her, to which Tom tells her Daria is all Jane talks about.
In "*Fire!*," after Jake accidentally starts a fire, the Morgendorffers move into a hotel for two weeks, causing Daria to stay at Casa Lane by choice, in Penny's room. She and Tom begin to get closer which makes Jane confront Daria later in the episode that, whether she means to or not, is causing problems between Tom and her.
In "*Dye! Dye! My Darling*," Jane forces Daria to dye her hair (“Lady or the tiger?”), but Daria does a terrible job so Jane kicks her out. Jane, according to herself, decided to take a mental health day after that. Jane forgives Daria after they talk about it. Later, Tom has his stupid car parked in front of Schloss Morgendorffer, and invites Daria to come in. He wants to discuss their ‘situation,’ although Daria denies having one. Tom goes on to KISS Daria, and then they do it again. Daria tells Jane the next day…
In the first film "*Is It Fall Yet?*," Daria begins her relationship with Tom, and Jane attends an art camp. Tom, notably, tells Daria that she's smart and it's not like she's Jane, leading to Daria asking “What do you mean not like I'm Jane? Jane's smart.” Jane and Daria forgive each other by the end.
In "*Boxing Daria*," after Daria spins out in the road in Jake's car, when Daria sees Jane she hugs her for the first time and they talk in the diner, ‘*Mom’s*,’ and Daria admits that “It would've been good to see Tom, but this way, I got to talk to the person I trust most.”
Why? *Why?* Because I moved to this town and I knew immediately I'd be a total outcast. And in the one moment of good luck I've had in my entire life, I met another outcast who I could really be friends with and not have to feel completely alone. And then you came along and screwed the whole thing up!
*Daria, to Tom, "Dye! Dye! My Darling".*
We first see in "*Esteemsters*" (S1, EP 1) that Daria has a somewhat strained relationship with Quinn, her attractive and popular sister, who denies any association of sisterly relation to Daria. During her speech after getting out of self-esteem class three weeks early along with Jane Lane, she mentions Quinn, which angers her:
And so, the one person I'd like to thank more than any other is my very own sister, Quinn Morgendorffer. (audience gasps; Quinn's jaw drops to the floor) My sister Quinn has forgotten more about self-esteem than I'll ever know. Are you out there, sis? Stand up and let me thank you.
*Daria, "Esteemsters".*
Quinn describes her as having "A-a thing!" when she complains to Helen and Jake at home.
One thing that the two Morgendorffer sisters have in common is that they use things—humor and superficiality—as defense mechanisms. While Daria, for instance, uses sarcasm as a barrier to avoid vulnerability, Quinn uses superficiality as a barrier to hide her insecurities. They both could easily do the same things the other does regularly. Daria could be cute and popular if she put in the effort (as we see in "*Quinn the Brain*" (S2, EP 3) when she dresses up as Quinn), and Quinn could be smart if she didn't prioritize popularity (as we see in "*Is It Fall Yet?*" and "*Lucky Strike*").
Daria frequently goes out of her way to humiliate Quinn for her own amusement or try to/get her in trouble (e.g., "*Esteemsters*", "*The Invitation*", "*College Bored*", "*Pierce Me*" and other episodes). However, in "*Too Cute*" (S1, EP 9) she decides not to when Quinn becomes self-conscious about her appearance after a girl named Brooke comes into school with a "cute" nose thanks to plastic surgery from Dr. Shar. Quinn shouldn't be self-conscious—she's beautiful.
You don't need surgery, Quinn. (sighs) I was hoping it wouldn't come to this, and I'll deny I ever said it, but there's nothing wrong with you. Physically. You've got the kind of looks that make other girls mentally ill. So stop it. You don't need any plastic surgery. You're perfect.
*Daria, "Too Cute".*
In "*Through a Lens Darkly*" (S3, EP 1), Daria experiences her own self-consciousness and even a bit of vanity, a big thing during girlhood, when she gets contact lenses encouraged by Aunt Amy's positive feedback. She feels vain because she doesn't like how she looks with glasses, and the contacts irritate her eyes. Daria goes to Quinn for advice and receives surprisingly supportive feedback, showing their sisterly bond that grew throughout Season 3.
Contacts? Great! But what color were you thinking? Because clear ones don't call attention to themselves so much, which maybe you want. But then, who could resist being able to change their eye color at will... Blue goes with just about any outfit, but green adds that touch of exotica that many young women crave... Then, of course, you'll want to change your hair to frame your new face, a decision unto itself -- and obviously a new wardrobe.
*Quinn, "Through a Lens Darkly".*
In "*Speedtrapped*" (S3, EP 10), Jane and Mystik Spiral go off to a gig in Fremont, but they get a speeding ticket and can't afford it, so they end up in jail. Jane calls up a newly-driver-licensed Daria and asks her to grab the bail money and Trent's song notebook. Quinn comes along for the ride in case something "cool" happens. Once they get them out, Quinn tells Daria they make a pretty good team.
In "*Lucky Strike*" (S5, EP 6), when Daria temporarily becomes Quinn's substitute teacher during the teacher's strike, Quinn begs her not to make the quiz too difficult because "if you make it really hard, some popular people won't like it and might take it out on another completely innocent popular person, and besides, it's good to help the popular, because if you don't, it might make you even more unpopular, although I don't know if such a thing is possible." Daria tells her she's not going to help her vapid friends pass if they only focus on "finessing" the test—they deserve to fail. Quinn gets pissed off but softens when Daria reassures her with:
Hey, why should you go out of your way to protect the stupid? You're not one of them.
*Daria, "Lucky Strike".*
She sums up Quinn in "*Psycho Therapy*" (S4, EP 8): "Quinn wears superficiality like a suit of armor because she's afraid of looking inside and finding absolutely nothing."
Daria's parents, Helen and Jake, have a big impact on her life too, since, y'know, they're her parents.
Helen always wanted Daria to branch out of her shell and socialize, even back in Highland, Texas. For example, in "*Sporting Goods*" (B&BH S3, EP 13), Daria rants to Beavis and Butt-Head after they ask what she's doing with the camera:My parents made me join the school paper. The paper made me fashion reporter because I'm a girl. I hate fashion! There's no fashion in this town! I wanna be an enquiring photographer.
*Daria, "Sporting Goods".*
In "*Write Where It Hurts*" (S2, EP 13), Helen helps Daria with a storytelling assignment, though Daria initially struggles between Helen's calls from the firm and constant comparisons to Quinn. Helen later suggests, "What's hard for you is being honest about your wishes. About the way you think things should be, not the way they are. You gloss over it with a cynical joke and nobody finds out what you really believe in." This inspires Daria to write a future story about her family, making Helen cry and embrace her.
In "*Psycho Therapy*" (S4, EP 8), Daria mentions Helen "resents having to work so hard, which obscures her guilt about actually wanting to work so hard."
As for her father, Jake... Daria often throws jabs at him, much to his oblivion, but she does care for him and he does for her. In "*Daria!*" (S3, EP 7), he drives through a rainstorm to find her and hugs her tightly when she comes back. In "*Of Human Bonding*" (S4, EP 7), Jake reflects on how Daria always looks lonely and internally resolves to "reach out to his little girl." Daria internally calls him a hero.
In "*Psycho Therapy*" Jake defends Daria when a staff member suggests intensive observation ("Wait a minute, there's nothing wrong with Daria.") and Daria describes him as "guilty about being less driven than Mom, but thinks it's wrong to feel that way. So, he hides behind a smokescreen of cluelessness."
In "*Is It College Yet?*", Jake hugs Daria in relief when he finds out she's going to college instead of a military academy.
In "*The Invitation*" (S1, EP 2), when Jane's older brother Trent drops them off at Brittany Taylor's party, Daria mumbles "bye" as they exit, hinting at a softer side of her. This is possibly the beginning of her crush on him, but it wouldn't be noticeable until "*Road Worrier*" (S1, EP 11), where they (Daria, Jane, Trent, and Jesse) all go to the Alternapalooza together.
When Daria goes to the bathroom at Mom's Diner and looks at herself in the mirror (who has a bee sting on her arm, a bump on her head, and a peanut butter sandwich on her butt), Jane tells her, "If there's one thing I know about my brother is that he's oblivious."
In "*Monster*" (S2, EP 6), while Daria and Jane work on their film for Mr. O'Neill, Daria says in a squeaky voice, "Hell is other people," which Trent overhears and laughs a bit at, leading Daria to get embarrassed.
In "*That Was Then, This Is Dumb*" (S2, EP 5), when Daria stays at the Lanes' house and sleeps over, Jane lends her their grandmother's nightgown to wear. Trent sees her in it and comments, "Hey, doesn't Grandma have a nightgown like that?"
In "*Pierce Me*" (S2, EP 12), Trent asks Daria for help on getting a present for Jane's birthday. While searching around, they stop by—well, Trent stops by—Axl's Piercing Parlor and talks a red-faced Daria into getting her belly button pierced ("It would look really hot"). He even holds her hand, proving that Trent isn't so oblivious to Daria's attraction.
In "*Lane Miserables*" (S3, EP 8), Jane and Trent temporarily begin staying with the Morgendorffers after Wind, Penny, Summer (and her kids), as well as the Lane parents (Amanda and Vincent), come from all over to stay at Casa Lane due to their own issues. During this episode, Trent comes into Daria's room to ask Jane to borrow her toothbrush, but Jane has been dragged away by an overtly eager Quinn. So Trent lays on Daria's bed, and they talk with a serene casualness she has never felt around him before.
Jane later returns and tells Trent, after lending him her toothbrush, that it's a gift. Trent goes downstairs, only to reveal Monique is the person at the door. Daria watches sadly from Quinn's bedroom window as they drive off.
Quinn, noticing Daria's disappointment, tells her to "just close her eyes and imagine what you want." Daria imagines a realistic (by her standards) future with Trent. In this vision, Trent has a beer belly, is balding, and lying on the couch when Daria returns from her job at the gene splicing lab. She tells him that she "doesn't mind working double shifts at the gene splicing lab until he makes it" with Mystik Spiral. Trent says they're never going to get their big break, and that he needs a new job. They also have a child, Trent Jr., who needs thick glasses. At the end of the episode, she imagines a more superficial reality where Trent is well-groomed, and they have a lovely marriage. Before he leaves, Trent jokingly says, "Maybe if you were a few years older, I could take you out."
In "Jane's Addition" (S3, EP 13), Daria finally comes to terms with the fact that she and Trent wouldn't work out. At the end of the episode, Trent gives her a peck on the cheek, leaving her smiling.
Tom Sloane is Daria's first boyfriend and her only one in the series. Daria and Tom start dating in the first film, but she was initially reluctant because of her feelings of betraying Jane. Tom's wealth and social status also caused many complications in their relationship.
In "*Sappy Anniversary*," Tom forgets their six-month anniversary, and Daria only remembers because Quinn brought it up. She gets upset at him for forgetting even though she forgot herself and was hoping he would've brought up having some plans for them.
Due to Daria's anxious and jittery nature during the relationship, this also led to problems. Whenever Daria realized she was being a jerk towards Tom, she would apologize by the end of the episode. This happened in "*Sappy Anniversary*," "*The Story of D*," and "*My Night at Daria's*."
In "*My Night at Daria's*," the topic of sex comes up after Helen gets skeptical of Tom sneaking out the door at 4 AM like a “common criminal” and a rumor spreads at Lawndale High that Daria and Tom are having intercourse (Jake walks in the middle of things). It's revealed that they've discussed it off-screen, but Daria wasn't ready, so Tom backed off.
Daria says, while clearly not ready, that she is ready and agrees to meet up in Tom's room next Saturday night at 8. However, she doesn't follow through with her agreement, leading to Daria breaking up with him by letter, and Tom is left in disbelief. They talk about it the next day, and Daria admits that such intimacy would be overwhelming and scary for her.
In "*Is It College Yet?*," Tom gets accepted into Bromwell and suggests using his family influence to help Daria get in. Later in the film, Daria dumps Tom because he's heading to one place and she's heading to another, and maintaining a relationship would be difficult given the distance.
In the *“Is It Fall Yet? Post-Movie Chat”* (a behind-the-scenes segment), Daria admits to finding Tom sexy in a “don't come near me, I'm not ready yet” sort of way.
Well, here's the deal. I want to start seeing you again. We can take it slow, but you've got to at least try to trust me. I really like you, Daria, but I don't want to waste any more time if you're not going to give it a chance. Please? Daria…?
*Tom, to Daria, "Is It Fall Yet?".*